第21屆上海國際電影節展映影片達500部。其中「4K修復」一直是上海國際電影節頗受關注的展映單元之一。先進的數字修復技術，將使中外電影經典穿越時光，煥發新的魅力。
6月17日在上海大劇院展映的4K版《畫魂》，是上海電影技術廠首次進行自主修復工作所完成的4K影片。4K修復過程大體上可以分成四個步驟，分別是物理修復、膠片轉數位化、調色和視頻修復。
物理修復最主要的工作是檢查膠片的情況。在對電影《畫魂》的一個場景進行具體修復時，為了營造最佳熒幕效果，調色師用了多種特效來營造導演想要的效果。
一部4K電影的修複色彩，往往比傳統的2K需要花費一倍多的時間。光是這一部片子，修復師們每天24個小時兩班倒，花費了近一個月的時間。
據了解，本屆上海國際電影節4K修復經典電影單元，共有16部中外影片展映。
A new 4K restored version of 「Soul of a Painter,」 a movie directed by female Chinese director Huang Shuqin in 1993, was screened on Friday, in what is considered one of the most important events of the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival this year.
The movie, starring Gong Li and Tung-Shing Yee, tells the legendary story of Chinese painter Pan Yuliang (1895—1977), who was forced into prostitution as a teenager but later became a great oil painter through hard work. Pan was also renowned as the first Chinese female to paint in a Western style.
When it premiered in 1993, the movie was critically acclaimed and well received by audiences both at home and abroad. However, due to the restrictions of filmmaking technology, audiences and film enthusiasts could not watch it in high definition (HD).
The problem was remedied at this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival. For its rescreening at the festival, this cinematic masterpiece has been digitally restored, greatly enhancing the color, contrast and image quality of the film.
「I really appreciate the 4K restoration that makes me have the chance to see this classic movie. The good image quality gives me a sense that I am also involved in the movie plot, 」 a viewer told CGTN after watching the 4K version of 「Soul of a Painter.」
The successful rescreening is in part due to the exhaustive efforts of technicians from the Shanghai Film Technology Plant, as well as 4K restoration technologies.
It is very difficult to transform footage from old plastic and gelatin cine film to a digital format. Technicians also need to carefully repair the film so that the image of the movie is sharper at higher resolutions with the colors and contrast more defined.
Though the length of the movie is less than two hours, it took technicians over 2000 hours to restore it.
Apart from 「Soul of a Painter,」 the 4K restored version of other cinematic masterpieces from home and abroad will also be screened during this year’s film festival, including Chinese director Xie Jing’s 「Hibiscus Town,」 American romantic film 「The Graduate,」 as well as Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thrillers 「Rebecca」 and 「Vertigo」.
The 4K restoration program has been one of the signature screening events of Shanghai International Film Festival since 2013. Over 50 classic movies have been restored and rescreened in the festival during the past five years. With the help of 4K restoration technology, viewers and film enthusiasts can go back in time to enjoy the rich legacy of world cinema.