Lawrence of Arabia Roadshow 1sh, restore or leave it be, what would you do?

[Undead]

I purchased the LoA silhouette roadshow 1sh from Bruce's last auction and am trying to decide which direction to go with it of the three. The below images are the one I bought on the left and a correct colored one from  another auction is on the right. For those that the purpose would make a difference, I am planning to keep it, not resell.

Option one is to restore the whole bloody thing to correct colors.
Option number two is to leave the sunset background alone and do the characters and head only.
Option three is to leave it alone and do not restore any of the coloring at all. It does look pretty cool in my opinion that way.

Voting here in the house is one to restore the characters and two to leave it be.

What do you think.

[eatbrie]

Leave it as is and buy a better version the next time it pops up. 

How do you restore colors?  Is it a big job?

T

[erik1925]

I say leave it as is.

Otherwise, the poster would be under a thin layer of paint, in order to bring back all the faded color. The subtle sky tones dont look bad at all, either.

Have you received it yet? How does the backing job look?

[Crazy Vick]

just a wash - as a happy medium... it wouldn't revert to its former glory but still give it some sharpness for farming and its relatively cheap.

I don't watch a lot of old movies but "o'rence" has to be my favorite.   

[eatbrie]

I say leave it as is.

Otherwise, the poster would be under a thin layer of paint, in order to bring back all the faded color. The subtle sky tones dont look bad at all, either.

Have you received it yet? How does the backing job look?

That was my question.  I don't know shit about linenbacking, but can't a good bath revive the colors without paint?

T

[MoviePosterBid.com]

why would anyone have even bought that piece if they felt it needed color boost?

[MoviePosterBid.com]

That was my question.  I don't know shit about linenbacking, but can't a good bath revive the colors without paint?

T

only if the piece is dirty. that piece doesn't look dirty at all. it's just faded.

[archstanton]

Leave it alone.  It looks nice as-is and the faded color is really only obvious when parked next to a nicer one.

[erik1925]

That was my question.  I don't know shit about linenbacking, but can't a good bath revive the colors without paint?

T

If it was dirty with a light film of grime that dulled and muted the colors beneath, then yeah, a nice bath would make a difference. But when colors are faded by sun or other light, they are, in a sense, "bleached out," and gone or altered for good.

I actually like the "faded sky" better than the other... with the mix of more pink and orange vs the just the more solid orange.

[eatbrie]

why would anyone have even bought that piece if they felt it needed color boost?

Mike buys because he likes a poster, regardless of condition, and then trades it for a better one down the line.  Right, Mike?  In this case, I would leave it as is.  Was it expensive?

T

[MoviePosterBid.com]

Mike buys because he likes a poster, regardless of condition, and then trades it for a better one down the line.  Right, Mike?  In this case, I would leave it as is.  Was it expensive?

T

it was actually reasonably fair for a roadshow poster, but I would let it lay. find something else I want & move it along

[Undead]

Interesting input so far.

Have you received it yet? How does the backing job look?

Yes I have it in hand just haven't gotten around to taking any pictures of it yet. The backing job is not bad, some spots could use a little work but nothing that you would notice unless you are right on top of it.

why would anyone have even bought that piece if they felt it needed color boost?

I did not buy it to restore it further, I bought it because I like it as is. I am the vote for character color correction only if anything. I like the background better faded like this more than the original way but want other opinions as well. In some cases like this one the aging process I feel has made the it look better, the characters I think are about the same appeal level as correct ones or a little less than I like.

Mike buys because he likes a poster, regardless of condition, and then trades it for a better one down the line.  Right, Mike?

As Brie said I will often buy a decent copy of something that is harder to find or overly expensive and then upgrade when one comes along at a later date. Other times I will buy because the defects give it more character than a pristine copy. In this case I bought it because I like it as is, probably better than a higher grade one and do not plan to upgrade unless some ungodly deal falls in my lap. I am a bigger fan of the camel style and the red French 1P which will be my next LoA purchase if I buy any more at all for the title.

just a wash - as a happy medium...

Cleaning in this case sadly won't do anything as it is already clean.

That was my question.  I don't know shit about linenbacking, but can't a good bath revive the colors without paint?

A wash can help some with a poster of course but in this case not at all as it is already clean. Colors used in the four color process fade at different rates which is the case here, the yellows and reds have faded more than the blues and blacks. The process to correct this is an ancient Chinese secret but pretty easy to accomplish whether I did it or sent it out. I have fixed worse in the past.

[Mirosae]

That poll needs another option: send it to Rosa I can look after it.

It just needs a bit of a "Dutch" "touch " -orange . I will probably try to fix it but only that colour. If the restorer is good s/he can work on it. And if you get a better copy then just trade it off.

[erik1925]

So what's the (potential) plan, Mike?

Any thoughts?

To retouch one part (making it more vivid and deep in color) but leave the rest in its faded state might look a bit "off," dont you think?

[Simes]

Leave as is, but replace in the fullness of time..

[Ari]

i would leave as is.
if you hadn't seen the unfaded you wouldn't even notice.
I actually think I might prefer it.

[ladeda]

Leave it for sure. It looks as if it's another colourway entirely. I certainly prefer it anway, who needs all that orange?

[Undead]

Lots of opinions which is good.

Odds are I will leave as is and then if I ever decide to sell perhaps revisit the question.

Thanks

[BruceH]

There are three kinds of faded posters:

1) They faded in such a way that you can hardly tell, unless you see it up against an unfaded example.

2) They faded noticeably, but the new colors are still attractive, and people would still enjoy it.

3) They faded considerably or unevenly, and the result is an unattractive poster.

Since the ONLY way to restore such posters is to "dip them in paint", which is very drastic, I believe it should only be considered for type 3.

Since your poster is a type 2, why even consider it? I too like it the way it is, and you got it for a massive discount.

Incidentally, it WAS in very nice condition prior to the fading. It was on the wall of a studio exec's office for many years, and he likely did not know the danger of how he was displaying it.

[Undead]

Thanks for your opinion Bruce. As an FYI in case you have not yet noticed I tend to over analyze every decision, you should see me looking at cars.

I did actually bid on it both because I actually thought it looked better with the background faded and because I could not help but bid at that price. It was not until after receiving it that I started to wonder which way it really looked better and sought other opinions. Those same opinions have been enough to convince me to frame it as is. If I decide I really need the bright yellow background I can always buy an S2.

Now to over analyze my matting color choices and frame types...

[BruceH]

Thanks for your opinion Bruce. As an FYI in case you have not yet noticed I tend to over analyze every decision, you should see me looking at cars.

Now to over analyze my matting color choices and frame types...

 

[Undead]

After playing around a bit, I am surprisingly leaning towards an unexpected color for the matting on this one. A dark blue/grey.

[erik1925]

Various shades and hues of blue have become more dominant on this poster, so I think this darker, blue color is a great choice.

[hepcatpunk]

This looks great!  The fading doesn't bother me at all with this matte and frame---fantastic!

[Charlie]

It's your poster do whatever you want.  Plus you can't really have it dipped in paint after backing.  They would have to figure out how to re-stretch it or spray something on it so the poster doesn't soak any moisture from the acrylic paint - so that it doesn't warp.  Or re-back it...