The level (more specifically the size) of grain on The Sound Of Music is something that not everyone would appreciate... I guess that's how a 1960s movie is supposed to look anyways - compared to say an 80's grainy movie like Aliens which has "very fine" layers of grain.
I haven't seen the Alien Anthology BD, but I'm sure that's not natural grain you're seeing on Aliens.
Reviewers say there's slight DNR (digital noise reduction):
Things are a bit more problematic when it comes to Aliens. James Cameron terrified DNR-haters everywhere when he declared that, "We got rid of all the grain," on the new Aliens transfer. Fortunately, he wasn't being entirely truthful. There's still some measure of grain left intact, though it's obvious that DNR has been employed to some degree. For the most part, the actors manage to avoid looking too "waxy" (certainly nothing on the level of the recent Predator debacle), but it's still a bit much for my tastes. http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/alienanthologybluray.phpThey say that in the case of the Aliens BD, slight but expert use of DNR improved the picture because the original film stock was in bad condition.
As far as grain and DNR are concerned, the studios should just listen to the experts and not let their decisions be dictated by what the average consumer wants.
It wasn't too long ago when Joe six pack absolutely hated those black bars.
These days, film grain is the new black bars ...
Perhaps it would be interesting if they release another version with some artificial digital processing employed for those whose general image of high definition is "eye-popping" - similar to what they did with some old war movies - but probably that is a stupid idea.
Actually, removing grain from film will not give you a great image. The process will not simply remove grain, it will also introduce new problems.
Maybe you're referring to the Patton BD. Here's a screencap comparison between the BD and the HD broadcast. The film grain on the sky is greatly reduced, but the side-effect is that details on the face are also greatly reduced:
http://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-movies-north-america/65914-lord-rings-trilogy-2010-a-343.htmlPatton was shot on 70mm Todd-AO! Why does that BD screencap look like an FHM magazine?
Even the HD broadcast screencap is probably still not good enough. When Patton gets a proper remaster, I think we'll be seeing a much better image.