THREAD NECROMANCY!!!
It's been a little over 2 years since I started this thread, & something has been gnawing at me since then (probably a result of my slightly obsessive-compulsive nature).
I'm referring to the final unidentified postage stamp in the upper right portion of this screencap from the movie
The Hunted:
I've kept this photo on my PC desktop, opening it from time to time & just staring at it, to see if any new features happen to jump out at me.
TODAY, I'm fairly confident I've solved the mystery. This was made MUCH more difficult since: 1.) the mystery stamp is more out-of-focus than the other stamps in the scene, 2.) it's turned at a sideways/45-degree angle to the camera, and 3.) the visible graphics on the stamp are far more ambiguous than any of the others.
Anyway, while staring at the screencap, I decided to run it through some graphics software to try & enhance some of the colors/detail. First I noticed that the black circular mark in the upper left quadrant of the stamp was likely not a part of the stamp, but part of the cancellation mark (as there was a very similar mark to the left of the stamp, but still within the cancellation mark. I also started to wonder if the wording across the bottom of the cancellation might have said: "Philippines":
So I went back on
FreeStampCatalogue.com, again using 'country' as the search criteria. About halfway through, I stumbled upon a stamp that I feel is a STRONG contender for this specimen.
To try & "nail the coffin shut" on this mystery, first I took the screencap from above, & using the graphics software, I rotated the stamp clockwise, & then straightened the perspective to try & achieve a straight-on view (keep in mind that some of the angles may be wonky due to the photoshopping, combined with the fact that the on-screen stamp is very weathered/wrinkled).
THEN I increased the color contrast to try & bring out more detail.
AFTER THAT, I took the photo of my candidate stamp, & blurred the focus using the software, & increased the color contrast. The original untouched stamp photo appears at the bottom. For me, there are just too many similarities for this not to be the right stamp. For instance:
1.) There are dark patches on the screencap, corresponding to the "PILIPINAS" designation, the "20.00" denomination, & the "PASSENGER SHIP" written down the right-side of the original stamp.
2.) The cloud/sky patterns/colors seem to match from screencap to original (light/dark/light/dark/light/dark), as well as the cabin portion of the vessel, along with the taller features on the ship (top-center & to the right towards the bow).
3.) There are darker colors in the ocean on the left-side, & lighter colors in the ocean on the right in both specimens.
4.) There is a mustard-colored frame around the stamp photo, that appears to also be present on the screen-used stamp.
Initially, the red lines on the ship concerned me (since it is not visible on the screen-used piece), BUT when I blurred the original stamp, the red lines virtually disappeared.
SO, what do you think?
CASE CLOSED? (I may have just dated myself here :$)
