"the film scratches and burns seemed to me to be too obviously done in post"

But ... "scratches and burns" on a film are by nature "post", being the results of repeatedly playing on less-than-perfect projectors ... not having seen this, I'm guessing that your complaint must be that they appeared "inauthentic" in relation to the over-all "condition of the print"!


(http://www.btripp.com)