| Bandits
Full review
What is most impressive
about this disc is the stunning transfer, which is
full of brilliant, natural colors that reveal a
generous level of detail. Black levels and shadow
depth are rock solid, too. There are literally no
source print or compression flaws to be found on Bandits,
though some extremely minor edge enhancement is
barely a concern here. Excellent.
Full review
All of the elements for a stunning, knockout
transfer of exceptionally fine quality are
presented with this offering from MGM. The print
itself is in pristine condition without any nicks
or blemishes to be found anywhere. Also, this is a
pretty brightly lit film containing many outdoor
scenes, which of course shows off a wider range of
colors. The palette is extremely varied and since
this is somewhat of a road picture, we get to
enjoy the more brilliant family of hues matted
against lots of earth tone browns setting up for
more of a stark contrast.
There are also a lot of blue and white skies shown
in the daylight shots that only adds more pleasant
framing to cinematographer Dante Spinotti’s
visuals. Saturation is a peak level allowing these
colors to punch up the screen but never to bloom.
Flesh tones are perfect and stay that way
throughout the entire feature.
Black level is also superior with its blanket-like
richness and revelations of shadow detail. Even
set to 0 IRE (blacker than black) levels, my
display showed ample background detail. The
picture had no problems delineating outlines and
subtle differences with characters like Willis
that wore dark on dark clothing.
Compression artifacts were for the most part
absent, but any movie that contains as many
brightly lit backgrounds as this one is bound to
be plagued with edge enhancement halos. Well, that
may be true to some extent, but in this case the
results were not that bad. Overall, this is a
really good-looking transfer that borders on
reference quality.
Full review
The anamorphically enhanced 2.35:1 DVD exhibits a
pleasing picture, with outstanding sharpness and
detail. Chapter 2 offers a good example of fine
definition on this DVD, with the pattern on Bruce
Willis’s thermal shirt. Only occasionally do
images appear somewhat soft. Colors are rich and
well balanced, with natural saturation, accurate
fleshtones, and deep blacks. Contrast and shadow
delineation are nicely rendered, with superb
visual information in the darker scenes. Edge
enhancement is really the only major distraction
noticed, and even then, it is not always apparent.
(Suzanne Hodges)
WideScreen Review
Picture Rating: 4.5
Full review
Producing a very
sharp and well-defined image, the wide screen
transfer is very clean, with almost no
imperfections. Colors are strongly saturated,
while flesh tones remain natural and very
appealing- all of which is a credit to Dante
Spinotti’s wonderful cinematography. Blacks have a
velvety appearance, plus the contrast is very
smooth and the image produces a genuine sense of
depth. This DVD-18 allows dual layer authoring to
both sides of the disc, with no signs of digital
compression artifacts on the wide screen
presentation.
Full review
Presented as a DVD-18, MGM Home Entertainment has
included a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen version of the
movie on this disc, as well as a fullscreen version. Both are
extremely good and highly detailed. The widescreen image restores
the movie’s original aspect ratio and brings out
the best of the great cinematography of the
production. Colors are vibrant and solid, lending
a very natural look to the film with natural
fleshtones and vivid hues. Blacks are deep and
solid, never breaking up, firmly rooting the
image, while the highlights are always
well-reproduced without ever being overexposed. It
is a flawless transfer that is beautiful to
behold.
Full review
Bandits is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic
widescreen. MGM has done a great job at making
sure that this transfer displays no imperfections
or major defects. The color patterns and black
levels all appear very spot-on and solid. I
spotted a small amount of edge enhancement in a
few areas, but otherwise this is a very nice
looking print and MGM should be proud.
Full review
Bandits is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic
widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition
included on the disc's flip side. MGM continues to
put out some ace transfers, as this one is as
clean and sharp as we could want, very impressive
work. I saw no print flaws, grain, or compression
errors in the least, as this rates as one of the
best efforts I've seen of late. This is due in
part to how MGM chose to do this disc, which is a
DVD-18 (dual sided & dual layered) and that
means plenty of space, so no compression worries
at all here. The colors are natural in scope, but
look gorgeous here, some scenes are reference
level, to be sure. No problems to report with the
contrast either, as black levels are deep, sharp,
and refined throughout. This is an excellent
presentation in all respects, terrific work from
MGM, a studio that has improved by leaps &
bounds of late.
The
Sound of Music (65mm)
Full review
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has created a
brand new transfer of the movie for release on
this DVD. Struck from a 65 mm print, the transfer
is mesmerizingly clean and colorful. Without grain
or noise, the level of detail found in the
presentation is simply staggering and gives the
film a dimensionality never before seen in any
home video presentation of the movie. It is
presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer that restores the
movie's original 2.20:1 aspect ratio and with ease
this transfer even eclipses the superb Laserdisc
versions of the movie that were previously
available. The colors are bold and beautiful,
bringing out the best of the stunning scenery the
film so adequately captures. The lush greens of
the grass, the powerful blues of the skies, the
vibrant interior decorations and the lucid
nighttime shots, every bit of the movie is
perfectly captured on this DVD and put on your
screen in the most splendid colors. The disc's
black level is dead on and creates deep shadows,
and the level of detail is never corrupted by the
compression, which presents and image that is
entirely free of compression artifacts. You will
not believe for a second that you are watching a
movie that is almost 40 years old, that is how
clean, sharp and clear it looks.
Full review
I can't say enough about the stunning picture
quality on this DVD. Struck from a 65mm negative,
this transfer is nearly flawless, but goes past
that to the point where the image is three
dimensional, startlingly clear, and extremely
smooth. I doubt most people in theaters saw it
look as good as this. This 35-year-old film still
was able to provide bright, vivid colors that
never bleed or smear. The transfer is anamorphic
and retains the original 2.20:1 aspect ratio.
While there are a few tiny flaws that only a
dedicated reviewer is likely to notice (a bit of
shimmer or a bit of pixelation in a few quick
moments on small objects), it majestically
captures the beautiful essence of the scenery and
the film. Few transfers have had this jaw-dropping
impressiveness that I have seen, even on new
films. . .This is one of the top ten disc sets
ever produced by any studio.
Full review
The Sound Of Music is presented in a 2.20:1
anamorphic widescreen transfer. This is a
thirty-five year old movie, but you wouldn't be
able to tell that from this amazing visual
transfer. The source print looks pristine with few
nicks or dirt marks and the compression is
flawless, save a few very minor issues. The colors
look so bold and rich they seem to flow across the
screen, with no smears at all and flesh tones also
appear warm and natural. Just as impressive is the
contrast, which boasts complex shadow layering and
a very high level of visible detail. Simply put,
this is a reference quality transfer and the very
best this classic film has ever looked on home
video.
Full review
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has done a
phenomenal job with their two-disc release of THE
SOUND OF MUSIC. Transferred from 65mm, the
anamorphic enhanced presentation properly frames
the movie at 2.20:1, while displaying amazing
clarity and detail. There are some moments in the
film where the image becomes soft, however this is
due to the fact that the cinematographer utilized
filters to give key moments in the film a
romanticized look. Colors are rich and glowing;
the lush greens of the Austrian countryside are
especially well rendered by this exemplary
transfer. Flesh tones usually appear quite
healthy, although there a couple of occasions
where they seem a just tiny bit pale. There are no
problems with any sort of chromatic distortion,
nor do the more intense hues show any sign of
bleeding. Blacks are perfectly rendered and the
image displays a surprisingly good level of shadow
detail. Individual shots in the film that show
backlit characters in silhouette precisely
maintain the desired effect thanks to the flawless
blacks. This is a truly excellent transfer on
every count and Fox should be commended for their
outstanding work on this 35-year-old movie.
Full review
Remastered from the original 65mm interpositives
for this DVD release, this new 2.20:1
anamorphically enhanced widescreen transfer is the
best The Sound of Music that has
ever been seen on home video. The new transfer has
very little grain and is extraordinarily sharp,
tiny details apparent in fabrics and faces. So
sharp is the transfer that some moiré artifacts
are around edges, but they are not extreme and
only present on smaller monitors. Flesh tones are
well represented, restoring a nice "peaches and
cream" look to the actors' complexions. The blue
in the sky and greens in the fields are stable and
appropriate, never over-saturated as the previous
THX Laserdisc or faded to brown as in early video
releases. This film has never had eye-popping
color, but more of a soft, pastel appearance that
is transferred accurately on this disc. The source
is free from dirt and scratches, and contrast
level could not be more perfect, with blacks deep
and pure, bringing out details in bright areas of
the frame. Finally, the whites in this film are
white and not blue or cream as in the past. I
didn't detect much blockiness or pixilization, so
impeccably authored is the video on this DVD. Even
owners of the last very good Laserdisc of the film
will certainly see that it is time to upgrade to
this new DVD, current technology providing a giant
leap in quality.
Full review
Love it for its celebration of the joys and
challenges of life or hate it for its sugary
wholesomeness, but in terms of cinematic artistry,
The Sound of Music (1965) is a fabulous
film. On DVD, this becomes obvious. Strikingly
composed deep-focus shots now display intricate
backgrounds in subtly shaded colors that build
mood and often comment on the action and
characters. (Slight shimmer in some of the
magnificent Abbey shots is the transfer's only
visual transgression.) The sound is crisp and the
4.1-channel mix works well. Although the mono
surrounds aren't used much, the nuns' chorus
locates you right in the choir.
Other Sound of
Music
film transfer links:
Interview with DVD
producer Michael Matessino
The Sound of Music Special
(THX)
with John Sellars
The Greatest
Story Ever Told (65mm)
Full review
The image quality is absolutely astounding. The
shots of the American Southwest (doubling for the
Holy Land) are nothing short of breathtaking. A
textbook case of why widescreen is better, even on
a TV set - it also made me wonder exactly where
this era of filmmaking has gone. Be that as it
may, with the sharpness and clarity that this DVD
offers, the images in this film show up in
wondrous detail!
Full review
When you pop in this DVD, please be sure that you
have the largest viewing screen available because
MGM has faithfully transferred "The Greatest Story
Ever Told" in its original W-I-D-E-S-C-R-E-E-N
G-L-O-R-Y with a whopping 2.76:1 aspect ratio! The
opening credits are quite tiny, and obviously edge
enhanced, but even on a 36 inch screen, the
information is still quite a strain to read. It
certainly doesn't help that the credits were
designed with near-maroon typography on a mustard
yellow background. What follows though, is an
almost perfect rendering of the film itself, with
very few signals that it is a library title from
the middle 1960's. The initial reel has a few
splotches, which miraculously disappear as the
film progresses. The Technicolor® cinematography
of Academy Award® nominated William C. Mellor is
carefully preserved with its riches of colors
intact. In a disappointment, though, the blacks
are not nearly as rich as the other colors: the
"Temptation" scene (Chapter 7) shows far too much
grain in the darker areas of the frame. Alas,
during the "Crucifixion" sequence (Chapter 30) ,
the grain becomes as evident as the picture
itself. The image has no significant flaws,
however, as flesh tones are accurately balanced to
the lighting with contrast levels seeming to be
right on the money. Whites are neither bleachy
looking, nor do they glisten outside of their
element. As previously stated, this film has a
beautiful painterly quality to it which is
evidenced constantly by Stevens' stunning use of
location and actor placement. I suppose that my
major gripe is that in this format, "The Greatest
Story Ever Told" is not larger than life, as it
would be in a theater.
Full review
The Picture: The first and obvious question
about the DVD is, of course, whether the $600,000
Dollars were worth spending - and the answer is a
resounding YES. Compared to what the picture
looked like before the new color re-timing of the
elements was much needed and, fortunately, done
with great expertise. There are still flaws such
as dust particles and other "film artifacts" here
or there visible on occasion, and the elements are
a bit uneven as some flickering is also noticeable
in some shots, but the restoration in general was
worth it. The color palette is deep and very warm,
with the tones very natural and just with just the
slightest touch of unevenness in some rare scenes,
due to the condition of the elements in those
cases. The color rendition and fidelity are
otherwise on target as is the resolution and
detail which are both incredibly precise without
added frequency boosts, so no blooming on edges.
Some viewers may find the very wide aspect ratio
hard to stomach since it is nearly the 2.76 : 1 AR
ULTRA PANAVISION is calling for in this instance.
The content of the frame is very slightly reduced
by overmatting. The credits are basically
unreadable, which is also due to the fact that
they were made very small and humble in the first
place, even for a big screen. The film itself,
however, is by no means taken at a disadvantage
here. The interior scenes are often a bit too
dark, though, hiding some necessary detail. The
outdoors are exceptional and very rich in detail
and resolution as well as in texture and the depth
of the colors. A worthy effort by MGM.
Full review
Image
Transfer Review: Greatest Story is
presented in it's original, theatrical aspect
ratio of 2:75:1; the extremely wide image of Ultra
Panavision 70mm, one of most expansive film
formats ever used. If you've never seen the film
in widescreen, you've never seen the movie,
period. The extraordinary vistas and visual
composition of the film is finally available at
home in its original glory (and anamorphically
enhanced to boot). Yes, 2:75:1 is a pretty small
image size for the average 4:3 TV set, but the
payoff in seeing the complete work is worth it.
The only complaint I have is that the opening
credits use an almost microscopic font that's
virtually impossible to read, even when zoomed in.
Some kind of cleanup or restoration must have
undoubtedly been applied to the film, as it looks
stunningly gorgeous. Color balance is very good,
and the film is very clean and crisp. There are no
compression artifacts or anything else
disc-related; the transfer itself is pristine.
Obviously, being aged, the film does have some
source problems, the most obvious being the murky
night-sequences (or, more often, day-for-night
sequences), where sometimes the sky or darker
shades are very speckled and have movement in the
color. Otherwise, though, the damage to the print
is minimal and cleaned up. Fans should be very
happy with this disc.
Gunfight
at the OK Corral (VistaVision)
Full review
Paramount Home Entertainment has made GUNFIGHT
AT THE O.K. CORRAL available
on DVD in a 1.78:1 wide screen presentation that
features the anamorphic enhancement for 16:9
displays. Having sat through previous broadcast
and Laserdisc presentations of GUNFIGHT AT THE
O.K. CORRAL, I can honestly
say that this DVD transfer is nothing short of a
revelation. Whereas the colors on previous
transfers were wildly inconsistent and rarely gave
one the impression of what an original IB
Technicolor print might have looked like, the hues
here are quite lovely and totally cohesive. The
dusty tones of the old west predominate, while
more intensely saturated hues occasionally accent
the image. Flesh tones tend to have the homogenous
quality of a makeup man’s kit, but are never
unappealing. The image itself is quite sharp
and very well defined, which is indicative of the
larger photographic area of the VistaVision
format. Blacks appear accurate, whites are clean
and contrast is generally smooth. Although shadow
detail isn’t up to the standards of today’s film
stocks, the image does produce a nice sense of
depth.
Mommie Dearest
Full review
Regardless of the film's artistic and moral
shortcomings, the good news is that ardent fans?
overplayed VHS copies can now be tossed out thanks
to this welcome DVD edition. Paramount Home Video
has released "Mommie Dearest" on this dual-layer disc in a striking anamorphic widescreen format that preserves the
film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The source
print used for the disc is remarkably clean and
shows only an occasional imperfection. The overall
transfer is, though, is very clean and free from
visible defects or compression artifacts. The
color is vibrant, giving greater depth to the
film's rich production design, dynamic lighting,
and stunning wardrobe. The black levels are deep
and true and the contrast is natural, resulting in
outstanding detail and a genuinely elegant image.
Jeepers Creepers
Full review
DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 DVD picture
exhibits good color fidelity, with accurate flesh
tones, rich hues, and deep blacks. Images are
sharp, with nicely rendered fine detail and
definition. Contrast and shadow delineation
exhibit pleasing balance. The source element is
revealing of some film grain and occasional
artifacts and dirt. There is little pixelization,
but edge enhancement can be bothersome at times.
(Suzanne Hodges)
Full
review
Jeepers Creepers is presented in 1.85:1
anamorphic widescreen. Keeping in tone with the
movie this print has a documentary-style look to
it. Blacks and browns were all solid with a slight
amount of grain showing up in the picture (which,
says the director, was intentional). There is a
bit of edge enhancement and some digital
artifacting in a few scenes, but overall this is a
solid looking print boasting bright colors and a
well rendered image by MGM.
Full review
The wide screen transfer is a very good rendering
of a modestly budgeted horror film. For the most
part, the image is crisp and nicely detailed,
although much of the film is intentionally dark,
which creates a murky "what's hiding in the
shadows" atmosphere. Colors are pretty
vibrant and flesh tones are appealing. All of the
hues are completely stable, with no signs of noise
or smearing. Blacks are accurate and contrast is
pretty smooth. The film element used for the
transfer pretty clean, but I did notice a lengthy
scratch during the opening moments of the film.
Film grain is appreciable at various points
throughout the movie, but then again, this is a
result of the movie's numerous low light
situations. Digital compression artifacts maintain
a low profile and are hardly bothersome.
Full review
Presented in both 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and
4:3 full frame on the same disc, Jeepers Creepers
boasts an attractive image that faithfully
reproduces the film's dark, neo-documentary style.
Intentionally murky, the film exhibits a subdued
color palette and a slightly grainy appearance
that overall is sharp and good-looking.
On the plus side,
blacks are rock solid and colors, again subdued,
are still clean and stable. Contrast is also very
good in the daylight scenes, though the very dark
interiors (especially the climax) often appear so
dark it can be tough to discern what exactly is
going on. Clearly, have the lights dimmed way down
as this transfer absolutely requires the proper
viewing conditions to be effective. While the
print does display some grain, which as (director)
Salva indicates on the commentary was intentional,
edge enhancement is noticeable and sometimes
distracts. Also, I noticed a few compression
artifacts (especially the opening, which was shot
in excessive heat and therefore caused picture
distortion.) All told, however, despite its dark
look, this is a solid transfer and appropriate to
the material.
Full review
Jeepers Creepers gets its peepers in a
1.85:1 widescreen transfer that is anamorphically
enhanced. This may not be a perfect transfer, but
it is nonetheless a pretty impressive one. One of
the best aspects of it are the strong contrasts.
About half of the film takes place at night or in
very dark settings, and shadow delineation
throughout the film is, for the most part,
excellent. There are a few moments where the finer
details get lost in the darker scenes, but it
seems very much as if the filmmaker's intent was
to keep those scenes overly dark on purpose, to
heighten the scare factor by shrouding the
onscreen action in shadows. Blacks are solid, and
have a nice amount of depth, giving the shadows
that are so prominent in the film a life of their
own. The rest of the transfer is top notch as
well, with excellent image clarity, and good,
strong color saturation. Color levels are so well
balanced that there is no bleed, even though one
of the main characters wears a bright red shirt
for the entirety of the film. Flesh tones do tend
to lean a bit to the orange side, but that is
really one of the only complaints with this
transfer.
Far from Home
Full review
Far From Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog
is presented in both its original widescreen
version, enhanced for 16x9 displays, with a
pan-and-scanned version on the flip side of the
disc. The widescreen image looks excellent for the
most part. Color, including the rich, irridescent
greens of the British Columbia rainforests come
across nicely saturated, with good contrast. Grain
is naturally rendered, detail solid, and the look
is filmlike, except for some infrequent
shimmering. With dense scenery often suffering on
DVD, it was nice to see that there are only minor
and occasional compression artifacts, with the
overall presentation of the outdoors very good.
Image Transfer Grade: A-
Full review
The anamorphic
widescreen presentation, while not flawless,
certainly did justice to the film's beautiful
cinematography. Sharpness and detail were often
perfect, as the picture remained especially crisp
and clear throughout the majority of the film.
Fine details and solid depth were often noticed,
too.
Some minor edge enhancement and grain appeared
throughout the film, but nothing of great concern
was noticed. Compression artifacts weren't seen,
nor were any print flaws. The film's rich, natural
color palette was well rendered, with deep greens
and strong colors in general.
2010
Full review
MGM Home Entertainment has made 2010: THE YEAR
WE MAKE CONTACT available wide screen only,
in a non-anamorphic enhanced presentation. Despite
the lack of the anamorphic enhancement, it looks
very good on DVD. The Letterboxed transfer
restores the film’s 2.35:1 theatrical aspect
ratio, without any major compromises to the edges
of the frame. This edition is the best video
incarnation I’ve seen thus far. The image is crisp
and detailed, while film grain is minimal. Color
reproduction is equally good, with natural looking
flesh tones, well-saturated hues and a solid black
level. Digital compression artifacts were seldom
noticeable on this DVD.
Diary
of Anne Frank
Full review
Fox renders an
often exquisite transfer of a difficult film.
William C. Mellor's Oscar-winning black-and-white
cinematography makes marvelous use of deep shadows
and silhouettes, which heighten the film's dark,
tense mood and intensify the expression of
adolescent emotion. Such a gloomy environment can
be problematic on DVD, but Fox's stunning
restoration brightens the image without altering
the lighting effects. Rich, inky blacks and
excellent contrast add both a stark reality and
lush tenderness to various scenes, with razor
sharp close-ups providing dramatic impact. Subtle
variances in the gray level scheme lend the film a
surprisingly expansive palette that adapts to the
story's ever-changing emotional shadings. At
times, the transfer might seem a bit murky, but we
learn on the commentary track that Stevens often
intentionally lit scenes on the dark side to force
the human eye to dig out details. Still, clarity
is largely superb and minimal print defects only
distract during the blackest sequences. A few
noticeably grainy segments interrupt the smooth
flow of the transfer, giving it a slightly patchy
feel, but for a 45-year-old film, this is an
exceptional effort.
Image Transfer Grade: A-
Full review
Fox has done a
good job bringing The Diary of Anne Frank to DVD
in their Studio Classics series. The B&W image
is crisp and even throughout, and George Stevens'
characteristic long dissolves (some of them very
emotionally affecting) are well-rendered.
The Sisters
Full review
The 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen presentation is virtually flawless,
featuring sharp, detailed images at all times. The
color scheme is vivid, and exhibits very natural,
realistic fleshtones that only enhance the beauty
of the principal actresses. Shadow and black
levels are appropriately deep and handled well,
especially during the interior faculty club
sequences.
Image Transfer Grade: A
Full review
The Sisters is presented
in the original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio. The
transfer is crisp, and the film's rich color scale
is expertly translated.
College
What we have here looks good,
except for the occasional flashing of the 20th
Century logo, with bright colors, a nice level of
detail, and carefully controlled contrasts
abounding. It really does resemble a quality
cinematic experience.
The Way of the Gun
Full review
The colors are accurate and vivid, although the
palette is deliberately devoid of bright colors.
The blacks are solid, and with this better
contrast, detail is considerably improved.
Likewise, the skin tones are more lifelike and
realistic. The image is crisp and clear
throughout, with no trace of dust specks or
blemishes. The vista around the Mexican motel is
rendered beautifully, with vibrant blues. Also, it
appears that some form of DNR was applied since
grain is reduced considerably. Still, there are
plenty of positive attributes in this Blu-ray
release.
|
West
Side Story (65mm)
Full review
MGM has done a spectacular job in preparing this
special edition. The 2.20:1 anamorphic widescreen
transfer has taken cinematographer Danny Fapp's
original Panavision 70 print and given it a whole
new life. I would venture to guess you have never
seen West Side Story look this good. With
little or no evidence of any disruptive digital
tampering (and only the rare appearance of dirt),
Boris Leven's production designs come through in
deep and rich reds, yellows, and blues. One need
only look at Maria's bedroom scene during
"Somewhere" to see what I mean. The blacks are as
equally impressive in both the rumble and during
"Cool." As if a beautiful transfer were not
enough, MGM puts the "special" in special edition
with more bonus features than you can flip a
switchblade at.
Full review
I was pleasantly surprised at how well the
original negative has held up through all of these
years. The DVD features the film's original 2.20:1
widescreen ratio, enhanced at 16:9 for widescreen
televisions. The transfer features some
compression artifacts, and the original negative
shows some signs of aging. Still, the transfer is
golden, with electrifying colors, gorgeous flesh
tones and dependable blacks. The experience was so
pure that I felt like I was watching "West Side
Story" for the first time back in 1961.
Full review
High marks to MGM for a stellar transfer!
This DVD should be considered in the same league
quality wise as Singin' in the Rain, My Fair
Lady, or American in Paris. The
print is remarkably clear given its age, with very
little in the way of noticeable marks and
scars. Images are sharp and clear
throughout, with excellent color rendering and no
bleeding. Only one short sequence, where
Tony sings "Maria", seemed to have a bit of a
color saturation problem, but it only lasts a
minute or two, and certainly doesn't detract from
the overall beauty and brilliance of this
anamorphic transfer.
Full review
MGM's new DVD edition of West Side Story
is itself something of a revelation. This new
widescreen transfer from original 65mm film
elements offers the the best video presentation
this film has ever had. The image is extremely
sharp and clear. Robert Wise's signature overhead
shots of New York in the opening sequence as we
travel from the east side to the west are
astonishingly detailed yet exhibit virtually no
shimmering or jittering. For a film now
approaching 40 years old, color rendition is
phenomenal. Reds are deeply saturated with no
chroma noise and the entire color palette has an
accuracy and clarity of detail most much newer
films can't match. Brightness and contrast are
virtually perfect with excellent black level and
shadow detail. This gives the image a depth and
naturalness that seems more like looking through a
window rather than a TV screen. Filmed in the
Super Panavision 65mm format, Robert Wise uses
every inch of the widescreen frame making
letterboxing essential to the full enjoyment of
the sumptuous visuals. This transfer is accurately
framed at 2.20:1, matching the Super Panavision
framing.
Full review
Considering the age of the film, the quality of
the transfer is exceptional with bright, vivid
colours and very few marks on the print. An
excellent job has been done by all concerned with
the restoration. Vitally, it is also presented in
its proper widescreen aspect ratio of 2.35:1,
preserving Jerome Robbins choreography and the
compositions of cinematographer Daniel Fapp
exactly as they were intended it to be seen.
Full review
A first-class job here too. The print, barring the
extremely occasional and isolated speckle, is in
marvellous condition. The colours, contrasts and
blacks are strong, and the flesh tones are
bang-on. The ratio is a gorgeous 2.20:1 anamorphic
widescreen. A truly fine transfer of a fine film.
Full review
Taking into account the film's age (40 years-plus)
it still has much to recommend. The film's
Technicolor hues are gorgeous. Colors are
smashing: near-perfect in their smoothness and
clarity, there is no bleeding or smearing nor
inaccurate fleshtones to distract. Blacks are also
rock solid except in a few sequences where I was
able to detect some fading. I was also impressed
by the consistent contrast and overall strong
detail apparent. Shadow delineation is a just a
bit less than optimal compared to the best
transfers of this vintage that I've seen, but
overall sharpness and clarity are superb
Full review
West Side Story is presented in its
original aspect ratio of 2.20:1 and is enhanced
for widescreen televisions. It's a beautiful
transfer too, with vibrant, luscious colors,
excellent contrast and deep blacks with fine
shadow detail. Is it an absolutely pristine
transfer? Well, no it isn't. You will see some
occasional dirt and small speckles of debris on
the print. The film is 40 years old, after all. I
also noticed some shimmering around light sources
and occasional artifacting. But make no mistake;
all flaws considered this is still an excellent
transfer. The images seemed so rich, so full of
dimension, they nearly burst off the screen at
times.
Tron (65mm)
Full
review
Disney has gone back and given it the super deluxe
treatment in this disc that will make users and
programs alike salivate. This massive double disc
presentation is awesome. The film has been given a
new THX-approved letterboxed transfer and is
positively glowing.
Full review
Buena Vista Home Video releases TRON in a new THX
certified 16x9 enhanced widescreen transfer
(2.35.1). And what a difference it makes! The
image is sharp and defined and without the
imperfections of the previous DVD release. The
neon colors schemes are brilliant, and the black
level is deep. With this 16x9 enhanced widescreen
version, you can really appreciate the detail of
the futuristic set designs, binary vehicles, and
computer technology.
Full review
The real world footage is quite nice with vibrant
-- if not a bit garish -- colors, only slight film
grain, and very solid black levels. As the movie
shifts into the computer world the image quality
drastically changes. Here the film grain is quite
heavy, colors are either muted or neon, and black
levels tend more toward gray. But again, this is
just how "Tron" looks so the DVD can’t really be
faulted.
I found the overall image quality to be very true
to the original and mercifully free of any DVD
compression artifacts, aliasing, or glaring edge
enhancement. This is as good a video transfer as
we’re likely to see in the near future.
Friday the 13th
Full review
Incredible job done by Paramount on this film.
I've never seen Friday the 13th look so good. The
image quality looks like that of a present day
film. All the colors appear well balanced and the
blacks are superb throughout the night scenes.
There are some minor speckles that appear
throughout the film and a few scratches show up
here and there (most likely from the master print)
but given that Friday the 13th isn't Paramount's
baby (like Nightmare on Elm Street is for New
Line) I feel that they really did a superb job on
this transfer.
True
Grit
Full review
The anamorphic widescreen transfer is at an aspect
ratio of approximately 1.85:1 and overall looks
terrific. Black level is not quite as strong as I
would like, and while the colors are just a bit
faded, they are nevertheless consistently rendered
and still capture much of the beauty of the
Western scenery of the film. Resolution is
terrific, with strong detail deep into the picture
for terrific depth and dimensionality. This is a
very film-like and three-dimensional image.
The authoring on this dual-layer disc is up to
snuff as well showing no signs of compression or
authoring related artifacts. The elements used
were very clean as no dirt is evident in the
presentation. Paramount has done well by this
Western classic.
Crocodile Dundee
Full review
Hey, look at that, the Australian outback isn't
all grainy and dull. And New York city is actually
a big, sprawling city. Amazing how a restoration
and transfer that includes the original theatrical
aspect ratio an do wonders for a film. This is
another fine example of the top notch video
quality of even the average Paramount DVD
release. Beyond a simple anamorphic widescreen
presentation the video quality has been
substantially cleaned up, and what you'll see is a
Mick Dundee adventure free of grain and absent of
significant artifacts or edge enhancement. The
various settings appear equally balanced in color
and sharpness making for one nice looking disc.
Very impressive.
Full review
Colors looked wonderful, especially during the
early sequences in Australia before Dundee heads
off to America. Colors overall appeared bright,
well-saturated and clean. Flesh tones also looked
natural and accurate, as well. Not without a few
minor flaws, but very nice overall.
Full review
While viewing the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen
transfer for Crocodile Dundee I had a hard
time believing that the picture is fifteen years
old. This isn't an eye-popping transfer, but it
looks very good. Colors are vibrant in scenes
taking place in the outback while the grays and
blues of New York look fine also. Black levels are
fine with good detail, and there is little grain
evident throughout. Edge enhancement and
pixelation look fine, though what is most
surprising is the lack of and scratches or print
flaws. This is a great transfer from Paramount.
Image Transfer Grade: A-
Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang (65mm)
Full review
The picture quality is simply stunning. After
watching the VHS tape for fifteen minutes I had to
turn it off – there was very little color
anywhere, and what was there was a blurry brown
and white. It was completely devoid of richness
and was much too contrasty. The DVD on the other
hand looks as good as the best of them. Incredible
greens, deep blues and reds that were completely
missing on the tape are all faithfully reproduced
here. Sharpness is excellent with plenty of detail
and little grain. I didn’t experience any
pixelation or artifacts and the print used is
remarkably free of defects considering its age.
Full review
Colours are very rich and vibrant. The kids would
certainly love this disc - the clarity is
exceptional.
Extensive shadow detail helps to bring even subtle
details to life in what is a very good transfer.
No compression faults were noticed anywhere
(although the flying-car sequences look all the
more fake for the clarity of the picture).
Full review
An exceptional transfer for a movie over 30 years
old. You'd be excused if you thought the movie was
filmed yesterday given it's brilliant quality. The
more I watched the movie, the more I thought that
somehow the same techniques used to improve the
aging Star Wars movies was used here. It's
main strength is the clean image. There is no
sight of film noise or dust or speckles to be seen
all combined with a crisp image and an abundance
of detail. Color is well saturated showing off the
chromes and golds of the classic machinery and the
vibrancy in the image provides for some even more
startling blues and purples. Flesh tones are well
balanced and everyone has a nice even coloring.
April Fool's Day
Full
review
Impressive! I’m pleased enough that
Paramount decided to put this underappreciated gem
onto DVD in the first place, but their anamorphic
transfer ranks as one of the best I’ve seen for
films from the 80s! Colors are well rendered
and natural looking, images are sharp and clear,
detail level is strong, and no grain or
compression mars the effects. The print
itself is quite clean, with only one or two brief
instances of shimmering caused by apparent
aging. If every movie from that decade
looked as good as this, DVD fans would have plenty
to be happy about.
Atlantic
City
Full review
The 1.85:1 widescreen picture looks great, as is
usually the case for Paramount. There's plenty of
detail, solid colors and attractive black levels.
Only the most occasional speckle detracts from the
viewing pleasure.
Image Transfer Grade: A
Airplane II
Full review
Paramount does it again with another beautiful
anamorphic transfer of a film that's nearly 20
years old. Blacks are rich and dark, colors are
natural and shadow detail is excellent. No
artifacting or edge enhancement is visible. I
detected zero source print damage. Overall, a
surprisingly good viewing experience.
Image Transfer Grade: A
The
Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Full review
Wow! Kudos to Paramount for delivering one
of THE very best transfers I’ve seen on DVD for a
classic black and white film. The image
quality is stunning throughout, starting with the
opening credits set against a wood grain
background…the wood is so detailed, you can almost
feel the ridges. From beginning to end,
Ford’s images are beautifully tended to. The
blacks are deep, the whites are pure, the range of
grayscale is wide, providing for incredible
contrast and detail, shot after shot. The
lighting is extreme, but no matter how shadowy the
scenes become, there is never a loss of integrity,
nor any sign of grain, compression or
breakup. When images move from shadow to
light, the transitions are smooth and effective.
This is as perfect as a classic film can
get, which is what DVD is all about.
Full review
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is
presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1.
The original black-and-white cinematography by
William H. Clothier is first-rate, so it is good
to report that this disc starts off on the right
visual foot. This DVD does look tremendous, and it
belongs to a fine tradition of exquisitely
photographed John Ford films. Simply put, this DVD
looks luminous: a clear, bright picture devoid of
any major scratches or debris, and having a fine
amount of film grain. The contrast is a wonder to
behold, one of the best reproductions of a
black-and-white film on DVD. Amazingly deep blacks
and luminous whites blend together in an object
lesson of what great cinematography together with
great DVD manufacturing can produce. Edge
enhancement is used so sparingly as to be
negligible to the viewing experience, and the fine
grain visible gives the overall effect of watching
a near-perfect 35mm print of the film.
Full review
The DVD of ’The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance’ is
presented in a glorious anamorphic widescreen
transfer in the movie’s original 1.85:1 aspect
ratio. The transfer itself is extremely clean and
without noise, but most importantly, devoid of any
blemishes or damages. It is obvious that Paramount
did some work on this transfer in order to such a
clean and stable presentation. Presented in black
and white, the contrast of the film is perfect,
with very deep blacks and good highlights that
never bloom. The gradient of the gray scale the
image conveys is beautifully balanced, creating an
image that has depth and a richness the brings out
all the subtle nuances in the photography and the
elaborate production design. The transfer is
virtually free of edge-enhancement and the result
is an image that is finely delineated and highly
detailed, yet never appears exaggerated or overly
sharpened. The compression is flawless without
introducing any artifacts of sorts. In a word,
this is a marvelous treatment of a classic film
that makes you wish every vintage film could look
like!
Full review
Image
Transfer Review: I'm continually amazed at
the pristine digital restorations of older black
and white films, and The Man Who Shot Liberty
Valance represents one of the best examples.
The western landscape of this 1.66:1 anamorphic
widescreen transfer shines with light and
sharpness. This picture stems from an excellent
print and lacks the usual dirt specks inherent in
even the better transfers from the time period.
Although much of the action takes place indoors
within confined areas, the visuals are stunning in
their simplicity, especially during the shots
shrouded in shadow. This picture is miles above
previous VHS versions, and makes this disc
worthwhile even to fans who already own the video.
Image Transfer Grade: A-
Hell is for
Heroes
Full review
Hell Is For Heroes is simply one of the most
outstanding black and white transfers I have yet
seen on DVD. The 1.85 anamorphic transfer is so
pristine I wonder where Paramount has been storing
this print! According to the dates on the back of
the packaging, it looks like this film was
restored back in 1989. Paramount's restoration
department, or whoever restored this film, should
be congratulated. Outside of the archival war
footage that was integrated into the film, the
print is flawless. There was no sign of grain,
plus the contrast and blacks are first rate. I
didn't see any digital pixel breakup, and if there
was any edge enhancement, I didn't notice. A truly
outstanding transfer.
Fear Strikes Out (VistaVision)
Full review
This is actually a super looking black and white
presentation that greatly benefits from the fact
that FEAR STRIKES OUT was filmed in the
VistaVision process. The image on the DVD is
wonderfully sharp and very nicely defined. Blacks
appear pure, as do the whites. Contrast is
generally excellent, with the picture producing a
rich and varied grayscale that gives the
impression of great depth.
Zulu (VistaVision)
Full review
Picture The clarity and freshness of
the image on this DVD is quite remarkable.
At last, Paramount Home Entertainment has produced
the finest release in almost 40 years of Zulu --
one of the greatest historical action movies ever
made, and one of the great war movies. Zulu is
based on what historian Michael Glover terms "the
most highly decorated battle in British history",
the defense of Rorkes Drift during the Zulu War of
1879. Eleven of the defenders received Britain's
highest award for military valour, the Victoria
Cross. The movie is a landmark in the art of
cinema for its extraordinary combination of
location, cross-cultural engagement, a real story,
good script and fine cast. This 1964 film never
looks tired, despite my many years of rerunning it
in 16mm, the Criterion laserdisc, the stop-gap
Front Row Entertainment Inc. DVD, and now the
excellent Paramount DVD. Anecdotally, military
colleges have used Zulu to show the power of
directed massed musketry, and leadership and
teamwork in combat
In the Paramount Home
Entertainment Zone 2 release this film at last has
received the digital restoration and DVD transfer
that it deserves. DVD image and sound quality are
equal to current state of the art for a classic
film restoration
Full review
Photographed on location by Stephen Dode,
this movie features wonderful vistas that really
capture the Natal landscape, and the feelings of
loneliness and abandonment. (Note: John
Sellars of HTV-LA, the colorist for the
new Paramount/MGM restoration, informed me that
the movie was “shot on 35mm 8perf horizontal
(VistaVision) and distributed in 70mm”).
Considering the age of the source material, I was
very impressed with the quality of the transfer.
The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of
2.35:1, 16x9 enhanced. The sharpness of the
image is great, but the shadow detail is poor in
some of the darker scenes. For example, consider
the lack of shadow detail at 30:20. The
colour is wonderful and it is well saturated
throughout. There are no problems with MPEG
artifacts.
The Desperate Hours
(VistaVision)
Full review
The film’s original ratio is 1.85:1 (VistaVision).
What we have here looks to me like the 1.78:1
cheat that is becoming all too frequent. That
aside, the video transfer is gorgeous. There is
virtually no grain at all, or barely perceptible
when it is present. The image is incredibly sharp,
with every texture of the steely black-and-white
photography coming through. The edge enhancement
halo, even around dark-suited Fredric March, is
minimal. The speckles are so few as to be
effectively non-existent. There is a moment of
damage at about the 5:40 mark, in the form of
strobing light across the centre of the frame, but
otherwise, the film possibly looks even better
than it did upon original release.
Full review
Paramount's DVD of The Desperate Hours is
a solid rendering of this VistaVision thriller.
The frugal backlot locations look fine in the
detailed, rock-steady image. The enhanced
widescreen framing restores compositional tension
lost on full-frame television prints. There are no
extras (never fear, Paramount assures us that
they're unrated) but you can watch the film in
French if you're from Quebec or want to pretend
the film is happening in the Bourdeaux wine
country. Savant is more than satisfied with the
quality of this plain-wrap feature presentation.
Stark Raving Mad
Full review
This movie is in widescreen and enhanced for 16:9
televisions. The video quality was pretty
good. Taking place in a club at night, just
about all of the scenes are dark, as the directors
intended. So colors are not bright and
things aren’t vivid, but they are accurately
reproduced. The blacks are dark black, and a
good amount of detail is visible in the
shadows. There were a few minor digital
artifacts lurking in the backgrounds, but they
were very minor.
Full review
Stark Raving Mad has been issued in 1.85:1
anamorphic widescreen, and all in all is another
solid presentation from Columbia TriStar. The
image detail is quite good, and colors look
pleasing, but refrain from coming across overly
bright, and with much of the action set in a dimly
lit dance club, that shouldn't be too much of a
surprise. The highpoint are the black levels,
which are excellent, and generate strong shadow
delineation and depth. I noticed no major
compression issues, nor was I aware of any source
print defects.
Scenes of the
Crime
Full review
Columbia/TriStar presents Scenes of the Crime
in an above-average anamorphic-widescreen transfer
of the film’s original 1.85:1 presentation. This
is a fine, stable image, full of fine detail and
depth. Blacks are strong and deep, and colors are
vivid. But perhaps the biggest compliment I can
pay this image is that it’s almost completely
devoid of artificial sharpening in the form of
edge enhancement. I noticed no telltale halos. And
I noticed only occasional print flaws such as
specks and dirt. Nice job!
Full review
Having steeled myself for B-movie tripe, I was
immediately proven wrong. The sheer quality of
production values alone is stellar. The image is
absolutely crisp, with penetrating blacks,
sparkling colors, great contrast and even
saturation. Not only is the video squeaky clean,
the visual artistry employed was great as well.
The most notable shot is a flyover of a cloverleaf
highway intersection that is perfectly composited
and executed. There were also slow motion effects
and color enhancements that made certain moods
happen. Lighting was employed effectively to
enhance drama in both interior and exterior shots.
Rarely have I seen equivalent video quality.
Full review
Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen,
Columbia TriStar has done a decent job with this
one. The print does have some noticeable specks,
but colors are rendered beautifully, with natural
fleshtone levels balanced by deep blacks. A bit of
shimmer in spots, but overall a very nice looking
transfer.
Deadbirds
Full review
Dead Birds is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen. The film throws out some visual tricks
to enhance the images, but this transfer never
slips and delivers a dynamic, top notch
presentation. The colors wander the spectrum from
lifeless and dull to quite bright, dependent upon
the scene at hand, while black levels remain sharp
and flawless throughout. I saw no evidence of
compression errors either and aside from some
slight grain, I have no complaints with this
treatment. I know this had to be somewhat of a
challenge to transfer to DVD, but Columbia has
done some impressive work and fans should be
satisfied here.
Full review
The picture is very strong, too. The colours are
excellent, as are the contrasts, flesh tones and
blacks. So much of the movie is dark that
murkiness could easily have been a real problem
here, but the transfer avoids this pitfall easily.
There is a little bit of grain and edge
enhancement visible, but these issues are minor,
and the image is nicely sharp.
Warner Bros.
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