kal
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 2:10 pm Post subject: Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project [Blu-ray] |
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Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project (Touki Bouki / Redes / A River Called Titas / Dry Summer / Trances / The Housemaid) (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray + DVD)
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| Quote: | Volume one of Martin Scorsese's 'World Cinema Project' is simply awesome. Each film is unique and excellent, showcasing the time period it was made in. It's no wonder that Scorsese is one of the best directors of all time and this truly shows his appreciation and understand of film from all around the world. The video and audio presentations are all top notch with tons of amazing bonus features. You don't need to think twice about owning this Criterion set, as they have simply hit a home-run with this release. This is a must-own.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
'Touki Bouki'
According to Criterion, 'Touki Bouki' is presented in 1.37:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p HD transfer. The transfer was created in 2K resolution from the original 35mm negative. The new restoration process brought the film's original chromatic elements to light, and produced a new 35mm internegative for long-term preservations. The colors here are incredible. The simply pop off screen at all times with excellent reds, greens, blues, and yellows. The film has a nice layer of grain and looks filmic and natural. All of the dirt, debris, hairs, and other scratches have been removed to the best of their ability and the image really looks clean. There are no image skips or instability here either. This video presentation is quite good.
'Redes'
According to Criterion, 'Redes' is presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p HD transfer. The transfer was created in 2K resolution from the best surviving materials, mostly being a 35mm safety negative and a positive print found in Mexico. This is probably the worst looking out of each movie in this set. Like Criterion said, the people dealing with the restoration and transfer only had to work with surviving B-List materials that were found, and not all problems could be fixed. That being said, this image looks very good. There is a nice layer of grain throughout, but the detail isn't sharp, but rather very soft throughout. Contrast looks decent here though and the overall image has good stability. This is definite the best presentation this could have, considering what they had to work with.
'A River Called Titus'
According to Criterion, 'A River Called Titus' is presented in 1.37:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p HD transfer. The transfer was created in 2K resolution from the original camera negative and a positive print provided by the National Film Archive in India. The opening credit sequence was completely re-done due to the very poor quality of the original. But this image is just fantastic and has been restored very well. Depth and detail are excellent here, even in the darker scenes. Closeups reveal great textures as well. The black and white levels are very well balanced with nicely rendered grays. This film is very natural looking and is the best it has ever looked since it came out. There are is some very minor banding, but it's nothing to write home about. Excellent video presentation here.
'Dry Summer'
According to Criterion, 'Dry Summer' is presnted in 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p HD transfer. The transfer was first restored photochemically using the original 35mm camera negative. The opening and closing credits were re-done digitally, due to them being missing from all prints. This is a great looking image with good depth and detail. Closeups reveal fine textures and wrinkles in the actor's faces. The scenes in the daytime show off some great depth and clarity, and the night time scenes do almost as well. The black and white levels are very well balanced with exquisite grays. Stability looks great and most instances of debris and dirt have been removed, leaving this video presentation top notch.
'Trances'
According to Criterion, 'Trances' is presented in 1.66:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p HD transfer. This was a digital transfer and as created in 2K resolution from the original 16mm negative. This music documentary looks amazing. However, let it be known that this 16mm negative was blown up to 35mm, so there are a few instances where detail gets fuzzy. During the darker scenes when there is not enough light on stage, things get a bit murky, but overall there is great depth and vivid detail throughout. Colors look great and are very natural and don't seem to be overly saturated. There are also a few instances of minor warps and debris, but it's nothing to really write home about. Stability is excellent, giving this video presentation solid marks.
'The Housemaid'
According to Criterion, 'The Housemaid' is presented in 1.66:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p HD transfer. This transfer was created in high-definition from the original camera negative, which was found in 1982 with even a couple of reels missing. In 1990, a rare complete print was found and was used to restore the missing reels. Interestingly enough, there were actually hand-written subtitles that had to be digitally removed, which made the whole restoration process very difficult. Throughout the film, there are varying degrees of detail, clarity, and color contrast in regards to the black and white spectrum. There is a nice layer of grain here as well. There are still some instances of debris and dirt, and some warps here and there, but overall, this is as good as this film could look, given the circumstances.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
All six films in this set come with a lossless LPCM 1.0 mono track and they all sound great, considering how how the films are and how difficult it was for some of these movies to be restored and remastered. Dialogue is generally very clear and easy to follow, although on 'The Housemaid' and 'Redes', some of the dialogue have pops, cracks and some hissing. But, these two films were the most difficult out of the six movies to restore.
The other four films all sound a bit better than the previous two films mentioned and have a fuller sound. The dynamic range is quite limited throughout, although with 'Trances', the sound is quite robust. 'Touki Bouki's soundtrack is also quite immersive as well. But with each film coming with a 1.0 mono track, you can't expect a whole lot lively noises from your surround speakers. But with the gunfire in 'Dry Summer' to the vehicle roars in 'Touki Bouki', every soundtrack is clear and excellent. And of course, Criterion provides excellent subtitles with each film. Each one of these audio presentations is outstanding, despite some of the flaws in due to age. |
Kal
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