6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Forty year-old Oscar-winning screenwriter George attempts to combat a bout of mid-life crisis by pursuing the woman of his dreams, even though he first sees her as she is making the way to her own wedding. Tracking the object of his affections to her honeymoon destination in Mexico, George makes several bumbling attempts at seduction, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering girlfriend.
Starring: Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Bo Derek, Robert Webber, Dee WallaceRomance | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Portuguese: Dolby Digital Mono
English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German SDH, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Romantic comedies were here long before us and will still be here long after we're gone. Adam and Eve scrambled for fig leaves after sneaking a few bites of forbidden fruit. Plautus, Terence and other ancient rom-com poets left Greek and Roman audiences in stitches. Shakespeare certainly capitalized. Hollywood jumped on board the minute Charlie Chaplin bought a flower from a blind girl in City Lights. Woody Allen and other iconic filmmakers have built entire careers around shaky relationships, love triangles and marital woes. And it's really only a matter of time until two androids emerge as the Tracy and Hepburn of the 23rd Century. But just because audiences continue to line up doesn't mean every romantic comedy is created equal. Blake Edwards's 10, though popular in its day, isn't a timeless classic or a standout genre pic. It has its moments, I'll admit -- I even laughed a few times -- but the years haven't been kind.
Moore and Andrews have surprising chemistry on screen...
With a high-dollar restoration, 10 might have stood a chance. But let's be realistic: if Warner gave every catalog title the treatment it's able to afford its most indispensable classics, the studio's home video division would have to shut their doors and come up with a way to recoup some serious loses. As it stands, 10 doesn't look bad at all -- if nothing else, it handily bests its DVD counterpart -- it just hasn't weathered the test of time well enough to help Warner's admittedly competent 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer measure up to the studio's more meticulously restored catalog presentations. Colors are murky at times, skintones are occasionally oversaturated, depth and dimensionality are often lacking, black levels are sometimes dull and diluted, contrast is inconsistent, and crush is an issue. Detail is much improved though, even if hit-or-miss textures, less-than-exacting edge definition and some minor ringing hinder the already imperfect proceedings. Regardless, the encode is proficient. I didn't notice any significant blocking, banding or smearing and there isn't any aberrant noise to report. Sadly, unless 10 suddenly earns millions of passionate new fans, this is as good as it's likely to get.
Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track may not be much to listen to, but it an accurate representation of its single-channel source. Dialogue is fairly clear and intelligible despite the film's thirty-two years and... erm, dialogue is fairly clear and intelligible despite the film's thirty-two years. Little else stands out. Effects are thin and tinny, Henry Mancini's music tends to overwhelm the mix and the sound design shows its age (and then some). Even so, purists will be pleased and audiophiles with appropriate expectations won't complain. (Much.)
The Blu-ray edition of 10 only includes two special features: a short archive promo (SD, 4 minutes) and the film's original theatrical trailer (SD, 3 minutes). Nothing more, nothing less.
Let's be honest: Blu-ray release or no, 10 isn't about to experience any sort of resurgence. It's amusing but dated, mildly entertaining but largely inconsequential. Nostalgia notwithstanding, we aren't exactly dealing with a classic, are we? The film's high definition debut isn't going to win many diehard fans either. Its video presentation is problematic, its DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track isn't particularly notable and its supplemental package is nearly non-existent. Judge accordingly.
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Warner Archive Collection
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Extended Cut
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Como agua para chocolate
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