8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield and Blake, are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers, with Blake’s own brother among them.
Starring: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard MaddenHistory | 100% |
War | 94% |
Thriller | 69% |
Drama | 52% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Note: Collectors who value beautiful packaging and non-disc swag as much as whatever technical merits are in store had better start
clearing some
significant new
shelf room for this impressive new series being distributed by The Film Vault. What's perhaps also going to be exciting for physical media buffs is
that
this new collection is
being curated from both the Warner Brothers Discovery and Universal catalogs, which hopefully will increase the opportunities for appealing
choices.
1917 is given the "Number 4" slot in The Film Vault's opening salvo of releases, and that means the new distributor has evenly split its
first
quartet of offerings between the two catalogs it is advertising it's culling its releases from, with Blade Runner 4K and
GoodFellas 4K coming from the Warner Brothers column, and Scarface 4K and this film coming from Universal, though rather interestingly in that regard, and I'm assuming due to
various licensing deals, this actually comes branded as an eOne (i.e., Entertainment One) effort. This may or may not augur what the future has in
store for The Film
Vault, but 1917, despite its title, is the newest of the features The Film Vault is initially offering, and in some ways it's one of the most
interesting.
1917 is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of The Film Vault with a 2160p transfer in 2.39:1. This is quite simply reference quality material across the board, and one of the most interesting things about it from my perspective is how an "apparently" drab palette can attain all sorts of new nuance and highlights courtesy of HDR and/or Dolby Vision. But as Marty mentions in his review of Universal's own 4K release, while the increased dynamic range may be technically a kind of amazing addition given the perceived blandness of so much of what is depicted (color wise, obviously), there's also an appreciable uptick in general detail and fine detail levels throughout the presentation. A lot of bandwidth has been expended discussing the film's underlying "no edits" conceit, but what is so consistently remarkable is how both Sam Mendes and Roger Deakins manage to so inventively frame things so that fine detail on things like the burlap sacks lining the trenches or the ragged uniforms the soldiers can be so precisely rendered. The 1080 disc here is kind of a mini-revelation of its own, but if you want to see how subtle and yet noticeable the improvements in a 4K UHD presentation can be, look no further than this release.
1917 features a fantastically immersive Dolby Atmos track that makes the most of what this technology has to offer in terms of both horizontal and vertical placement of effects, and there are any number of outstanding moments courtesy of things like biplanes flying overhead or the shock of explosions emanating from both the subwoofer and Atmos speakers simultaneously. The sound design is often intentionally chaotic, but rather amazingly, it's always brilliantly clear and well prioritized. Dialogue, effects and score are all presented flawlessly and with sometimes breathtaking dynamic range (of the audio variety this time). Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
On Disc Supplements
Both of the 1080 and 2160 discs in this package contain the same slate of supplements. More details on these are available in either/both of the
above linked reviews by Marty.
1917 as a film has been rightly celebrated for its amazing technical brilliance, and that same commendation should be afforded to the superior technical merits of this 4K UHD presentation. The Film Vault also throws in some handsomely designed packaging and non disc swag. Highly recommended.
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