6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
In the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, a pair of nesting eagles, believed to be the last of a dying breed, are in danger of extinction. A mysterious recluse, fiercely dedicated to protecting the eagles, and the young woman with whom he has a liaison, meet up with a likable but scheming adventurer who has been hired by a billionaire collector to steal the eggs.
Starring: Rutger Hauer, Powers Boothe, Kathleen Turner, Donald Pleasence, Brion JamesDrama | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Philippe Mora's "A Breed Apart" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with the director; new audio commentary with the director and critic Nathaniel Thompson; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, A Breed Apart arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.
The release is sourced from a very beautiful exclusive new 2K maser that was struck from an interpositive. I will mention first the two areas where I think some minor improvements could be made. Ideally, a few darker areas should reveal slightly better nuances. However, 2K master handles darker areas very, very well, so you will not see any troubling examples of serious black crushing. Second, I noticed a few blemishes that could have been removed. However, this is a cosmetic improvement that I think is irrelevant given how great the presentation is. The rest looks either very good or excellent. For example, delineation, clarity, and depth remain very pleasing throughout the entire film. Density levels are great, too. Image stability is outstanding. What about color balance? It is very convincing. I think that a few areas could have used slightly more prominent blues, but blues, greens, browns, and blacks and wonderfully balanced. As a result, the entire film has a very convincing 1980s appearance. All in all, this release offers a very fine organic presentation of A Breed Apart. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. I had the volume of my system turned up quite a bit because I found Maurice Gibb's soundtrack quite unusual but very effective and was most impressed with the dynamic contrasts. On the other hand, I must make it clear that the film's soundtrack does not produce any truly memorable moments. Clarity, sharpness, depth, and balance are excellent.
It is clear that A Breed Apart was a very personal project for Philippe Mora, though I cannot say that what mattered the most to him in it is the reason I enjoyed it. A Breed Apart is a small film and it would be impossible to rank it among Rutger Hauer and Powers Boothe's best films, but it is very well made and quite atmospheric. I think that in some ways it is rather similar to John Boorman's cult classic Deliverance. Shout Factory's release is sourced from a very solid exclusive new 2K master and features a new commentary and program with Mora. RECOMMENDED.
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