7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Henry Graham, a confirmed bachelor with a zest for luxuries, receives the shocking news that he is now broke. Henry's spirits are low as he returns to his town-house to discuss the situation with his butler, Harold who suggests marriage as a way out.
Starring: Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Jack Weston, George Rose, James CocoRomance | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Elaine May's " A New Leaf" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is a brand new video essay by film critic David Cairns. The release also arrives with a 32-page illustrated booklet featuring writing on the film and archival images. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"The point, Mr. Graham, is that you don't have any money. The capital and the income are exhausted and you no longer have any money."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Elaine May's A New Leaf arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release appears to have been sourced from the same master which Olive Films accessed when they prepared their release of A New Leaf for the U.S. market. It is an older master, with some obvious limitations, but still a pretty decent one. The best news here is that there are no traces of recent degraining and sharpening adjustments. So even though there are areas with visible density fluctuations, the film does have an overall rather pleasing organic appearance. My feeling is that most of these fluctuations will become quite obvious when one views the film on a large screen or projects, as patchy grain does have a tendency to pop up. (You can see in screencapture #9 that it is clearly not well resolved). Shadow definition also suffers a bit, though there are no overly distracting effects. Colors appear natural, but some nuances can be expanded and improved. Overall image stability is very good. Lastly, there are a few tiny flecks and blemishes, but there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or torn frames to report in our review. All in all, even though it is clear that the film could look quite a bit better in high-definition, the current presentation is certainly quite pleasing. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio has not been remastered, but depth and clarity are very good. Dynamic intensity is limited, but A New Leaf is primarily a dialog-driven feature with only a couple of sequences where the music makes an impression and there are random sounds and noises that expand dynamic movement. Some extremely light hiss attempts to sneak in, but never becomes distracting. There are no stability issues, pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in our review.
An obnoxious bachelor runs out of money and, to solve his financial problems, decides to marry a very awkward but surprisingly rich botanist in Elaine May's deliciously witty directorial debut, A New Leaf. Apparently, the film has never before been released on the home video market in the United Kingdom, so Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray should make a lot of people happy. Additionally, I've done some comparisons with the U.S. release from Olive Films and I think that Eureka Entertainment's technical presentation is clearly more convincing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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