7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In 1944, as a black army company waits at a Louisiana base to be sent to the fighting in Europe, a tough sergeant is killed while returning to the base. His men suspect the Klan, and the brass in Washington send an outsider to investigate: an African-American captain, the first such high-ranking officer anyone on the base has ever seen. Despite the opposition of the base's senior officers, all of them white, Captain Davenport is determined to find the truth.
Starring: Howard E. Rollins Jr., Adolph Caesar, Robert Townsend, Denzel Washington, David Alan GrierWar | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Norman Jewison's "A Soldier's Story" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials; archival audio commentary recorded by the director; archival featurette; and more. Also included with the release is a 36-page illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The outsider
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, A Soldier's Story arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
The release is sourced from an old 2K master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. (In case you are wondering, it is the same master that Image Entertainment licensed to produce this Region-A release of the film in 2012). It is a decent master with proper organic qualities, but its age definitely shows. For example, a lot of the darker footage reveals minor density fluctuations and less and than optimal shadow definition that are very typical on older masters (see screencaptures #4 and 17). But even during daylight footage, where light sometimes produces unusual temporary contrasts, trained eyes should spot grain fluctuations impacting overall depth that are not introduced by the original cinematography (see screencapture #18). On the other hand, highlights are managed very nicely and this helps and strengthens the overall color balance. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Grain can be a tad loose at times, but there are no distracting anomalies to report. (If a new 4K master is created for this film, the improved density levels which the tighter grain will produce should be one of the major improvements). Image stability is excellent. There are no damage marks, cuts, stains, warped or torn frames to report. (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 lossless track sounded great on my system. The audio was very clear without any signs of aging in the upper register, sharp, and stable. There are a few areas where roundness evolves a bit, but it is quite easy tell that this is an inherited limitation. On the other hand, the music from the club sounded outstanding, despite the crowd noise (see the segment around the 24.00.00 mark). There are no pops or audio dropouts to report.
All of the drama in Norman Jewison's A Soldier's Story is completely preventable as soon as one rejects the notion that the 'other side' is defined by its color. Was such a rejection possible in the early '40s? I doubt it, because both sides operated with preset expectations that made it virtually impossible for them to treat each other fairly. They were trapped in a perpetual cycle of suspicion, which was the catalyst for all kinds of different racial problems. I think that A Soldier's Story is an interesting film with a relevant lesson -- and perhaps even more than one -- but I also find a number of its characterizations seriously flawed. Howard E. Rollins Jr., for instance, looks great and if anyone deserved an Oscar nomination it is him, and yet it often feels like he is acting in a much more serious film than the rest of the actors before the camera. The gap in quality is quite striking. This release of A Soldier's Story is sourced from an old but good 2K master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. RECOMMENDED.
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