6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
After stealing $300,000, a bandit is caught and given an opportunity to save his neck by joining forces against a murderous desperado.
Starring: Eli Wallach, Terence Hill, Bud Spencer, Brock Peters, Kevin McCarthyWestern | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Giuseppe Colizzi's "Ace High" a.k.a. "I quattro dell'Ave Maria" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Cox and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Money corrupts Man. It softens him. So to keep you young and pure, I'll take all of your money. You'll thank me for this someday.
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ace High arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that was prepared at Paramount Pictures after Ace High was fully restored in 4K. This master is one of the very best that I have seen done for a spaghetti western. Indeed, not only does it give Ace High a gorgeous organic appearance, but it is so impressively graded that it makes revisiting the film a pretty special treat. There is only one small area where for less than a minute the visuals become softer and flatter. I assume that either the original elements were irreversibly damaged and some careful reconstruction work was done, or there was some sort of anomaly on the negative that was retained. In other words, this small area is not compromised by poor digital work. (You can see examples in screencaptures #17 and 18). Everything else looks superb. Delineation, clarity, and depth are either gravitating or at what I consider 'reference levels'. As noted above, color balance is pitch-perfect as well. In fact, this master can be used as a reference on how to grade darker footage without compromising any existing detail with crushing. (Of course, this means that in native 4K the same visuals are even more impressive). There are no stability issues. The entire film has been carefully cleaned up and looks immaculate as well. Incredible work. This is how you restored a spaghetti western in 4K. (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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
During the opening credits, the music sounds slightly compressed, but this is almost certainly an inherited source limitation. The dialog is clear and easy to follow, but some overdubbing was clearly done, so expect to hear minor unevenness. The upper register is very healthy. There is quite a bit of action and dynamic intensity is good for a spaghetti western from the late 1960s.
This is how you restore an Italian spaghetti western in 4K. The folks at Paramount that prepared the 4K makeover of Giuseppe Colizzi's Ace High did everything right and the end product is a feast for the eyes. I screened Ace High over the weekend and frequently felt as if I was viewing a native 4K presentation of it. Of course, this film produces a ton of great laughs too, so it was just an all-around terrific experience. A fantastic addition to Kino Lorber's catalog. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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