6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Mexican revolutionaries, determined to be free of European tyranny, hire gunslinger Sabata to rob a transport of Austrian gold in order to buy weapons - and shame the brutal Colonel Skimmel, ruler of the local garrison. The robbery goes well, until the gang discovers that Skimmel has tricked them and kept the gold for himself. But no scheming coloniser is going to keep Sabata from earning his pay, and he decides that this laugh is the last one Skimmel will ever enjoy!
Starring: Yul Brynner, Dean Reed, Ignazio Spalla, Gérard Herter, Salvatore BorgheseWestern | 100% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo verified
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Gianfranco Parolini's "Adios, Sabata" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on this release include new audio commentary by filmmaker Mike Siegel; new program featuring critic Austin Fisher; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Adios, Sabata arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The only other release of this film that I have in my library is from Swiss label Explosive media, which we reviewed here. The Swiss release and this upcoming release are sourced from the same old master that emerged from MGM's vaults.
Even though the master has some obvious limitations, I like it quite a lot because it has pretty good organic qualities. For example, delineation and depth range from good to pretty good, plus density levels are surprisingly stable. Yes, there are some fluctuations, but most are quite small. Virtually all of them are part of the original cinematography as well. Fluidity could be better -- and this one of the key areas where a brand new master will introduce notable improvements -- but overall I think that it is good. Colors are stable. However, there saturation and especially balanced can be improved. If they are, the visuals will gain better highlights as well, which will impact the perception of depth. Image stability is good. A few blemishes and dirt spots can be seen, but there are no distracting larger debris, cuts, damage marks, 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. When turned, they appear inside the image frame.
During the opening credits, there are some extremely light distortions. (I mentioned them in our review of the Swiss release of Adios, Sabata). They are not in any way distracting, but a proper restoration of the film will most likely address them. The rest is fine. Depth can fluctuate a bit, but overall it is good. There are no encoding anomalies.
I will likely create quite a bit of unnecessary drama if I identified some of the classic spaghetti westerns that are not as good as the Sabata films -- or at least two of them -- so I will just say that some popular opinions highlighting how they 'borrow' from 'bigger classics' should be taken with a grain of salt. Actually, make that two scoops of salt, or even better, don't even waste your time with these opinions. Why? Because if you start digging eventually you will realize that all spaghetti westerns borrow something from somewhere, including the grand classics, so this isn't and can't be serious criticism. Two of the Sabata films are very entertaining, and the one that everyone loves to dismiss as a total misfire still features a solid performance by Lee Van Cleef. Eureka Entertainment has gathered these films in this three-disc box set, which will be available for purchase later this month. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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