7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The Birling family are rich, pampered and complacent. It is 1912, and the shadow of the impending war has yet to fall across their lives. As they sit down to dinner one night, a knock at the door announces the arrival of Inspector Poole, who insists on questioning the family about the suicide of a young working-class woman.
Starring: Alastair Sim, Jane Wenham, Brian Worth, Eileen Moore (I), Olga LindoCrime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Guy Hamilton's "An Inspector Calls" (1954) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The only supplemental feature on the disc is a bran new video interview with actress Jane Wenham. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"But of course you do."
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Guy Hamilton's An Inspector Calls arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.
Generally speaking, depth and clarity are pleasing. The majority of the close-ups, in particular, look very good. During the outdoor footage, shadow definition is also convincing. Contrast levels are stable, but there are areas of the film where minor inherited fluctuations are visible. Some very careful denoising corrections have been applied, but the integrity of the image has not been affected. To be perfectly clear, these corrections have targeted specific areas where damage and other age-related imperfections would have been visible (see the two very long and thin lines that appear in the middle of screencapture #10). Light grain is present throughout the entire film, but it is slightly toned down. There are no traces of problematic sharpening corrections and serious transition or stability issues to report in this review. Lastly, the encoding is good, but there is room for some minor improvements. To sum it all up, StudioCanal's recent restoration of An Inspector Calls will please fans of the film and Alastair Sim. (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. For the record, StudioCanal have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The sound is crisp and clear and there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic activity. Rather predictably, however, dynamic intensity is quite limited. Clicks, pops, crackle, and background hiss have been removed as best as possible. The dialog is stable and exceptionally easy to follow.
I have to say that Guy Hamilton's An Inspector Calls is one of the best entries in StudioCanal's Vintage Classics series. I was very pleasantly surprised. I have seen other adaptations of J.B. Priestley's play, but somehow missed this film. An Inspector Calls has been recently restored by StudioCanal and looks lovely on Blu-ray. Do not hesitate to add this release to your collections, folks. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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