8.4 | / 10 |
Users | ![]() | 4.8 |
Reviewer | ![]() | 5.0 |
Overall | ![]() | 4.9 |
A small-town lawyer gets the case of a lifetime when a military man avenges an attack on his wife.
Starring: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell, Eve ArdenDrama | Uncertain |
Mystery | Uncertain |
Crime | Uncertain |
Thriller | Uncertain |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | ![]() | 5.0 |
Video | ![]() | 5.0 |
Audio | ![]() | 5.0 |
Extras | ![]() | 4.5 |
Overall | ![]() | 5.0 |
Winner of Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival, Otto Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original theatrical trailer; video interview with writer writer Foster Hirsch; video interview with critic critic Gary Giddins; video interview with Saul Bass biographer Pat Kirkham; behind-the-scenes photographs; excerpts from a yet to be completed documentary film; and more. The Blu-ray also arrives with a 28-page illustrated booklet featuring writings by Nick Pinkerton and Ernest Havemann. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
I'll take your case
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Otto Preminger's Anatomy of Murder arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"This new high-definition transfer was created on a Spirit 4K in 4K resolution from a new 35mm fine-grain master positive struck from the original camera negative at Cinetech laboratory in Valencia, California. The picture was restored at Technicolor in Los Angeles and Reliance MediaWorks in Burbank, California.
Restoration and remastering supervisor: Grover Crisp/Sony Pictures Entertainment, Los Angeles.
Mastering colorist: David Bernstein/Technicolor, Los Angeles."
The high-definition transfer is enormously impressive. Clearly, during the restoration process a variety of different issues were addressed in order to optimize image quality as best as possible - and it definitely shows. When projected, the film conveys spectacular depth and fluidity, while contrast levels remain stable from start to finish. Colors are so rich and lush that often times, when there is plenty of bright and strong light, they actually create the illusion that sharpness has been spiked up. Additionally, a layer of wonderfully resolved light grain is present throughout the entire film (there are no lumps of grain or problematic spots where coarse noise overtakes the grain). The high-definition transfer is also free of problematic banding or aliasing patterns. Lastly, there are absolutely no serious stability issues whatsoever. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked. Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original 35mm dialogue, music, and effects magnetic tracks at Chace Audio by Deluxe in Burbank. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was created at 24-bit from the original D/M/E tracks and the original stereo music recordings. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation."
The potent English LPCM 1.0 will undoubtedly surprise a lot of people. Legendary jazz star Duke Ellington's outstanding score is unusually bright, lush, and full of life. The dialog is also remarkably crisp, clean, and stable. Additionally, there is absolutely no background hiss trying to sneak in, while the tiny pops and cracks that are typically present on some of these older films have been completely removed.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 has a much better range of dynamics. This becomes quite obvious whenever Ellington's score is prominent (compare the bar sequence where James Stewart picks up the slightly inebriated Lee Remick and takes her back to her trailer). However, I still prefer the simpler mono track.
Director Otto Preminger's once very controversial courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder has never looked this good before. Fully restored and remastered under the supervision of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Grover Crisp, the film has literally been given a new life. A truly fantastic film, one of Hollywood's very best, still thought-provoking and relevant today. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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