7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Maciek, a young Resistance fighter, is ordered to kill Szczuka, a Communist district leader, on the last day of World War II. Though killing has been easy for him in the past, Szczuka was a fellow soldier, and Maciek must decide whether to follow his orders.
Starring: Zbigniew Cybulski, Ewa Krzyzewska, Waclaw Zastrzezynski, Adam Pawlikowski, Bogumil KobielaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 67% |
War | 6% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.64:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Polish: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Andrzej Wajda's "Ashes and Diamonds" (1958) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films. The only supplemental feature on the disc is a long video interview with director Andrzej Wajda. The disc also arrives with a comprehensive booklet by writer and film historian Michael Brooke, including new writing on the film, a re-print of Marek Hendrykowsk's monograph on Ashes and Diamonds, Andrzej Wajda's lecture on "Cinema: Past and Present" and more. In Polish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The assassin
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.64:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrzej Wajda's Ashes and Diamonds arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films.
Recently restored in 2K, the film's transition to Blu-ray is rather pleasing. Detail is mostly good, but some partial noise corrections have been applied. Interestingly enough, the most obvious ones appear early into the film (see screencapture #8) and seem to affect a couple of daylight scenes. Later on (see screencaptures #1 and 4) they become more subtle and light grain is quite easy to spot. Contrast levels and clarity are pleasing, especially during the nighttime sequences, which are not overly impressive on Criterion's R1 DVD release of the film. The color-scheme is stable and convincing. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern. I also did not see any traces of severe artifacting or strong aliasing patterns. There are no serious stability issues and blown through a digital projector the image conveys satisfactory fluidity. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: Polish LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The Polish LPCM 2.0 track is pleasing. Predictably, its dynamic amplitude is quite limited, but there is good depth is missing from the lossy track found on the Criterion DVD release of the film (this is especially obvious during the short vocal performance in the bar). Additionally, the dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. I also did detect any pops, cracks, excessive hiss, or audio dropouts to report in this review.
A classic of Polish cinema, Andrzej Wajda's Ashes and Diamonds is a remarkably bold film that offers a glimpse at the unusual socio-political vacuum that developed immediately after the end of WW2 and shortly before the country's occupation by the Soviets. Despite traces of mild filtering, the film's presentation is pleasing. RECOMMENDED.
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