7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Witek runs after a train. Three variations follow on how such a seemingly banal incident could influence the rest of his life.
Starring: Boguslaw Linda, Tadeusz Lomnicki, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Boguslawa Pawelec, Marzena TrybalaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 94% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.72:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Polish: LPCM Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Blind Chance" a.k.a. "Przypadek" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new interview with Polish film critic Tadeusz Sobolewski; archival video interview with writer/director Agnieszka Holland; and nine sections from the film original censored by the Central Film Board in Poland. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic Dennis Lim and a 1993 interview about the film with director Krzysztof Kieslowski. In Polish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
"He wanted me to be a decent man..."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.72:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Krzysztof Kieslowski's Blind Chance arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"The uncensored version of the film included here was restored in 2012 by TOR Film Studio in Warsaw. This digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative and a 35mm print at Chimney Pot in Warsaw, and restored in 2K resolution. The complete restoration was approved by cinematographer Krzysztof Pakulski.
Transfer supervisors: Jedrzej Sablinski, Julia Skorupski/DI Factory, Warsaw.
Colorist: Wiktor Sasim/Chimney Pot, Warsaw."
The film looks strikingly healthy. When there is an abundance of natural light the visuals are very impressive, boasting clarity, depth and fluidity that only a very recent 4K scan could produce. Image stability is also terrific. Grain is evenly distributed and beautifully resolved. Also, there are absolutely no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Colors are stable and far better balanced than they were on the R2 DVD release of the film from Artificial Eye. This being said, there are a couple of sequences where the brightness levels appear a bit too low. As a result, there are some light crushing effects. (You can see examples in screencaptures #12 and 13). They do not become overly distracting, but the brightness levels could have been managed better. Still, this is the best presentation of Blind Chance that I have seen to date. (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: Polish LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
It is immediately obvious that the audio has been fully remastered. The beautiful piano and oboe solos, for instance, sounds crisp and lush and the high-frequencies are rock solid. The dialog is stable, clean, and exceptionally easy to follow. Also, depth is excellent throughout the entire film. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or distortions to report in our review.
The three chances Krzysztof Kieslowski gives Witek to choose a direction in his life produce the three scenarios people in the countries from the former Soviet bloc were offered during the Cold War -- one could become part of the system and blindly support it, one could reject it and try to expose its hypocrisy but risk one's life, and one could struggle to remain neutral until one eventually realizes that doing so is impossible. Blind Chance has been recently restored in 4K by TOR Film Studio in Warsaw. It is the best presentation of the film that I have seen to date. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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