4.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Follows the tale of a young woman's sexual awakening and subsequent journey around the world in pursuit of her ideal lover. Encounters include an Arabian sheik and a Spanish bullfighter. Her friend and butler accompany her and help to arrange her couplings. Moderate nudity and soft-porn.
Starring: Bo Derek, George Kennedy, Andrea Occhipinti, Ana Obregón, Olivia d'AboRomance | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
John Derek's "Bolero" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Shout Factory. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original theatrical trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The Heiress
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Derek's Bolero arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.
The master that was used to produce the release is likely the same one that MGM used a while ago for the DVD release of the Bolero. Obviously, there are various limitations on display. However, I have to say that even though density and depth could be better -- some of the indoor footage during the second half makes this painfully obvious -- I actually think that the bulk of the film looks quite decent, at times even surprisingly good. The main reason for this is the lack of problematic digital corrections. (Exactly the opposite is true for the overwhelming majority of Universal's older masters, which typically convey traces of all sorts of different digital corrections). Plenty of the well-lit close-ups, for instance, look quite nice (see screencapture #1). Even the color scheme is fairly well balanced, though as it is the case with these older masters some nuances are clearly missing. Grain exposure isn't as even as it should be and in some of the darker footage it actually appears quite loose, but again, the film does have some rather decent organic qualities. There are no serious stability issues. A few flecks and scratches can be seen, but there are no large cuts, debris, or torn/warped frames to report. (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: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio has not been recently remastered -- which should not be surprising considering the fact that the master was prepared some time ago -- but there are no technical flaws to report in our review. Clarity and depth are quite pleasing. I also like how Peter Bernstein's score sounds, though I am fairly confident that if the audio is fully remastered its density will end up being better. I think that balance will be improved as well.
The same people that would insist that Tinto Brass is a shameless pornographer will almost certainly try to convince you that John Derek's Bolero is one of the worst films you would ever see. You should ignore them. Bolero isn't a masterpiece and there are a lot of better erotic films that you can see, but I assure you that it is quite charming and definitely capable of making you forget that you have had a rough day. I must also state the obvious: Bo Derek is indescribably beautiful in it. Bolero can look better in high-definition, but the technical presentation is mostly fine and I am glad that Shout Factory decided to bring it to Blu-ray because the old DVD release has been out of print for quite some time. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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