7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
At a tough penitentiary, prisoner plans to rebel against a power-mad chief guard.
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford, Yvonne De Carlo, Ann BlythDrama | 100% |
Film-Noir | 61% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jules Dassin's "Brute Force" (1947) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; stills gallery; and filmed video discussion with author Kate Buford. The release also arrives with a 32-page illustrated booklet featuring: "Brute Force" (2014) by Frank Krutnik; "Swell Guy" (1948) by Richard Brooks; and technical notes. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"We're burred, ain't we? Only thing is, we ain't dead."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jules Dassin's Brute Force arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this release:
"The HD master of Brute Force was created by the Criterion Collection. The film was transferred in High Definition on a Spirit Datacine from a Finegrain Positive, and the audio was transferred from a 35mm combined optical print. Mastering was supervised by Maria Palazzola. Additional picture restoration was carried out using a combination of software tools and techniques at Deluxe Digital-EMEA London.
Film restoration supervisor: James White.
Film restoration by Deluxe Production: Mark Bonnici, Graham Jones, Clayton Baker, Anthony Cleasby, Tom Wiltshire."
I like the technical presentation a lot. Excluding a few minor specks popping up here and there, the image is wonderfully balanced and always pleasingly vibrant. During close-ups and wider panoramic shots detail and clarity are very good (this includes the darker footage from the underground area where Joe and the rest of the prisoners are working). Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Color stability is excellent -- the blacks are lush and solid while the whites and grays are beautifully balanced. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening corrections. Quite predictably, from start to finish the film has a very pleasing stable organic appearance. Overall image stability is very good. Lastly, there are no encoding or compression anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is a wonderful upgrade that is guaranteed to impress fans of Brute Force as well as those who are going to experience the film for the first time on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
Contrast levels
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
Depth and clarity are very pleasing. Miklós Rózsa's dramatic score also sounds quite wonderful -- the music is stable, well rounded and there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic activity. Some extremely light background hiss occasionally makes its presence felt, but it never becomes distracting. The dialog is stable and very easy to follow. Finally, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
Burt Lancaster fans are getting some real treats this year: Brute Force, The Killers, The Scalphunters, The Swimmer, Elmer Gantry, Run Silent, Run Deep, Separate Tables... The list just goes on and on. Lancaster's second feature film does not need my recommendation. If it happens to be one of your favorite and you reside in a Region-B territory, do not hesitate to add Arrow Video's release to your collection. Brute Force looks lovely on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.
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1948
1985
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1950
1948
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1950
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2005
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1948
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1960
1955
2000
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1979
1986
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1966
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1955
Arrow Academy
1946
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1950
Indicator Series | Standard Edition
1945
1967