6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A web of greed, violence, and betrayal ensnares the heirs to a family fortune as they vie for control of their recently-deceased matriarch's estate.
Director: Mohammad Reza AslaniForeign | 100% |
Drama | 68% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Persian: LPCM Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Criterion release of Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project, No. 4.
Criterion is often described as the very paradigm of a "niche" collector label, and in that regard, there may be nothing Criterion has offered over the
years that is more "niche" than their series of World Cinema Project offerings, all bearing the rather notable imprimatur of one
Martin Scorsese. This fourth volume follows in the footsteps of the previous three collections and offers another often bracing aggregation of little
or at least
lesser known films, some from rather unusual places and also at times addressing subjects that are not regular fodder for big budget Hollywood
extravaganzas.
Reviews of the previous three volumes in this series, all of which offer some really interesting and worthwhile films, are accessible by clicking on the
following links:
Martin Scorsese's World
Cinema Project, No. 1 Blu-ray review
Martin Scorsese's World
Cinema Project, No. 2 Blu-ray review
Martin Scorsese's World
Cinema Project, No. 3 Blu-ray review
Chess of the Wind is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Some introductory text before the main feature provides the following information on the restoration:
Restored by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna at L'Image Retrouvee in collaboration with Mohammed Reza Aslani.Even more detailed information is imparted in Criterion's insert booket:
Restoration funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
Shatranj-e Baad screened once at the Tehran International Festival in 1976 and was later banned in 1979 by the Islamic regime.
Since that time, the film was considered lost with only poor quality, censored VHS copies circulated among cineastes and collectors.
In 2015, the original negatives of the film were found in an antique shop in Tehran and returned to the director, Mohammad Reza Aslani, who managed to ship the negatives to a secure location.
The 4K restoration of Shatranj-e Baad was completed using the original 35mm camera and sound negatives.
Color grading required meticulous work, notably reels 9 and 10 which called for an orange tinted effect reminiscent of early silent cinema.
The restoration was closely supervised by Mohammad Reza Aslani and Gita Aslani Shahrestani; Houshang Baharlou, the film's cinematographer, also contributed to the final steps of the grading process.
Chess of the Wind is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. This digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an Arriscan film scanner from the 35 mm original camera negative. FOr its initial release, the film was screened three times at the Tehran International Film Festival in 1976. After that, the film was considered lost, with only poor quality, censored VHS copies circulating among cineastes and collectors. In 2014, the original reels of the film were found by Amin Aslani, the director's son, at an antique dealer's booth at a flea market, and returned to director Mohammad Reza Aslani, who managed to ship them to a secure location.The backstory of the discovery of the elements utilized here seems to be as interesting as the actual film, but one way or the other, this is a beautiful looking transfer, albeit one with a decidedly yellow-orange tint (as mentioned above) quite a bit of the time (I'd argue not just in the ninth and tenth reels). That can give a just slightly jaundiced appearance to things, as may be evident in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. For that reason, occasionally reds can veer toward orange territory, and flesh tones can also be slightly "buttery" looking, for want of a better term. Detail levels are routinely very good to excellent, ebbing only in some very dimly lit interior scenes, some of which do offer a few passing hurdles in terms of shadow detail (see screenshot 9). Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation.
Chess of the Wind features an expressive LPCM Mono track in the original Farsi. The film doesn't have an especially baroque sound design, but interior spaces (where the bulk of the film takes place) do offer a few isolated sound effects and some interstitials of "lower class" women doing their laundry in a group setting can offer a bit more layering. Sheyda Gharachedaghi's score sounds evocative, and all dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.
Criterion has packaged Chess of the Wind and Muna Moto together on one disc. After selecting an individual film, supplements exclusive to that film are then accessible, as follows:
There's a lot of subtext at play in Chess of the Wind, something that might argue against this being perceived as a relatively traditional "murder mystery", but that's also part and parcel of what makes the film so undeniably provocative on any number of levels. Technical merits are solid (especially considering the precarious history of the film), and the main supplement very enjoyable. Recommended.
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