6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Southern action drama film about cockfighting.
Starring: Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton, Patricia Pearcy, Millie Perkins, Richard B. ShullDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo verified
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Monte Hellman's "Cockfighter" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory. The only bonus feature on the release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Cockfighter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.
The release is sourced from a pretty underwhelming master. To be honest, the entire film has the type of look that telecines used to produce -- the surface of the visuals is very powdery, noise sneaks in, and the dynamic range is off. The good news is that there is still a decent amount of detail and occasionally some pleasing depth, but it is very easy to tell that the entire film can look a lot better. Also, the grading job is not very convincing. There is a noticeable shift toward cool primaries and nuances that affects the native temperature of the visuals. As a result, some areas look oddly desaturated and even flat. Elsewhere you will also see that highlights become problematic as well. (See screencapture #3). Indoor and darker areas struggle to reveal proper shadow nuances, too. (See screencapture #25). Image stability is good. I noticed a few tiny flecks here and there, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
While free of serious age-related anomalies, the audio could use a solid remastering job. Some of the exchanges sound muffled and thin, though it has to be said that the original soundtrack has very prominent organic characteristics as well. I think that some rebalancing work can be done to make a noticeable difference, but the improvement will not be dramatic.
I must admit that this recent Blu-ray release from Shout Factory is seriously underwhelming. Monte Hellman's Cockfighter is one of the great American films of the 1970s, and its high-definition debut should have been vastly superior. It has a very dated and overall unconvincing appearance on this Blu-ray release, and I think that this is pretty sad because a film of this caliber deserves to be treated with much greater respect. In 2024, Cockfighter will celebrate its 50th anniversary, so perhaps a different party will manage to restore it and produce a better Blu-ray release.
1956
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