6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In Britain, at the dawn of jet-powered commercial aviation, an aircraft manufacturer tries to shift the blame from mechanical failure to pilot error when its newest jet airliner has a series of accidents.
Starring: Michael Craig (I), Peter Cushing, Bernard Lee (I), Elizabeth Seal, George Sanders (I)Drama | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Severin Films' Cushing Curiosities set.
Severin has celebrated arguably lesser known efforts featuring one of the more legendary horror actors often associated with Hammer Studios with
both
The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee
Collection and The
Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection 2. Now they're doing similar service for that other legendary horror actor often
associated with
Hammer Studios, and one who of course famously co-starred with Lee in any number of films. As the title of this collection may suggest, the offerings
in Cushing Curiosities are a bit peculiar at times, but that perhaps only gives them added allure for a certain demographic. Severin has
assembled an impressive array of supplements, including some excellent commentaries by Jonathan Rigby, who also contributes an incredibly
thorough overview of Cushing's career in a perfect bound booklet included with this set. Adding to the allure here are some generally solid
technical merits (with perhaps one notable exception).
Cone of Silence is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The back cover of this release states this was culled from "a new 2K scan from the dupe negative by the BFI". This has a somewhat darker appearance than some of the other black and white films in this set, but that said, I frankly didn't notice any real problems with regard to crush or a lack of tonal variety in grayscale. Detail levels are generally excellent throughout the presentation, though I suspect some brief stock footage may have been used for some of the flying material. I noticed no major signs of age related wear and tear, and grain resolves organically throughout the presentation, which may allay fears for those who react, well, negatively to "dupe negative".
Cone of Silence features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono audio. This track has a bit more layering due to the flying scenes than some of the other films in this set, and those as well as Gerard Schurmann's score sound decently full bodied if occasionally just slightly boxy. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
This disc's Main Menu is actually split between Cone of Silence and Cushing Curios.
Cone of Silence
- Peter Cushing on The Funster Show with Paul Carrington (HD; 13:10)
- The Guardian Interview with Peter Cushing (played in conjunction with Cone of Silence) (HD; 1:31:49)
- Peter Cushing Interviewed by Tony Dalton, Author of Terence Fisher: Master of Gothic Cinema (HD; 1:03:46)
- Cushing's View - 1973 Interview with Peter Cushing on Whitstable and his late wife Helen (HD; 12:55)
It's perhaps indicative of just how "curious" some of the offerings in this set are that many of them were released under any number of alternate titles, with this film showing up on the IMDb as Trouble in the Sky. That's a perhaps ironic title given the fact that it's a plane not staying in the sky that's the actual "trouble", but one way or the other, this is an interesting if perhaps dry investigation into aviation malfeasance, which perhaps unsurprisingly for those who "white knuckle" it on flights, turns out to be a rather visceral subject. Lee is outstanding in this film, and anyone who knows him only as "Q" from the James Bond outings may well want to check this out. Technical merits are generally solid, and this disc has both a fun interview with Michael Craig as well as a slew of additional supplements tied to Cushing. Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1963
1965
1985
1960
1982
1989
1973
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1993
1986
Collector's Edition
1983
1977
The Day After Halloween | One More Minute | Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1979
Guyana: Crime of the Century / Guyana, el crimen del siglo
1979
1989
2019
Limited to 1,000 Made
1983
1986
The Shocking Truth / The Kiss That Kills
1933
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1994
1976