8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
In 1910, a Chicago steelworker accidentally kills his supervisor, and he, his girlfriend, and his little sister flee to the Texas panhandle, where they find work harvesting wheat in the fields of a stoic farmer.
Starring: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz, Robert J. WilkeDrama | 100% |
Period | 20% |
Romance | 19% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new composer and editior featurettes; new video essay by filmmaker Chris O’Neill; new audio commentary by critic Adrian Martin; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Days of Heaven arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.
The release is sourced from the same master that the folks at Criterion worked with when they produced this release of Terrence Malick's film for the U.S. market in 2010. Even though the age of the master is starting to show now, I still like it a lot. Recently, before receiving this release, I actually upscaled it to 4K and thought that it looked rather impressive. But the truth is that a little over a decade later, with the studios producing very high-quality 4K masters on superior technology that are also graded differently for 4K Blu-ray, this film can absolutely benefit from a brand new 4K master. It will look stunning on 4K Blu-ray as well. In fact, I think that in addition to improved density, the other major area where notable upgrades can be made is color reproduction. Simply put, new masters are graded differently now, and when they are done right, they easily improve upon what was done ten, fifteen or twenty years ago. This being said, I still think that the current master -- which was struck from an interpositive -- looks gorgeous. It reveals very pleasing delineation and depth. It is stable, clean, and healthy too, so while it may appear a tad dated at times, it is very nice. Finally, on this release there is some room for minor encoding optimizations. You won't have to worry about serious anomalies that would affect your viewing experience, but if you have a larger screen you will be able to tell that these types of optimizations would have been beneficial. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I revisited the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. It is a very solid track that handles Ennio Morricone's score with great ease and does plenty to open up key sections of the film, as intended. It is clean and very healthy. There are a lot of older films now that are getting new Dolby Atmos tracks, but if this lossless track is ever redone, I would be very surprised if notable improvements are introduced.
This brand new Blu-ray release from Via Vision Entertainment offers a very solid presentation of Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven. However, with so many older films now transitioning to 4K Blu-ray, it is impossible not to wonder how much better Days of Heaven could look in native 4K. Some months ago, long before this release was announced, I actually upscaled Criterion's release of Days of Heaven to 4K -- which by the way is sourced from the same master that the folks at Via Vision Entertainment worked with to produce their release -- and thought that it already looked stunning. Are we getting spoiled with 4K Blu-ray? Of course, but this is why I keep writing that there has never been a better time to be a film collector. As usual, Via Vision Entertainment's release offers a wonderful selection of exclusive new bonus features as well. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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