8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.6 |
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 | 18% |
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 SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Terrence Malick's "Days of Heaven" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with art director Jack Fisk and editor Billy Weber, who have worked with Terrence Malick on all of his films, as well as costume designer Patricia Norris and casting director Dianne Crittenden; an exclusive interview with Richard Gere and second interview with Sam Shepherd; and conversations with camera operators John Bailey and Haskel Wexler. The Blu-ray disc also arrives with a 42-page illustrated booklet containing Adrian Martins' essay "On Earth As It Is In Heaven" and Nestor Almendros's "Shooting Days of Heaven" (reprinted from the cinematographer's 1984 autobiography "A Man with a Camera"). With optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".
Harvest time
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Terrence Malik's Days of Heaven arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears in the booklet provided with the Blu-ray disc:
"Days of Heaven is presented in the filmmakers' preferred aspect ratio of 1.78:1. On standard 4:3 televisions, the image will appear letterboxed. On widescreen televisions, the image should fit the screen. Created from a 35mm interpositive struck from the 35mm A/B roll original negative, this high-definition digital transfer was supervised and approved by director Terrence Malick, original camera operator and renowned cinematographer John Bailey, and editor Billy Weber. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI's DRS system; flicker was removed with Pixel Farm's PFClean system; and Digital Vision's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction."
As far as I am concerned, this is a reference quality transfer. Fine object detail is striking, clarity very strong and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme is also very impressive. Yellows, greens, blues, dark reds, brown and blacks are rich and well saturated yet natural looking. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. On the contrary, many of the daylight scenes look like giant moving pictures, conveying terrific depth and nuanced colors. The film's grain structure is intact, even though some minor noise corrections have been applied. On the other hand, there are absolutely no stability issues that I noticed while viewing the film. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing scratches, warps, cuts, marks or stains to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The audio treatment is as impressive as the video treatment. While the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track would not test the muscles of your audio system, I think that many of you would be genuinely impressed with its nuanced audio effects -- the wind blowing, birds chirping, horses galloping, etc. As expected, the dialog is crisp, clean and very easy to follow. I also did not detect any balance issues with Ennio Morricone's beautiful soundtrack. Finally, I did not hear any annoying pops, cracks, or hissing to report in this review.
Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven is a film about feelings and emotions that cannot be described with simple words. It is also a visual spectacle, one that many, this reviewer included, believe ranks amongst the very best ever made. Criterion's treatment of the film is simply superb. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
1973
1948
1984
2013
1979
2012
重慶森林 / Chung Hing sam lam
1994
1965
La règle du jeu
1939
À bout de souffle
1960
L'année dernière à Marienbad
1961
Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux / My Life to Live
1962
Trois couleurs: Rouge
1994
2012
1937
1930
Jules et Jim
1962
1957
1956
1987