7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The daughter of a Nevada casino owner gets involved with a racketeer despite everyone's efforts to separate them.
Starring: John Hodiak, Lizabeth Scott, Burt Lancaster, Wendell Corey, Mary AstorFilm-Noir | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Lewis Allen's "Desert Fury" (1947) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary by film historian Imogen Sara Smith and a trailer reel. In English, with optional English SDH subttiles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Fritzy offered me a deal. You wanna hear it?
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Lewis Allen's Desert Fury arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
I found the remaster that was used to source the release quite frustrating. Here's why:
There are plenty of close-ups with good density that hold up quite well on a big screen. If light is restricted, some can actually create the impression that the entire film has undergone a meticulous restoration and looks as good as it should (see screencapture #3). However, there are plenty of areas where density levels abruptly drop and some background details actually become smeary (see screencaptures #4 and 17). Also, during larger panoramic shots, where there is an abundance of light, often times the visuals can appear sharpened or contrast-boosted (screencapture #7). All of this impacts fluidity and as a result the film does not have the stable organic appearance that it needs. Additionally, there are plenty of small but noticeable halo effects that Technicolor registration issues produce which come and go at will. Color balance isn't very convincing either. The ranges of blues, in particular, do not have convincing saturation, while a rather strong yellow/green hue routinely impacts the overall color scheme. Image stability is good. Even some light background pulsations can be noticed. There are no large debris or cuts, but there are some tiny minor blemishes and specks. All in all, this is a decent technical presentation, but ideally this film could and should look every bit as striking as A Matter of Life and Death. 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 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
Clarity and stability are good, so the dialog is always easy to follow. Miklós Rózsa's dramatic score also easily breathes throughout the entire film. However, if you turn up the volume a bit more, it is quite easy to hear various tiny pops and hiss. These are the type of minor imperfections that quite easily could have been removed with modern digital tools.
I find the blending of film noir and western qualities in Desert Fury very attractive, and on top of this Miklos Rozsa's score instantly adds a big dose of special energy that is absolutely perfect for the film. However, I also find its drama almost unbearably artificial. It is unfortunate because with a bit of mystique and darker ambience this film could have been quite the jewel. I still think that it is very much worth tracking down because some of its desert footage is magnificent, but I don't think that it is the major classic that many of its fans have argued it is. RECOMMENDED.
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