6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Two teenage boys desperately fight for survival as they flee Nazi forces after escaping a train delivering them to a concentration camp.
Starring: Ladislav Jánsky, Antonín Kumbera, Ilse Bischofova, Ivan Asic, Jan RihaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 70% |
War | 8% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Czech: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jan Nemec's Diamonds of the Night (1964) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Second Run. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video piece with Peter Hames; the short film "A Loaf of Bread"; and more. The release also arrives with an 18-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Brooke and technical credits. In Czech, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The wanted
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jan Nemec's Diamonds of the Night arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Second Run.
The release is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film that was completed by the Czech National Film Archive. Even though in certain areas there is some unevenness because the existing elements have not aged particularly well, and elsewhere there are some larger damage marks that were not eliminated with digital tools, I like the presentation a lot. I projected the film and was very pleased with the depth and clarity of the visuals. One area where some careful balancing work could have been done is the grading, because from time to time it does look like the blacks become a bit too heavy and a few minor nuances are eliminated, but overall the visuals are indeed very strong. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments, or other similar digital enhancements. Image stability is very good, though a few transitions are a bit uneven. All in all, I think that the film has a very strong organic appearance and it is quite a treat to revisit now. My score is 4.25/5.00. (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Czech LPCM 2.0 (with a few exchanges in German).. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I thought that the audio was excellent. There is very little dialog in the film and the soundtrack actually incorporates plenty of organic sounds and noises, so the overall dynamic activity is limited, but there are still plenty of nuances, and the clarity and balanace are very good. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.
The very unique sense of suffocating fear mixed with desperation that permeates this classic Czech film is indescribable. The main reason for this is the fact that it comes from a reconstructed reality that is actually a reflection of a very particular state of mind, and unless experienced, I don't believe it can be fully comprehended and summarized. I am convinced that this is exactly why Jan Nemec structured his film a lot like a very fluid surrealistic nightmare. I like the film a lot, and I think that it is great that the recent 4K restoration that the Czech National Film Archive completed is being released on Blu-ray in multiple territories. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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