7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A dramatization of the Black Sox scandal when the underpaid Chicago White Sox accepted bribes to deliberately lose the 1919 World Series.
Starring: John Cusack, Clifton James, Michael Lerner, Christopher Lloyd, John MahoneySport | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
History | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
If you think Tom Brady’s so-called Deflategate scandal got an inordinate amount of newsprint, harken back to the halcyon (?) days of 1919 when newspapers seemingly couldn’t get enough of another brouhaha with a punchy moniker, namely the so-called Black Sox scandal that tainted that year’s World Series and which ended up costing a number of players their careers. Interestingly, Eight Men Out may have cost Orion Pictures its career, as writer-director John Sayles cheekily admits in his commentary included on this Blu-ray, where he states that while Orion filed for bankruptcy shortly after the release of Eight Men Out, the failure may not have been directly attributable to the box office performance of the film, but “we didn’t help.” Only about a year later another film would appear which addressed the Black Sox scandal at least tangentially, but from a decidedly different perspective. That film was Field of Dreams, where a coterie of former White Sox players, including the immortal Shoeless Joe Jackson, help make an Iowa farmer’s most heartfelt fantasy come true. Unfortunately for Sayles and a really eclectic cast, “they” (meaning the public at large) did not come, despite the film having been “built” out of rather sturdy and even compelling blocks. A character study of sorts wrapped up in a rather fascinating historical milieu, Eight Men Out may well appeal even to those who wouldn’t know an earned run average from an unforced error.
Eight Men Out is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Culled from the Metro Goldwyn Mayer catalog (courtesy of that aforementioned Orion Pictures), this is fairly typical of MGM high definition offerings with one notable (and problematic) situation. The film's kind of burnished sienna palette is nicely rendered here, albeit with some perhaps very slight fading on display. Clarity and sharpness are generally decent if not overwhelmingly impressive. Grain is natural looking but quite heavy in spots. There are a few anomalies, including the overly processed looking 1925 coda (see screenshot 10). However (and this may be a pretty big however), there appears to be something decidedly weird going on with regard to the anamorphic presentation here. While ostensibly presented in 1.85:1, this looks anamorphically stretched to me, albeit rather subtly at times. I in fact didn't notice anything overly strange when I was actually watching the film, but began to see discrepancies in the width of things like heads when I began to take screenshots (take a look at Turkel's head in screenshot 2 for just one example, though most of the screenshots included here display this "flattened" effect). This is a really odd and (to me, anyway) confounding situation that detracts from an otherwise at least generally pleasing presentation and may be a deal killer for the film's fans.
Eight Men Out's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track offers decent immersion in some of the game sequences, where things like the roaring approval and/or approbation of the crowds spills into the surround channels. That said, the bulk of the film tends to place most sonic activity decidedly toward the front channels, where dialogue resonates cleanly and clearly and with excellent prioritization. Mason Daring's jaunty score also resides comfortably in the surrounds and provides good support for several key sequences.
Eight Men Out is an often quite fascinating history lesson and may well appeal to those who couldn't care less about baseball. The large cast does exemplary work and helps to flesh out a number of "names" who have entered the public lexicon over the years. Unfortunately, though, there is an inexplicable anamorphic squeeze on display here which, while admittedly fairly minor, keeps me from being able to whole heartedly recommend this release. While this is the rare Olive offering with some (good) supplementary material, my advice to the film's fans is to carefully inspect the screenshots accompanying this review to see if the width issues on display rise to a level of discomfort that would prevent a purchase.
2001
2001
1984
1992
30th Anniversary Edition
1989
2012
2014
1973
1979
Snake and Mongoose
2013
1992
2005
2016
1971
Retro VHS Collection
1996
2023
15th Anniversary Edition | Director's Cut | Includes Theatrical Cut DVD
1999
1986
2008
Remastered
1976