7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The story of Estrella, a young girl living in northern Spain who is fascinated with the secrets of the south that are embodied in her father.
Starring: Omero Antonutti, Sonsoles Aranguren, Icíar Bollaín, Rafaela Aparicio, Aurore ClementForeign | 100% |
Drama | 82% |
Romance | 15% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Spanish: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Víctor Erice's "El Sur" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival video program with Victor Erice; archival featurette with cast and crew interviews; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by Elvira Lindo and technical credits. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The old man with the secrets
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Víctor Erice's El Sur arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on Lasergraphics Director film scanner from a 35mm low-contrast print made from the original A/B roll negative. A previous transfer supervised by director Victor Erice was referenced for this color grading. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.
Digital scanning: EFILM, Hollywood.
Colorist: Lee Kline/Criterion Post, New York.
The film looks great in high-definition. It has a very solid organic appearance that makes the subtle shifts in the balance between light, shadow, and colors very effective. Small density fluctuations are present, but they are part of the chosen cinematographic style. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. The color grading is excellent. There is actually an evolving range of primaries that change the temperature of different sequences really well, as well as a wide range of earthy nuances. Contrast levels are convincing, and I find the nuances that emerge during darker/nighttime footage to be equally pleasing. Image stability is excellent. There are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped or torn frames to report. (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: Spanish LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio is very clean, stable, and nicely rounded. Enric Granados' score has an important role to play, though
it does not have a serious impact on the film's overall dynamic intensity. It adds flavor and enhances the intended ambience. The dialog is very easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.
I disagree with some of the Spanish critics who have argued that El Sur is director Victor Erice's masterpiece -- I think that The Spirit of the Behave is his best work -- but on the other hand I can't say that I have ever seen a better "unfinished" film. In fact, I can't think of another film quite like it. It is a pretty remarkable accomplishment, really, and if for some reason you have ignored it over the years now is a great time to discover it. Criterion's recent Blu-ray release of El Sur is sourced from a fantastic new 2K restoration, and also arrives with a copy of the original novel by Adelaida García Morales that inspired the film. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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