6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A ruthless spy known as "The Needle" is trying to get out of Britain back to Germany, with information to prevent the D-Day invasion.
Starring: Donald Sutherland, Kate Nelligan, Ian Bannen, Christopher Cazenove, Faith BrookThriller | Insignificant |
War | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Richard Marquand's "Eye of the Needle" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; archival audio interview with Donald Sutherland; alternate ending; four vintage British propaganda films; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The chameleon
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Richard Marquand's Eye of the Needle arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the BFI.
The release is sourced from a remaster that was prepared by MGM in the United States. It is an older remaster that can be quite frustrating because it is very inconsistent. Indeed, there are many well-lit close-ups with decent delineation that can trick one to assume that the rest of the visuals are also wonderful, but anywhere where there are gentle nuances and especially during indoor and darker footage where usually there is a lot of black crush it is painfully obvious that plenty of native detail is lost. In some cases the grain structure that ought to support the detail actually completely collapses and as a result the visuals instantly become incredibly flat and mushy (see an obvious example in screencapture #12). On the other hand, it is certainly true that the original cinematography handles light in very particular ways because direct exposure to it is often restricted and this is something that can produce unusual nuances, but the shortcomings of the remaster should not be excused and trained eyes will very quickly be able to identity the difference. Colors are stable, but this is another area where I feel that nuances should be expanded rather substantially. The good news is that there are no traces of sharpening adjustments. Also, overall image stability is excellent, and there are no serious source imperfections to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The lossless track is very strong. Miklós Rózsa's dramatic symphonic score breathes with great ease and adds quite an edge to the action. The dialog is also very clean, stable, and easy to follow. There is no background hiss, pops, cracks, hum, or other serious age-related imperfection that may impact negatively your viewing experience.
I have tried multiple times over the years to like this film and it has never worked. I think that the original material from Ken Follett's bestseller was clearly mishandled by screenwriter Stanley Mann and director Richard Marquand and the end result isn't any better than what an overcooked period cable production typically offers. The entire second half is a classic example of how even very good actors can look mediocre because they were asked to work with a seemingly endless arsenal of awful cliches. The release is sourced from a remaster that was prepared by MGM. Occasionally it can look decent, but ideally the film should have a far superior appearance in high-definition.
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Indicator Series
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Vintage Classics
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Premium Collection
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