6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
New York's most controversial fashion photographer develops a disturbing ability to see through the eyes of a killer with terrifying clarity.
Starring: Faye Dunaway, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Dourif, Rene Auberjonois, Raul JuliáHorror | 100% |
Mystery | 15% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Irvin Kershner's "Eyes of Laura Mars" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival audio commentary by director Irvin Kershner; archival promotional documentary; collection of vintage promotional materials; and more. The release also arrives with a 36-page illustrated booklet. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Valuable lesson
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Irvin Kershner's Eyes of Laura Mars arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
The release is sourced from a dated remaster with some very obvious limitations of the kind that masters from the DVD era typically exhibit. Indeed, while some of the brighter daylight footage can look decent or even good, the indoor and darker footage is typically quite flat and routinely struggles to retain fine details and nuances (you can see examples in screencaptures #4 and 13). Shadow definition can be particularly problematic and it directly impacts depth and fluidity. Rather predictably, grain exposure is inconsistent and as a result there are obvious density fluctuations that are unrelated to the original cinematography. There is a good range of primaries and even some nuances, but there are segments where light background color flutter/pulsations are visible. Ideally, stability, saturation, and the overall range of nuances should be quite a bit better. Image stability is good. All in all, as mentioned above the master that was used has some quite substantial limitations, and the bigger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to identify them. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I am not convinced that if the film is fully restored in 4K in the near future and then the audio fully remastered there will be a dramatic upgrade in quality in the audio department. There are a few segments where some light thinning is noticeable, but I think that is almost certainly how the original audio was recorded. The current lossless track is very nice and free of the type of conventional age-related imperfections that dated tracks are frequently plagued with.
NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.
I think that in the hands of Brian De Palma Eyes of Laura Mars would have turned out a vastly superior film. I feel that there is an element of its narrative that De Palma would have loved to exploit and then transform the final version of the film into a sleazy American giallo with a distinctive retro vibe. In its current form, Eyes of Laura Mars is something of a missed opportunity -- it has a few interesting twists and a bit of the right flavor that I think it needs to be different and memorable, but it very quickly loses steam and ends up rehashing a lot of the same cliches that conventional thrillers do. This recent Blu-ray release from Indicator/Powerhouse Films is sourced from a dated and rather weak remaster with some very obvious limitations of the kind that masters from the DVD era typically exhibit, so the film needs a serious makeover so that it looks as it should. At the moment, however, this is the only Blu-ray release on the market.
Remastered
1980
1972
Special Edition
1990
1988
2012
Profondo rosso | Remastered
1975
2004
2004
Slasher Classics Collection #30
1978
2021
2019
2017
2017
2015
2011
1978
2016
Il gatto dagli occhi di giada / The Cat's Victims | The Italian Collection #38
1977
Indicator Series
1954
1971