7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The story of a platoon during the Korean War. One by one Corporal Denno's superiors are killed until it comes to the point where he must try to take command responsibility.
Starring: Richard Basehart, Gene Evans, Michael O'Shea (I), Craig Hill, Skip HomeierDrama | 100% |
War | 21% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Sam Fuller's "Fixed Bayonets!' (1951) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; collection of stills; and audio commentary by film scholar Adrian Martin. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring new essay by critic Glenn Kenny and excerpts from Sam Fuller's autobiography A Third Face. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Left behind
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 and granted a 1080p transfer, Sam Fuller's Fixed Bayonets! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film. The restoration was completed by Twentieth Century Fox.
The vast majority of the film looks absolutely terrific in high-definition. During the daylight footage as well as during most of the darker footage detail and clarity are excellent. There are numerous close-ups that make it remarkably easy to see plenty of small details and objects (see screencaptures #5 and 13). Depth is also pleasing, though there are some obvious density fluctuations during the darker footage. Some of the fluctuations are clearly inherited, but there are a few segments where it appears that some digital touch-up work was done. In these segments some temporary flatness emerges, though it never becomes distracting. The most obvious example is during the first longer discussion in the cave (see screencapture #9). Elsewhere a rather similar effect emerges, but this time the grading appears to be responsible for the unevenness (see screencapture #14). In these segments the grain isn't as well exposed and resolved as it is elsewhere (another example where the effects of the touch-up work are noticeable can be seen in screencapture #16). There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is very good. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or warped frames to report in our review. All in all, this is a very strong presentation of Fixed Bayonets! which will almost certainly remain the film's definitive presentation on the market. My score is 4.75/5.00. (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 good. There isn't even a whiff of background hiss and clarity is fantastic. Depth does fluctuate a bit, but these sporadic fluctuations are production limitations. The dialog is always stable and well balanced -- there are no sudden spikes or drops in terms of volume/density.
Sam Fuller's first film for Twentieth Century Fox, Fixed Bayonets!, is an intense war drama about a group of American soldiers who are outnumbered by their enemies high up in the Korean mountains. It works rather well because Fuller does not attempt to infuse it with the type of patriotic glitz other similarly themed films from the era boast. Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release is sourced from a recent 4K restoration of the film which is quite wonderful. RECOMMENDED.
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