Gold Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Gold Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 4, 2024

Peter Hunt's "Gold" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by Roger Moore and production designer Syd Cain; exclusive new program with editor and second unit director John Glen; exclusive new program with director of photography Ousama Rawi and focus puller Dewi Humphreys; exclusive new program with assistant producer Tony Klinger; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

A serious accident in one of South Africa’s biggest gold mines opens the door for Rod Slater (Roger Moore, Live and Let Die, The Wild Geese) to become its General Manager. What Slater does not know is that he has also been chosen by a group of powerful financial investors to be the key player in a massive plan to destroy the mine and triple the price of gold on the international markets.

While being interviewed for the new position by the owner of the mine, Hurry Hirschfeld (Ray Milland, Dial M for Murder 3D, The Uninvited), Slater stars an affair with his married granddaughter, Terry Steyner (Susannah York, Sands of the Kalahari, Superman: The Movie), whose husband (Bradford Dillman, The Enforcer) is secretly assisting the greedy investors. Terry makes sure that Slater gets the job and the two decide to spend a weekend in a secluded mansion deep inside South Africa’s countryside. While they make love and drink champagne, an ‘accident’ occurs inside the mine and thousands of workers are trapped underground.

Slater hears of the 'accident' when a local radio station begins broadcasting from the mine. By the time he and Terry reach the mine, a number of workers die. Barely able to contain his anger, he vows to stop the water that has already flooded multiple areas of the mine from collapsing it and enters it together with a brave veteran miner named Big King (Simon Sabela).

Directed by Peter R. Hunt in 1974 – the same year Guy Hamilton’s The Man With the Golden Gun was released - Gold is the perfect film to see on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It is filled with overused clichés, but it is a light and frequently quite beautiful film that is very easy to enjoy.

Gold has two contrasting identities. On one hand, it works rather well as an exotic adventure film in which an honest man has to overcome a series of obstacles to save the lives of thousands of poor miners that have been trapped underground. The honest man also happens to be a very attractive man so, naturally, in addition to the action there is also a good dose of soapy romance that gives the film a bit of a James Bond-esuqe old-fashioned glamour. (The part of the film where Moore has dinner with York, seduces her and then takes her to his apartment easily could have been used in one of the classic James Bond films). On the other hand, there are also some serious political overtones in the film. And this should not be surprising considering the fact that Gold was filmed primarily on location in South Africa at a time when the apartheid regime governed every aspect of life in the country.

A few of the character transformations during the second half are weak, but at this point it is clear where the film is heading and why. Also, once Moore enters the mine, the only question that remains is how he will get out, not whether he will survive.

The footage from the flooded mine looks great. There are no big special effects, and a few of the key sequences definitely leave a lasting impression. The panoramic shots from the romantic trip also look terrific.

The film’s lush orchestral score was created by Oscar winning composer Elmer Bernstein (John Sturges’ The Magnificent Seven, Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters). Jimmy Helms sung the title song.

Gold Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Gold arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

We have reviews of two other releases of Gold. The first is this Region-B release that Odeon Entertainment produced in 2013. The second is this Region-A "release" that Kino Lorber produced in 2018. Both releases present Gold with an obvious defect -- a very odd stretching that makes everything, but especially faces, look off.

This recent release eliminates the stretching and now Gold looks as it should. This is outstanding news because the master is healthy. Yes, in a few areas minor density fluctuations are still visible, and in other areas there is a bit of fading. In darker footage, such as the one from the mine, there is a bit of crushing, but this was an obvious limitation on the previous releases as well. From the three releases, this release has the healthiest grain exposure. There is some room for improvement, but now all visuals have an attractive organic appearance. Color balance is good, but some room for minor improvements remains. All in all, after the elimination of the stretching, it is very easy to declare that this is the release of Gold to own. My score is 4.25/5.00. (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).

Gold Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I tested a few areas where on the previous releases of Gold light background hiss was easy to detect. It is retained here as well. However, it is never distracting. Clarity, sharpness, and depth remain good. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies, like distortions or dropouts, to report in our review.

Gold Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Roger Moore and production designer Syd Cain and is moderate by critic Marcus Hearn. It is very good commentary that mixes plenty of humor with information about the production of Gold and working methods of some of the people that made it, including Peter Hunt. Moore and Cain also veer off in other directions as well. For example, they address the James Bond films and the pretty girls they gathered, the situation in South Africa at the time Gold was made, the evolution of action films, etc.

• Gold Rushes - in this exclusive new program, editor and second unit director John Glen explains when and how Peter Hunt was approached with an offer to direct Gold, and discusses the financing of the film and the different material that was shot in South Africa, Roger Moore and Bradford Dillman's personalities and working methods, some apparently quite interesting outtakes, etc. Glen also explains how his experience as an editor benefitted him. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Gold Frames - in this exclusive new program, director of photography Ousama Rawi and focus puller Dewi Humphreys recall how they were offered to work on Gold and what the production process was like. There are some particularly interesting comments about the mine footage. (Apparently, the underwater footage was shot at Pinewood). In English, not subtitled. (34 min).

• Producing Gold - in this exclusive new program, assistant producer Tony Klinger recalls some very interesting interactions he had with writer Wilbur Smith, his initial impression of Smith's novel that inspired Gold, some production hurdles and how they were addressed while shooting was underway in South Africa by his father Michael Klinger, etc. In English, not subtitled. (45 min).

• Gold Blend - in this exclusive new program, assistant dubbing recordist John Hyward explains why Gold was a "family film", what made Peter Hunt a special director, why Roger Moore again played a James Bond-esque characters, etc. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Trailer - a fully remastered original trailer for Gold. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Stills - a collection of promotional materials and stills for Gold. Presented with music. (2 min).

• Cover - reverisble cover with vintage poster art for Gold.

Gold Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The previous Blu-ray releases of Gold that I have in my library, which were produced by Odeon Entertainment and Kino Lorber, both present the film with an obvious defect -- a very odd stretching. On this release, the issue is eliminated, and the film finally looks as it should. On top of this, the folks at 88 Films have provided a wonderful selection of exclusive new and archival bonus features, one of which is a great audio commentary with Roger Moore and production designer Syd Cain. If you decide to pick up the release for your library, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.