8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
Starring: Ruth Gordon (I), Bud Cort, Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack, Charles TynerDrama | 100% |
Romance | 26% |
Dark humor | 14% |
Comedy | 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: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Hal Ashby's "Harold and Maude" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a collection of audio excerpts from a master seminar with director Hal Ashby; collection of audio excerpts from a master seminar with writer and producer Colin Higgins; exclusive new video interview with singer-songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens; and audio commentary with writer Nick Dawson and producer Charles B. Mulvehill. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic Matt Zoller Seitz; a 1971 New York Times profile of star Ruth Gordon; and two excerpted interviews, one from 1997 with star Bud Cort and cinematographer John Alonzo and one from 2001 with executive producer Mildred Lewis. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
A serious relationship?
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a SCANITY film scanner from a 35mm interpositive, which had to be wetgated from the original negative since it was severely scratched and not suitable for scanning. Colorist Sheri Eisenberg, who worked on a previous transfer of the film with the late director of photography John Alonzo, referenced Alonzo's original notes and the previous telecine to generate this version. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Image Systems' Phoenix, while jitter and flicker were fixed using Pixel Farm's PFClean.
Telecine supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Colorworks, Los Angeles."
The high-definition transfer has wonderful organic qualities. Detail and clarity are consistently pleasing, while contrast levels remain stable. Naturally, both the close-ups and panoramic scenes convey very good depth. The film's color scheme favors soft and earthy colors that look notably healthier than they do on the old R1 DVD release Paramount Pictures issued quite some time ago. There are absolutely no traces of post-production sharpening. Problematic degraining corrections have not been performed either. Unsurprisingly, a layer of light and well resolved grain has been retained. When projected, the film looks tight and stable around the edges. Lastly, there are no artifacts or serious banding issues to report in this review. All in all, Criterion's Blu-ray release represents a strong upgrade in terms of visual quality over the old R1 DVD release. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 1.0 and English LPCM 2.0 (Stereo). For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
I had a difficult time choosing between the original Mono and Stereo tracks Criterion have included. I lean towards the Stereo track, but only because I really enjoyed listening to Cat Stevens' songs, and in particular "If You Want To Sing Out". In terms of dynamic progression, the two lossless tracks are quite similar, with the Stereo track possibly opening up the film in selected areas slightly better. The Mono track adds a stronger period feel to the film. The dialog is equally stable, clean, and easy to follow on both tracks. For the record, there are no distortions or audio dropouts to report in this review.
Hal Ashby's Harold and Maude has not lost much of its charm. I hadn't seen it in years and thought that its message is still relevant today - which is rather unfortunate. Clearly, the film will resonate differently with different viewers, but I am convinced that even those who will dismiss it because of its 'weirdness' will agree that it is perfectly realized. As expected, Criterion's presentation of the film is enormously satisfying. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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