Inherit the Wind Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Inherit the Wind Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 18, 2018

Stanley Kramer's"Inherit the Wind" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film and exclusive new video interview with film scholar Neil Sinyard. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Henry Drummond

Stanley Kramer's Inherit the Wind was first released on Blu-ray by Twilight Time in 2014. For a complete analysis of the film, please see Jeffrey Kauffman's review of this release here.

Inherit the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stanley Kramer's Inherit the Wind arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from the older MGM remaster that in the U.S. Twilight Time initially used for their release, and earlier this year Kino Lorber worked with when they prepared this release of the film. It is mostly decent, but it definitely has a fair share of very obvious limitations. For example, it is quite easy to tell that the film looks noticeably softer than it should and as a result in many areas fine nuances struggle. Because there is plenty of proper lighting the clean visuals can be a bit misleading, the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to see that these fine nuances tend to disappear and in backgrounds depth is never optimal. (You can see obvious examples in screencaptures #2, 16, and 17). Furthermore, it appears that some grain management work was performed, possibly to rebalance the visuals, and as a result the entire film looks softer than it should. (You can see the effects in screencapture #4). The good news is that there are no traces of sharpening adjustments. Also, no attempts have been made to boost contrast levels. This is what makes the biggest difference, because even though the film looks softer it still has a pleasing appearance. Image stability is very good. There are no large cuts or damage marks, but some tiny flecks and stains are visible. (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).

Inherit the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 (Mono). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent, but I am not surprised because when the current remaster was prepared it was probably redone as well. The upper register, in particular, is very clean and there are no signs of distortions. Balance is also very good. Dynamic intensity is proper for a film from the early 1960s.

Inherit the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Inherit the Wind. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Interview with Neil Sinyard - in this new interview, film scholar Neil Sinyard discusses the original case that inspired Inherit the Wind, the casting choices, some of the mischaracterizations and liberties that are promoted in the film, Stanley Kramer's career, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Eureka Entertainment. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• Booklet - a collector's booklet. First pressing only.

Inherit the Wind Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is always a treat to watch the great Spencer Tracy perform before the camera, but it is awfully difficult to take this film seriously when so much of what is depicted in it as the truth was actually manufactured by its creators. If the truth matters to you, research the original transcripts from the Scopes Trial and then revisit the film. At the very least you will be quite amused to see how plenty of facts were ignored and new ones invented. (Kudos to Neil Sinyard for at least pointing out a few of the 'discrepancies').

I feel quite confident that in the near future Inherit the Wind will be redone and MGM will have a superior master in their vaults. The current remaster that has been offered to various boutique labels on both sides of the Atlantic is decent, but it is old and actually has some pretty obvious limitations that can be eliminated. This recent release from Eureka Entertainment has an exclusive interview with film scholar Neil Sinyard, and comes with a booklet that will be limited to the label's first run of it. If you like the film, wait for a sale before you commit to a purchase.