7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Four unnamed people who look and sound a lot like Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, and Joseph McCarthy converge in one New York City hotel room.
Starring: Gary Busey, Tony Curtis, Theresa Russell, Will Sampson, Patrick KilpatrickDrama | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or Award and winner of Technical Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Nicolas Roeg's "Insignificance" (1985) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; making of featurette; new, exclusive video interview with director Nicolas Roeg and producer Jeremy Thomas; and new, exclusive video interview with editor Tony Lawson. The disc also arrives with a 24-page illustrated booklet. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The Actress
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Nicolas Roeg's Insignificance arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"Approved by director Nicolas Roeg and producer Jeremy Thomas, this new digital transfer was created on a Spirit 4K in 2K resolution from a 35mm interpositive, at Midnight Transfer, London. 2K color correction was done using Assimilate's Scratch system, and dirt and scratches were removed using the PFClean system, at Cinelmage, London. This corrected data was output to high-definition tape at On Sight, London. Additional instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using MTI's DRS system.
Telecine supervisor: Maria Palazzola.
Telecine colorist: Fergus Hally/Cinelmage, London.
Additional telecine: Sue Gates/Modern Videofilm, Los Angeles."
Insignificance is one of a few Nicolas Roeg films that I currently do not own on SDVD and therefore cannot compare directly to Criterion's Blu-ray release. Nevertheless, there is no doubt in my mind that Criterion's presentation of the film is vastly superior to any previous SDVD releases - the image depth, clarity, and color reproduction are that impressive. Generally speaking, the film has a soft, at times (during the memory flashbacks) even hazy look. Fine object detail during the endless close-ups, however, is very good, while the darker scenes are never plagued by massive amounts of background noise. Heavy edge-enhancement does not affect the integrity of the presentation either. There are no signs of excessive noise corrections. Naturally, light grain, some of which is occasionally mixed with light noise, is present throughout the entire film. Finally, there are absolutely no stability issues whatsoever. It is quite obvious that debris, scratches, and damage marks have also been removed, as the film looks notably healthy. (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 is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"Presented in its original monaural format, the soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the 35mm magnetic track at Sync Sound Audio, London. Additional restoration was done by Criterion, where clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation."
Insignificance is complimented by an exceptionally beautiful, dreamy soundtrack courtesy of Stanley Myers
and Hans Zimmer, and it is truly a treat listening to it because the loseless audio track opens up the entire film quite well. Still, the dynamic amplitude is rather limited, but the dialog is always clear, clean, stable, and very easy to follow.
I don't think I could name a whole lot of films made during the '80s that are as stylish, entertaining and thought-provoking as Nicolas Roeg's Insignificance. The film raises some terrific questions, quite a few of which are still relevant today. As expected, Criterion's treatment of the film is very good. The Blu-ray release also contains two brand new video interviews - one with director Nicolas Roeg and producer Jeremy Thomas, the other with editor Tony Lawson. Both of them are outstanding. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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