6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Air Force Colonel is tasked to escort a defecting Soviet pilot who is scheming to lure him to the USSR.
Starring: John Wayne, Janet Leigh, Jay C. Flippen, Paul Fix, Richard RoberRomance | 100% |
Drama | 61% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1, 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Josef von Sternberg's "Jet Pilot" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Tony Rayns; short documentary film; collection of vintage promotional materials; and original trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Comrade Marladovna
Presented in aspect ratios of 1.85:1 and 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jet Pilot arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
In 2021, Kino Lorber produced this release of Jet Pilot for the U.S. market. This Region-B release is sourced from the same old master that Universal supplied to Kino Lorber.
This master is quite weak and does not produce convincing organic visuals. I personally do not mind old masters that produce good organic visuals, but as you can tell from the screencaptures we have provided with this release, Jet Pilot needs a proper makeover to look as it should. On the other hand, I must also make it clear that the technical presentation of Jet Pilot is not a disaster. It is serviceable, in certain areas perhaps even somewhat decent. It is very shaky because there are numerous age-related imperfections that combined make it extremely difficult to have proper film qualities. Plus, the master must have been prepared a long time ago. This is why delineation, clarity, depth, and even color reproduction are underwhelming. Image stability is fine but there is room for some stabilization work there as well. Scratches, debris, blemished, and dark spots can be seen throughout the entire film. My score is 2.75/5.00. (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 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio is rather surprisingly good. All changes, for instance, are very clear and easy to follow. However, as mentioned in our review of the U.S. release, there are a few areas with small yet noticeable 'thinning'. (The footage with the bombers is a good example). Proper restoration of Jet Pilot will most likely introduce some meaningful improvements there, but I do not think that this is a serious issue. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report.
Just like The Outlaw, Jet Pilot was a big vanity project for Howard Hughes that turned out to be a big turkey. John Wayne had every right to consider it the worst film he had appeared in because it is ridiculous in so many different ways that it does not even work as a parody. Some of the footage with the bombers is mildly entertaining, plus there are a couple of short hilarious scenes where Wayne clearly flirts with Janet Leigh, but this isn't enough to declare that Jet Pilot is suitable even for very late-night viewing. On the other hand, Jet Pilot probably deserves to be described as a historic relic, so it is good to have it on Blu-ray.
2012
1974
Masters of Cinema
1952
Masters of Cinema
1927
Premium Collection
1964
Digitally Restored
1943
Warner Archive Collection
1958
2012
2015
Warner Archive Collection
1952
Premium Collection
1939
2011
Indicator Series
1931
2011
2017
2015
Eureka Classics
1979
1953
1940
Arrow Academy
1941