Rating summary
| Movie |  | 3.0 |
| Video |  | 3.5 |
| Audio |  | 4.5 |
| Extras |  | 2.0 |
| Overall | | 3.5 |
Khartoum Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 21, 2018
Basil Dearden's "Khartoum" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new video interview with critic Sheldon Hall; and archival audio commentary with film historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman. The release also arrives with a collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Phil Hoad, alongside a selection of rare archival imagery. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Basil Dearden's film made its high-definition debut in 2014 via Twilight Time in the United States. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see Jeff Kauffman's review of the first release
here.
Khartoum Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.74:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Basil Dearden's Khartoum arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release is sourced from the same remaster that a few years ago Twilight Time used to produce the first high-definition release of Khartoum in the United States. This is actually an older remaster that possesses some typical limitations, but because Khartoum is a large format film a few are perhaps easier to overlook. For example, while clarity and focus can trick the eyes and appear quite pleasing in different parts of the film, it is quite easy to tell that depth and especially delineation are most certainly not optimal. In fact, there is a lot of larger panoramic footage where the limitations of the remaster become painfully obvious because other issues tend to exacerbate the current limitations. Fluctuating color registration in particular contributes to plenty of background flatness, plus elsewhere it produces halo effects that add an unnatural sharpness to the visuals (see examples in screencaptures #2, 12, and 14). Shadow definition isn't proper either, so ranges of existing nuances are actually difficult or impossible to recognize (see screencapture #16). Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are no large cuts and debris, but small white flecks and tiny dirt spots pop up throughout the entire film. Ultimately, in order to look as good as it should Khartoum will have to undergo a very serious and careful restoration, almost certainly of the type that was funded for the legendary Ben-Hur. (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).
Khartoum 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 did not detect any serious issues with the 2.0 track to report in our review. On the contrary, when the remaster was prepared I believe that efforts were made to eliminate all traces of inherited damage because the current lossless track is clean and free of balance and dynamic issues. Of course, when projected theatrically in some cases Khartoum used a more elaborate soundtrack, so perhaps a future restoration will deliver one. Regardless, the current lossless track serves the film quite well.
Khartoum Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- Trailer - a vintage trailer for Khartoum. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).
- Interview with Sheldon Hall - in this exclusive new video interview, critic Sheldon Hall explains how and when Khartoum came to exist, the casting choices that were made for it and Basil Dearden's involvement with the project, the socio-political environment in which the film emerged, its visual style and key themes, etc. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).
- Commentary - this audio commentary features film historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman.
- Booklet - a collector's booklet featuring a new essay by Phil Hoad, alongside a selection of rare archival imagery.
Khartoum Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Khartoum is just one of many large format films that exists because of Lawrence of Arabia. It is also true that it is a flawed film, but it offers grand visuals of the type that directors and producers can no longer deliver, and as far as I am concerned this is a good enough reason to track it down and see it. Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray release is sourced from the older remaster that a few years ago Twilight Time used to produce the first high-definition release of the film in the United States. It is a mostly decent remaster, but to look as impressive as it should this film needs to be carefully restored like Ben-Hur was. RECOMMENDED, when you find it on sale.
