8 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.6 |
In the early twentieth century, young Louis Mazzini vows to take revenge on his family, the D'Ascoynes, when he learns how they disinherited his mother. Working his way into their trust, Louis begins to bump off his distant relatives one by one, but complications set in when Edith D'Ascoyne, the widow of his first victim, falls in love with him.
Starring: Dennis Price (I), Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, Alec Guinness, Audrey FildesDark humor | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.32:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Robert Hamer's "Kind Hearts and Coronets" (1949) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc contain the film's original theatrical trailer; short introduction to the film by John Landis; documentary film about Dennis Price; BBC Radio 3 essay; restoration comparison; stills gallery; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Three more to go
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.32:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Hamer's Kind Hearts and Coronets arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment.
The following text appears in the press materials for the Blu-ray release of Kind Hearts and Coronets:
"Kind Hearts and Coronets was scanned in 2K definition on a Nothlight 2 Film Scanner from the original 35mm negative elements and restored in High Definition. The pictures was restored using Film Master D.V.O restoration tools and PFClean software systems, removing dirt, scratches, warps, torn or replacing torn or missing frames and improving stability issues. The sound was also improved, with instances of pops, clicks, hiss and distortion minimised or removed."
This is yet another very impressive addition to Optimum Home Entertainment's catalog of classic Ealing Studios films. The restoration efforts have produced excellent results, especially as far as clarity and contrast levels are concerned, and the film really does look mighty impressive now after various problematic transfers were used to produce a number of mediocre DVD releases during the years. Some minor frame transition issues remain, but fine object detail and color reproduction have been dramatically improved, while contrast has been stabilized. There are no traces of excessive sharpening or noise corrections. Naturally, film grain is retained and well resolved throughout the entire film. The high-definition transfer is also free of large artifacts and ringing patterns. Lastly, a thorough clean-up has been performed as well. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B 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 2.0. For the record, Optimum Home Entertainment have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The audio has been optimized as best as possible. Understandably, the English LPCM 2.0 track has a rather limited dynamic amplitude, but the sound is consistently crisp and more importantly stable. There are no problematic audio distortions. I also did not detect any pops, cracks, and excessive hiss to report in this review.
Arguably one of the greatest black comedies ever made, Robert Hamer's Kind Hearts and Coronets has been recently restored and now brought to Blu-ray by British distributors Optimum Home Entertainment. The film looks terrific, the best it ever has, and the Blu-ray also contains a great set of informative supplemental features. If you could play Region-B "locked" Blu-ray discs, make sure to add this film to your collections, folks. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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