8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM 2.0
German: LPCM 2.0
English SDH, German
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Robert Hamer's "Kind Hearts and Coronets" (1949) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with filmmakers Whit Stillman, Paul King, Stephen Woolley and critic Peter Bradshaw; vintage introduction by John Landis; documentary film about Dennis Price; and more. In English, with optional English SDH and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Man on a mission
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Hamer's Kind Hearts and Coronets arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.
The release is sourced from a brand new 16-bit 4K restoration that was undertaken by the BFI and finalized at Silver Salt Restoration. The previous release of the film was sourced from a 2K restoration. I did some direct comparisons between the two releases and below I will highlight what I consider to be the most meaningful discrepancies.
First, on the new release the film has noticeably better density levels. Some very minor fluctuations remain, but I think that folks with larger screens, or projectors, will immediately appreciate the improvement. However, the overall depth of the visuals is a bit of a mixed bag. The reason for this is the grading job, which is a tad too aggressive for my taste. For example, in areas where the higher quality scan should have ensured better nuances and highlights often there is loss of detail. It is not a major flaw because there is still plenty that looks very good, but trained eyes will easily recognize that a more careful grading would have ensured superior, meaning better nuanced, visuals. (To get a general idea about the type of discrepancy that exists, compare screecapture #1 with the corresponding screencapture from our review of the first release). Grain is slightly better exposed, but I did not have a problem with the way the previous release looked. I believe that some stability enhancements have been made because I see that some frame transitions are better; there are other smaller stability enhancements as well. There are no traces of sharpening enhancements. Also, after viewing the entire film my impression is that additional minor age-imperfections that existed on the previous release have been eliminated. All in all, I think that the only area where the end result isn't entirely convincing is the grading. As it is, the black levels appear a tad more prominent as they need to be and either flatten or eliminate some smaller nuances. (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 are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and German LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I don't know if the new 4K restoration also covered the audio. However, I think that the overall balance of the lossless track here is slightly better. Clarity is very good. There are no age-related anomalies, and the upper register actually seems very strong now.
If you look around, you will realize that there are a lot of different opinions on the qualities that define classic British humor and the films that best represent them. 'Classic' is a term that is largely irrelevant to me, so I will just say that I find British humor most effective when it is witty and gently subversive, if the occasion justifies it unabashedly naughty as well. All of these qualities are on full display in Kind Hearts and Coronets, which is precisely the reason why I consider it one of the best of its kind. (By the way, this makes the new warning on the Blu-ray that the film may be offensive to some viewers pretty bizarre because it literally cannot be any more British, and in a very classy 'classic' way). StudioCanal's release is sourced from a new 4K restoration, which is good, but I think that with a slightly more careful grading job it could have been perfect. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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