7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
An ex-con trying to go straight must face a crazed criminal out for revenge.
Starring: Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen Gray, Richard Widmark, Taylor Holmes (I)Film-Noir | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Nominated for two Oscar awards,Henry Hathaway's "Kiss of Death" (1947) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Signal One Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; edited version of an archival interview with Richard Widmark; and audio commentary with writers and film noir experts James Ursini and Alain Silver. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"The same thing happened twenty years ago to his father..."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Henry Hathaway's Kiss of Death arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Signal One Entertainment.
The overwhelming majority of the film looks terrific, with the daylight footage in particular boasting excellent depth and clarity (see screencaptures #5, 15, and 17). The color grading is also convincing. Blacks and whites appear properly balanced and there is a nice range of nuanced grays. For the most part density is very good, but there are select parts of the film with obvious fluctuations that have an impact on the depth. It is obvious to me that these are inherited fluctuations, but I am not entirely sure if they are present because of natural aging or because at some small parts were incorporated from a different source (possibly an interpositive; see the footage from the factory). Still, the overall image balance is very good, while image stability is excellent. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Finally, there are no large distracting cuts, debris, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (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.
Clarity and depth remain pleasing throughout the entire film, but if the volume is turned up quite often it is rather easy to hear some extremely light background hiss. It is hardly distracting, but there are modern digital tools that can easily eliminate it. There are no distortions or audio dropouts to report.
It is pretty difficult to argue that Hollywood has not changed for the worse when you compare films like Henry Hathaway's Kiss of Death with, well, everything that you are going to see in your local cinema this summer. This isn't an elitist opinion -- though I will be the first to admit that there are plenty floating around produced by people who are under the impression that every black-and-white film is a 'classic' -- it is a fact, and my feeling is that as time passes by it is only going to get more obvious. On the international stage there is a similar trend as well, as there are fewer and fewer films each year that are worth seeing because of global trends in the film industry that are 'evening out the playing field'. Thankfully, we have Blu-ray, and this wonderful format has made it easier than ever before to access true classics, such as Kiss of Death, and discover great forgotten films that are now easier to restore and offer to the public. Signal One Entertainment's Blu-ray release is sourced from a solid recent master that was prepared by Twentieth Century Fox in the United States and has some good supplemental features. It is Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
1948
Warner Archive Collection
1938
Arrow Academy
1948
Premium Collection
1956
1950
Premium Collection
1949
Arrow Academy
1946
Premium Collection
1944
Premium Collection
1950
Warner Archive Collection
1978
Arrow Academy
1942
1945
1959
Premium Collection
1947
1947
Masters of Cinema
1949
Arrow Academy
1944
Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1938
Eureka Classics
1967
Masters of Cinema
1950