6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
When his wife is killed in a restaurant shoot-out, intelligence man Harry Hannan (Roy Scheider) has a breakdown and finds that his department doesn't want him back. Someone's trying to kill him and it could be them, though a cryptic Jewish death-threat suggests there's something else going on. His only ally seems to be mousy Ellie Fabian (Janet Margolin) who has managed to move into his New York apartment.
Starring: Roy Scheider, Janet Margolin, John Glover, Sam Levene, Charles NapierThriller | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Jonathan Demme's "Last Embrace" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Signal One Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film, promotional materials, and new and new audio commentary with freelance writer David Thompson. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Harry Hannan
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jonathan Demme's Last Embrace arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Signal One Entertainment.
The release has been sourced from the same master that Kino Video accessed when they prepared their release of Last Embrace for the U.S. market. It is not a new master, but it is quite good. Well-lit close-ups typically boast very good depth. Some of the wider panoramic shots also look good. During the darker footage, however, some of the master's limitations become obvious. For example, shadow definition fluctuates quite a bit and as a result depth isn't as consistent as it should be (see screencaptures #14 and 17). There are no traces of recent degraining adjustments. Predictably, grain is easy to see, but some light noise is also mixed with it. Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern. Colors are stable and natural, but saturation can be better and there should be a wider range of nuances. Overall image stability is very good. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, or torn frames, but a few tiny flecks can be spotted. All in all, even though there is room for some important improvements, this is a pleasing organic organic presentation of Last Embrace. (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 audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio has not been remastered, but depth and clarity are very good. Balance is also very good throughout the entire film -- there are no sudden spikes or drops in dynamic intensity. The dialog is stable, crisp, and easy to follow. There are no pops, audio dropouts, distracting background hiss, or digital distortions to report in our review.
Jonathan Demme's Last Embrace is a curious attempt to create something special by borrowing some of Alfred Hitchcock and Brian De Palma's tricks, but the end result is rather underwhelming. There are a few bits here and there that work, but they aren't enough to keep one intrigued until the very end. This is the first release from Signal One Entertainment to reach my desk and I think that it is quite well done. I am very much looking forward to the label's future announcements.
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