7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Arthur and Anatole are two little robbers. They want to rob money, money that will travel in a special train from Paris to Bruxelles. They don't know that other people have planned to do the same thing.
Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Bourvil, David Niven, Eli Wallach, Silvia MontiForeign | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
French SDH, English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Gérard Oury's "Le cerveau" a.k.a. "The Brain" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont. The supplemental features on the release include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new documentary produced by Pierre-Henri Gibert; exclusive new video interview with writer Philippe Durant; documentary film produced by Philippe Durant; and more. In French, with optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
And this is how we steal all the money...
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Gérard Oury's The Brain arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Gaumont.
As it is the case with all films that enter Gaumont's Classiques Collection, the transfer for The Brain has been sourced from a brand new master. Generally speaking, the film does look quite impressive. Close-ups frequently convey very good depth (see screencapture #4), while larger panoramic shots also impress with excellent clarity and fluidity (see screencapture #13). Some minor contrast fluctuations are present, but they are indeed inherited. Color reproduction is very good - there is a good range of warm, well saturated and stable organic colors. The best news, however, is that there are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Also, there are no post-production sharpening corrections.
A direct comparison between Gaumont's release and Olive Films' release of The Brain reveals only minor discrepancies in the brightness levels. As far as compression is concerned, Gaumont's release clearly looks stronger - on the Olive Films release there are visible compression artifacts and light noise that are frequently exposed, especially during close-ups, while on the Gaumont release the image is cleaner, with the grain usually being better resolved and free of the noise mentioned above (compare screencapture #12 with screencapture #3 from our review of the Olive Films release). Lastly, there are no large damage marks, debris, cuts, or warps to report in this review. All in all, I definitely prefer the Gaumont release of The Brain, but for some viewers the difference in quality may not be as definitive. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Gaumont have provided optional English and French SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The lossless track opens up the film very well during the shootouts and the chase sequences. Indeed, overall dynamic intensity is good, but you should not expect the lossless track to test the muscles of your audio system. The dialog is stable, well rounded, and free of problematic background hiss. There are no audio dropouts or high-frequency distortions to report in this review either. The English translation is excellent.
BLU-RAY DISC
Gérard Oury's The Brain is a light and very entertaining caper from the late 1960s. The film is already available on Blu-ray in North America, courtesy of Olive Films, but this English-friendly French release comes with plenty of very informative supplemental features. I think that it is the all-around better release. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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