Leaving Las Vegas Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Leaving Las Vegas Blu-ray Movie Review

Winner of Oscar Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Leading Role, Mike Figgis' "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; B-Roll footage; and archival interviews with dierctor Mike Figgis, Nicolas Cage, and Elisabeth Shue. In English, with optional English SDH and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Leaving Las Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mike Figgis' Leaving Las Vegas arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The basic characteristics of the technical presentation are very similar to those of the U.S. release which MGM produced back in 2011. This is rather disappointing because the U.S. release is sourced from an older master with some obvious limitations. Detail and clarity are rather pleasing, but plenty of the darker footage looks somewhat flat. Indeed, shadow definition isn't optimal and as a result depth can be quite inconsistent (see screencaptures #6 and 10). There are no traces of recent degraining adjustments, but grain isn't as well exposed and resolved as it can be. Edge-enhancement isn't an issue of concern. Colors are stable and appear natural, but it is very easy to see that saturation should be much better. Ideally, there should be a bigger spectrum of healthy nuances as well (see screencaptures #2 and 14). Contrast levels remain stable. Basic image stability is very good, but as mentioned earlier a new scan of the original negative will undoubtedly produce drastically better fluidity. Lastly, there are no large debris, damage marks, cuts, stains, or warps 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).

Leaving Las Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0, and German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. It is a good one, allowing the wonderful jazz score to open up the film in all the right places and handling the dialog very easily. The mid/high registers appear well balanced as well. On the lower end there isn't a great deal of movement, but such is the film's original sound design. There are no audio dropouts, pops, background hiss, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Leaving Las Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making of Featurette - this short archival featurette has clips from interviews with dierctor Mike Figgis, Nicolas Cage, and Elisabeth Shue. In English, with optional German subtitles. (6 min).

• B-Roll - presented here is B-Roll footage from the shooting of the film in Las Vegas. In English, with optional German subtitles. (10 min).

• Interviews - presented here are four short interviews with Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, and Mike Figgis. The interviewees discuss some of the film's main themes, the nature of the relationship between Ben and Sera, the film's atmosphere, etc. In English, with optional German subtitles.
  
  1. Nicolas Cage (4 min).
  2. Elisabeth Shue (4 min).
  3. Julian Sands (3 min)
  4. Mike Figgis (4 min).

Leaving Las Vegas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Leaving Las Vegas is one of the very best films of the '90s. It is brilliantly directed by Mike Figgis and Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue's performances are truly in a category of their own. It has an unforgettable soundtrack as well. I frequently revisit this film and I was hoping that this new release from StudioCanal will offer some substantial improvements. Unfortunately, it is sourced from the same master that MGM used for the U.S. release of the film a few years ago. I would recommend this release to fans of the film in the United Kingdom as it certainly looks a lot better than previous DVD releases, but I think that the film needs to be remastered so that it looks as good as it should in high-definition. I secretly hope that in the United States Criterion will eventually find a way to do just that and produce a definitive Blu-ray release. RECOMMENDED.