6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The story of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Allied Commander during World War II and United Nations Commander for the Korean War.
Starring: Gregory Peck, Ivan Bonar, Ward Costello, Nicolas Coster, Marj DusayWar | 100% |
History | 51% |
Biography | 3% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Joseph Sargent's "MacArthur" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include new audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin; archival interview with the director; archival newsreels from Pathe; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, MacArthur arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
The release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. The biggest weakness of this master is its age because it is what affects all of the key qualities of the presentation. For example, while the original cinematography introduces various fluctuations in terms of density and delineation, there are some obvious fluctuations that have a different origin, which is the inferior quality of the master. The exact same can be said about depth and even clarity. In screencapture #22, for instance, you can see that the highlights are overblown, and in screencapture #9 you can see that there is light ringing that impacts peripheral definition. Also, the fluidity of the visuals isn't as consistent as it needs to be, so during transitions, but elsewhere as well, there can be noticeable unevenness. Rather predictably, the most obvious limitations emerge during larger panoramic shots where fine nuance usually struggle to emerge as they should. However, the overall presentation is still fairly pleasing because there are no traces of serious problematic digital corrections. (You can see how bad some old Universal masters can be if you take a look at our review of Fahrenheit 451). In fact, there are a wide range of close-ups and plenty of darker footage that can look quite good. Color balance is satisfactory, but if fully restored and properly graded the entire film will have a fresher and overall better balanced appearance. Image stability is good. A few blemishes can be seen here and there, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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 three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and English Dolby Digital 2.0. The English Dolby Digital 2.0 track is available only on the UK Home Video Version. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I viewed only the longer U.S. Theatrical Cut of the film with the LPCM 1.0 track. Clarity is good and the dialog was very easy to follow. However, in the third quarter of the film there is some very obvious unevenness that affects the overall balance for quite a while. It happens during casual exchanges and the action footage. I assume that it is on the current master, and I am convinced that a future 4K restoration of the film will address the issue. The rest is fine. There are no technical anomalies to report in our review.
While I enjoy Joseph Sargent's film quite a bit, I would say that anyone that is genuinely interested in learning who Douglas MacArthur was and why he was so popular at home and abroad will have to read a few books. The film does a mostly decent job of recreating the General's greatest triumphs and rightfully explores his complex personality from a couple of different angles, but it does not offer a complete picture of his life and legacy. Is this actually possible? Probably not, which is why MacArthur will likely remain the last film to attempt to do so with the proper authority and respect. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' release is sourced from an old but serviceable master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. RECOMMENDED.
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