Masquerade Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Masquerade Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 15, 2021

Basil Dearden "Masquerade" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Howard S. Berger and Chris Poggiali as well as vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional Enlgish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It will be like the old days, okay?

Basil Dearden’s film Masquerade apparently underwent a number of substantial changes before its production was initiated, but it is virtually impossible to tell whether in its current form it is some sort of a compromise. It is loosely based on Victor Canning’s novel Castle Minerva, which offers the type of entertainment you would typically get from Alistair MacLean’s work. So, you understand what this means in cinematic terms, correct? A lot of colorful action, interesting locations, and of course a complex international crisis that needs a man or two with special skills to resolve it.

In Masquerade, the two men that are brought in to resolve one such serious international crisis are former military pros. The first is the highly-decorated British war hero Colonel Drexel (Jack Hawkins), who is still getting paid big bucks by his government to run various operations on its behalf -- unofficially, of course, because they are ‘difficult’ operations that neither other friendly governments nor the public should be aware of. The second is American David Frazer (Cliff Robertson), who years ago worked closely with Drexel and earned his trust. Unlike Drexel, however, Frazer walked away from his government, which is why now he is struggling to make ends meet.

After representatives of the Middle Eastern nation of Ramaut visit London and announce that they do not have plans to renew a soon-to-expire deal that has been used by a very wealthy British businessman and the British government to develop its oil reserves, Drexel is tasked to figure out a way to save it. Shortly after, it is determined that the only way this can be accomplished is if the young and pro-West prince of Ramaut (Christopher Witty) is allowed to assume power in a couple of weeks. With reports already trickling in that his patriotic uncle plans to kill him so that Ramaut ‘regains its economic independence’, Drexel and top British government figures greenlight an operation to kidnap the young prince and protect him from his uncle until he is of legal age to take control of his homeland. But to execute the operation flawlessly, Drexel needs the assistance of Frazer, a perfect outsider who does not sound British and is extremely reliable.

The two other instantly recognizable stars that join the fun after Robertson’s outsider lands in Spain (while on his way to Ramaut) are Michel Piccoli and the Austrian beauty Marisa Mell. Their characters belong to a small group that has put together an exciting plan for the future leader of Ramaut as well. The American quickly falls for the beauty, and then despite being played by her decides to allow her to remain close to him.

There is a lot happening in Masquerade and plenty of its visuals are rather impressive, but the end product isn’t any different than the type of films the prolific producer Harry Alan Towers was involved with during the 1960s and well into the 1970s. Simply put, what Masquerade offers is relaxing late-night entertainment that unapologetically emphasizes style over substance. (Code 7, Victim 5 and Mozambique for instance were completed a year before Masquerade by directors whose resumes are not even remotely comparable to Dearden’s, but they are just as effective).

If you decide to spend a little over an hour and a half with Masquerade, you will have to approach it with the right set of expectations so that it does not disappoint you. For example, do not anticipate to see any memorable character transformations from its stars. They do their parts well, but the conflicts they are placed in and produce the drama are beyond transparent. Also, the lines they utter are not as important as the natural beauty of the Spanish locations where Dearden and his crew shot the film.

Masquerade Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Masquerade arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very beautiful new 2K master. Excluding a few small areas where slightly better density levels could make a positive difference, I thought that the film looked excellent on my system. Depth, clarity, and delineation were consistently terrific. In fact, plenty of the indoor and darker footage revealed such wonderful healthy nuances that had I not know how the current master was prepared, I would have been willing to speculate that the film was restored in 4K. The color-grading job is very convincing as well. The primaries are natural and stable, plus there are lovely ranges of supporting nuances. The overall color balance is really good as well. Image stability is great. Finally, I did not see any large distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. Wonderful presentation. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Masquerade Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not encounter any issues to report in our review. The dialog is very clear, sharp, stable, and easy to follow. The overall dynamic balance is outstanding as well. Dynamic intensity is good, but as it is always the case with older films, some of the native limitations of the original soundtrack become rather easy to recognize.

Masquerade Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critics Howard S. Berger and Chris Poggiali. The bulk of the comments address the production of Masquerade, some important trends of the era from which the film emerged from, as well as the careers of the people that made it.

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Masquerade. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Masquerade Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have many other films like Masquerade in my library. Some are classic low-budget Eurospy knockoffs, some are outrageous exotic thrillers of the kind that Harry Alan Towers loved to produce, and a few are ambitious but strange vintage experiments that are largely forgotten now. Masquerade brings together a very famous director and some big-time stars, but it was conceived to deliver the same relaxing late-night entertainment I get from the other films I mentioned. I enjoyed it quite a lot, but I must confess that I always find these types of films attractive. Kino Lorber's release of Masquerade is sourced from a terrific recent 2K master. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.