8 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York to seek personal fortune but, in the process, finds himself a new friend.
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver, Barnard HughesDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Italian: DTS 5.1
German: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
Hungarian: Dolby Digital 2.0
English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Winner of three Oscar Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, John Schlesinger's "Midnight Cowboy" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox/MGM. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with producer Jerome Hellman; video interviews with cast and crew members; and more. In English, with optional English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Traditional Chinese, Norwegian, Romanian, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The hustler
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Schlesinger's Midnight Cowboy arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox/MGM.
I have mixed feelings about this Blu-ray release. The high-definition transfer it uses has been struck from a dated source - and it clearly shows. For example, the opening credits are very shaky and marred by various rather big scratches and debris. The color scheme is also weak - the variety of yellows, reds, blues, and greens are never as stable and well saturated as they should be. This said, the annoying color pulsations from the R1 DVD release of the film are largely eliminated, but the high-definition transfer definitely does not have the healthy appearance modern restoration/remasters ensure. Furthermore, a lot of darker scenes convey light blocking patterns, the majority of which appear during the final third of the film. Occasionally, light noise also creeps in (see screencapture #12), further destabilizing the film's already quite weak color scheme. Thankfully, harsh edge-enhancement does not affect the integrity of the image. The best news, however, is that the high-definition transfer has not been destroyed by DNR alterations. Naturally, I would argue that this is the one and only reason why one could tolerate the presentation - the film looks dated but not irreversibly damaged. Still, I find it rather disappointing that one of the greatest American films ever made did not get a better treatment. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There are seven audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0, French DTS 5.1, Italian DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Catalan DTS 5.1, and Hungarian Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, 20th Century Fox have provided optional English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature.
I am not overly impressed with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. If it had to be a DTS-HD Master Audio track, I would have preferred to see a DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 or DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. As it is, I feel that the balance is not always convincing when the music makes way for the dialog, while the range of nuanced dynamics is average at best. This being said, the dialog is stable, mostly clean, and easy to follow. Some light hiss is occasionally present, but there are no problematic audio dropouts.
I am not overly impressed with the Blu-ray release of Midnight Cowboy. 20th Century Fox/MGM could have and should have treated this classic film with a lot more respect and care. The only good news here is that the high-definition transfer has not been destroyed by DNR corrections. My advice to you is to try and get this Blu-ray release when it goes on sale.
Premium Collection
1991
Premium Collection
1973
2016
2008
1983
Remastered
1987
2011
2008
50th Anniversary Edition
1969
2014
2015
The John Cassavetes Collection
1968
Arrow Academy
1969
Digitally Restored
1943
Masters of Cinema
1971
2012
2017
Masters of Cinema
1969
2016
Premium Collection
1971