6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
An accountant's memory suddenly becomes mixed up starting from the moment the building he is in has a power blackout. He is bewildered that he can't recall even simple particulars of his job and places he does remember don't exist. Believing he has some type of amnesia, he tries to backtrack what happened before the blackout. Aided by a rookie detective and confused by an old girl friend, he tries to make sense of inconsistent facts while people around him are being murdered.
Starring: Gregory Peck, Diane Baker, Walter Matthau, Kevin McCarthy, Leif EricksonThriller | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
You may say that I'm crazy (and be prepared to get in a very long line for that opportunity), but I'm evidently not the only one (to paraphrase a certain John Lennon lyric, for which I apologize profusely to Lennon fans): there are actual lists online of "best falling scenes" from films, something I discovered because Mirage has always had one of my personal favorites in this weird category and I wanted to see if anyone had aggregated other scenes (they have, just use your favorite search engine and be prepared to fall down a rabbit hole or two yourself). Now many of these Buzzfeed like accounts tend to concentrate on newer films that employ CGI to give viewers the desperate feeling of watching a character fall away from what is often an "overhead" perspective offering a clear view of that person most likely meeting their demise courtesy of some pesky gravity. One of the lists I found online at least mentioned "Slim" Pickens' memorable ride aboard a bomb at the close of Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, which some may argue is less of a "fall" and more of a deliberate "dive", but there are several older films that feature vintage special effects to depict the situation, including such well remembered outings as Alfred Hitchcock's Saboteur, and there's even a brief and admittedly pretty hokey looking moment in another Hitchcock classic, Rear Window, that does something somewhat similar, albeit less mortally. (Somewhat hilariously, some ardent "falling scene" fan has put together a YouTube video of the seconds long moment in Rear Window which includes several slow motion repeats just to fully appreciate it.)
Mirage is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber's Studio Classics imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. There's no information on the transfer given on the back cover of this release, which may point to an older master, which this certainly has the signs of being. There's a rather peculiar "processed" look to this presentation that kind of oddly combines sharpening, which can make "grain" look weirdly digital, with an at least intermittently filtered appearance that virtually removes grain and gives things a smooth, textureless quality. Perhaps surprisingly, then, detail levels on things like fabrics can actually be at least decent, and the film's black and white cinematography boasts healthy contrast and good blacks. There is noticeable age related wear and tear, including minor scratches, nicks and other blemishes. Parts of this presentation look reasonably organic and are probably at what I'd personally term "above 3.0" levels, but this is a highly variable looking presentation of a film that probably needs more intensive effort.
No similar issues attend this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track. Quincy Jones' score is one of the highlights of the film, and the spacier cues, which feature things like celestas, sound like they're awash in reverb, have surprising force and clarity. The more traditional scoring choices, like a nicely sumptuous theme (which evidently has a lyric, not used in the film) are warm and inviting sounding. The film's dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.
Mirage is often intriguing, but it's probably ultimately too ridiculous to ever work up the same level of excitement and even angst that Charade did/does. Peck and Baker make an appealing if not exactly combustible pair, and Peter Stone's writing keeps the viewer guessing right along with David. Unfortunately, video quality of this release is iffy, but audio is fine and the supplements appealing, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
1945
1972
Limited Edition to 3000
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Warner Archive Collection
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1946
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Director's Cut
1998
1957
1957
The Spiritualist
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2012