6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jaded cabaret singer Mademoiselle Amy Jolly falls for Tom Brown, a devil-may-care private in the French Foreign Legion. After Tom overhears the wealthy man-of-the-world Monsieur La Bessier propose to Amy, he accepts a dangerous assignment, convinced that he cannot can give the beautiful chanteuse the life she wants. All proves fair in love and war, however, and Amy must decide which man she truly loves.
Starring: Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich, Adolphe Menjou, Ullrich Haupt (I), Eve SouthernDrama | 100% |
Romance | 42% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.19:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.2:1
English: LPCM Mono
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Josef von Sternberg's "Morocco" (1930) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include new introduction by Nicholas von Sternberg; new audio commentary by critics Sam Deighan and Kat Ellinger; production stills; and more. The release also arrives with a 120-page book featuring new essay by Pamela Hutchinson, archival interviews and articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, film credits and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.19:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Josef von Sternberg's Morocco arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
This release is sourced from the same 2K restoration that Criterion used to produce the North American release of the film. Needless to say, the exact same source limitations are retained. For example, the same clarity and depth inconsistencies emerge, plus in darker areas delineation again tends to struggle a bit. On the other hand, there is decent to good fluidity on display, and in many cases there are surprisingly nice ranges of nuances. I think that the restoration work that was done basically strengthens many of these nuances, while elsewhere it minimizes age-related issues without affecting the integrity of the image. In other words, it is a balancing act, and, given the existing source limitations, I think that the end result is very convincing. (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 is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The same limitations and fluctuations that I discussed in our review of the Criterion release of Morocco are present here as well. The audio can be quite 'thin' at times, with sporadic 'flat' spots in the upper frequencies as well. However, you should keep in mind that recording equipment that was used during the production of Morocco was in some ways quite primitive, so what may seem like an obvious issue is usually a native source limitation. There is one particular sequence early into the film where background hiss also makes its presence felt, but after going over it a couple of times my opinion is that the hiss also appears to be a byproduct of the recording audio. The dialog is stable and easy to follow.
If you compare the first films that various European actors made in Hollywood during its early days you will quickly realize that Marlene Dietrich's arrival was amongst the most impressive. Obviously, her previous working experience with Josef von Sternberg certainly helped, but Morocco makes it quite clear that she did not have to undergo a sizeable transformation to have the proper star appearance. So, the Oscar nomination that she earned for her American debut is anything but surprising. (On the other hand, the fact that Dietrich never won an Oscar Award even though she appeared in plenty of better films is quite shocking). This release of Morocco is sourced from the recent 2K restoration of the film that Criterion introduced in North America, but has a few different extras. It is included in this six-disc box set. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Indicator Series
1932
Indicator Series
1931
Indicator Series
1932
Indicator Series
1934
Indicator Series
1935
Masters of Cinema
1934
1939
Arrow Academy
1990
1939
Professione: reporter / Indicator Series
1975
1937
1940
1985
Arrow Academy
1987
1971
1956
Digitally Restored
1943
Special Restoration Edition
1948
1991
The Rules of the Game
1939