Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Mysterious Object at Noon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 17, 2020

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Project, No. 2.

Martin Scorsese has been curating the World Cinema Project for well over a decade, and the result has been a veritable cornucopia of international films that in some cases Scorsese’s efforts have helped save from the ravages of time (and vinegar syndrome). As of the writing of this review, the World Cinema Project is closing in on fifty restorations that they’ve undertaken, allowing fans to view films that, as even Scorsese himself states in some of the introductions included in this set, have been woefully underappreciated and rarely seen. This second volume of films aggregates six interesting offerings that have at least some subtextual cross connections at times, but which serve as yet another example of what an incredible job the World Cinema Project does in bringing films of undeniable merit to a wider audience.

Mysterious Object at Noon is the only film in this set that I've personally already reviewed, courtesy of a UK release of the film put out by Second Sight a few years ago. For those interested in a "plot" recap (as misleading as that term might be for this film), I refer you to my Mysterious Object at Noon Blu-ray review of that version.

Mysterious Object at Noon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mysterious Object at Noon is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.60:1. As with all of the films in this set, there are some preliminary text cards describing the restorations, including some information which is also repeated in the insert booklet. The following is from the insert booklet, and omits some more generalized comments about The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project, and other collaborators:

Mysterious Object at Noon is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.60:1. This digital transfer was created in 3K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner by the Austrian Film Museum, using a 35 mm duplicate negative with burned in subtitles deposited at the film museum by director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. This negative had been struck from the 16 mm camera reversal element, now lost. Painstaking work was undertaken to remove dust, scratches, and other visible marks while keeping the look and inherent defect of the original 16 mm camera reversal material intact. The subtitles were sharpened and corrected when necessary. Color correction was carried out at LISTO laboratory in Vienna; the 35mm optical soundtrack negative was transferred at L'Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna; digital sound restoration was performed at Technicolor Ltd. in Bangkok. Restoration was carried out in close collaboration whith Apichatpong and completed in June 2013.

The above verbiage is more or less the same that accompanied the UK Blu-ray release by Second Sight, though the insert booklet accompanying the Second Sight release contained a glut of additional information which I offered verbatim in my Mysterious Object at Noon Blu-ray review of that edition. I highly recommend those interested to read that review at least for that additional information, but also because, aside from the slightly different aspect ratio, this is very similar if not downright identical to the Second Sight release in terms of clarity, grain structure and some of the anomalies on display.

Mysterious Object at Noon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track sounded to me virtually identical to the surround track on the Second Sight release. I'm frankly not sure this film really "needed" a surround repurposing, but there is at least a marginal opening up of the soundstage when Weerasethakul and his crew are marauding through various outdoor environments. Dialogue (if it can appropriately be termed that) is generally clear, though occasionally some of the background clamor in the outdoor material can slightly mask individual moments. The Second Sight release also offered an LPCM 2.0 track. Per the above verbiage, there are burnt in subtitles in this presentation.

Mysterious Object at Noon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Martin Scorsese Introduction (1080p; 1:40)


• Apichatpong Weerasethakul (1080p; 18:16) is a 2017 interview with the film's director. In English.

Mysterious Object at Noon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The fact that Apichatpong Weerasethakul took home the Palme d'Or in 2010 may be as indicative as anything as to how much his reputation has grown since the advent of Mysterious Object at Noon. There's truly nothing quite like this film (at least in my personal viewing experience), and so on that level alone some devoted World Cinema enthusiasts will probably want to at least check this thing out, even if it doesn't immediately go on to the "rewatch as soon as possible" pile. There has obviously been enormous effort undertaken to restore the image quality here, but those heroic efforts have only been able to do so much with what Second Sight on their release stated was a "suboptimal survival status" for the film. The Second Sight release is region free, and so those interested in this film may want to check out that version, since technical merits are largely interchangeable and that release had some additional supplements. With caveats noted, and with an understanding that this is certainly not a film for everyone, Mysterious Object at Noon comes Recommended.