7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
It is 1850 in the beautiful, perfectly-kept town of Wismar. Jonathan Harker is about to leave on a long journey over the Carpathian Mountains to finalize real estate arrangements with a wealthy nobleman. His wife, Lucy, begs him not to go and is troubled by a strong premonition of danger. Despite her warnings, Jonathan arrives four weeks later at a large, gloomy castle. Out of the mist appears a pale, wraith-like figure with a shaven head and deep-sunken eyes who identifies himself as Count Dracula. The events that transpire slowly convince Harker that he is in the presence of a vampyre. What he doesn't know is the magnitude of danger he, his wife and his town are about to experience.
Starring: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor, Walter LadengastForeign | 100% |
Horror | 57% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English version in the extras menu
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht" a.k.a. "Nosferatu the Vampyre" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arthaus/StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original German theatrical trailer; audio commentary by Werner Herzog and Dutch-German writer and producer Laurens Straub; Erwin Keusch and Christian Weisenborn's documentary film "I Am My Films - A Portrait of Werner Herzog"; a gallery of stills; and more. In German or English, without optional subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Stay still...
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arthaus/StudioCanal.
Note: Only the German language version of the film can be accessed from the main menu. The English language version is located in the supplemental features section of the disc.
The screencaptures included with our review appear in the following order:
1. English-language version (01.47.08): Sceencaptures #1-19.
2. German-language version (01. 46. 52): Screencaptures # 20-24.
There are traces of moderate to strong denoising corrections throughout the entire film. Where light is subdued most of these corrections are somewhat easy to tolerate (see screencapture #2), but elsewhere they are indeed quite distracting (see screencapture #7). Unsurprisingly, during close-ups and larger panoramic shots detail and depth are often compromised (see how the building at the very top in screencapture #3 looks smeary). The partially good news is that contrast remains relatively stable. As mentioned earlier, where light is subdued, which happens quite often, the denoising effects are not consistently easy to spot. However, the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to see even during the nighttime sequences that the transfer does not have the strong organic qualities we have come to expect when a film transitions to Blu-ray as it should. For the record, there are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, or warps to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray: German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 for the German language version of the film and English Dolby Digital 2.0 for the English language version of the film. There are no optional subtitles for the two versions.
The lossy English track has a fairly modest dynamic amplitude, which is quite disappointing considering how impressive the film's soundtrack is. I must say, however, that it does have marginally better depth (especially when the choir performs) than the lossy track from the R1 Anchor Bay DVD release. There is no problematic background hiss. Also, there are no annoying pops, cracks, or distortions to report in this review.
I cannot say that I am impressed with StudioCanal's German release of Werner Herzog's stunningly beautiful Nosferatu the Vampyre. It uses a high-definition transfer that is quite weak and it has a lossy audio track for the English language version of the film. There is a French release that uses a much better transfer, but there is only a French audio track on it. Let's hope that a U.S. distributor will step up and deliver a proper release soon. This is an essential film to see, and in my opinion also own, from one of the greatest visionary directors of our time. RENT IT.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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