7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 2.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A rich businessman wife and daughter are killed. Years later he meets a woman with an uncanny resemblance to his late wife.
Starring: Cliff Robertson, Geneviève Bujold, John Lithgow, Sylvia Kuumba Williams, Wanda BlackmanDrama | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 64% |
Mystery | 60% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Nominated for Oscar for Best Music, Original Score, Brian De Palma's "Obsession" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; Obsession Revisited - a wonderful documentary featuring Brian De Palma, actors Cliff Robertson and Geneviève Bujold, producer George Litto, editor Paul Hirsch, and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond; and two short films directed by Brian De Palma. The disc also arrives with a massive booklet, 4-panel reversible sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork, and two sided fold out poster. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Taking a picture in Florence
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Brian De Palma's Obsession arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Films.
Though not flawless, the high-definition transfer respects the integrity of the film and delivers substantial improvements in every single area we typically address in our reviews. I did a few quick comparisons with the old R1 SDVD release of the film, courtesy of Sony Pictures, which is now out of print, and the improvements in terms of detail, clarity, and color reproduction are massive. Contrast levels - especially during the nighttime sequences from Florence, all of which have a tendency to break up on the SDVD release - are also substantially improved. The best news, however, is that there are no traces of excessive denoising. Naturally, there is a layer of light grain throughout the entire film. This is very important to clarify because in Obsession cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond's lensing is extremely delicate and even a relatively modest attempt at reducing the grain without respecting the integrity of the film would have resulted in seriously compromised detail. Additionally, there are no traces of heavy edge-enhancement or halo effects. This being said, the film has not undergone a full-blown 4K restoration and certain limitations are still present. Light noise occasionally pops up here and there, and color balance where there is plenty of natural light is not perfect (though the softness and low color resolution are indeed intended), but overall the presentation is of very high quality. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA 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 two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Arrow Films have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has a wider range of dynamic, which is why I believe many of you would choose it over the English LPCM 1.0 track. This becomes fairly obvious where Bernard Herrmann's score is prominent. However, I prefer the original mono track. The audio is slightly softer with it, but balance, stability, and clarity are excellent. For the record, I did not detect any problematic pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts.
Note: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are perfectly playable on North American PS3s and SAs.
Brian De Palma's Obsession is a small but inspired and very elegant film from the golden era of American Cinema. It was somewhat overshadowed by the massive success of the director's big films, but I find its unapologetic desire to imitate incredibly charming. The film is well acted, impressively lensed and boasting a terrific music score. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Arrow Films, looks and sounds very good. It is arguably one of the distributor's best offerings. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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