7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The war is over. Nobody won. Only the inhabitants of Australia and the men of the US submarine Sawfish have escaped the nuclear destruction and radiation. Captain Dwight Towers takes the Sawfish on a mission to see if an approaching radiation cloud has weakened, but returns with grim news: the cloud is lethal. With the days and hours dwindling, each person confronts the grim situation in his or her own way.
Starring: Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner (I), Fred Astaire, Anthony Perkins, Guy DolemanSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Nominated for Oscar Awards for Best Film Editing and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Stanley Kramer's "On the Beach" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Signal One Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with actress Donna Anderson; promotional materials; archival documentary feature by amateur filmmaker R. Gosling; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"No, you've got it all wrong. I was supposed to comfort you, and you're comforting me..."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stanley Kramer's On the Beach arrive son Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Signal One Entertainment.
The release has been sourced from the same master that Kino Lorber accessed when they prepared their Blu-ray release of On the Beach for the U.S. market.
The basic characteristics we typically address in our reviews are strong. Clarity is consistently pleasing while depth ranges from good to very good. Close-ups convey good nuances -- light and shadow appear well balanced even in areas where the lighting is delicate. There are a few segments where some very light crushing emerges, but it never becomes distracting. There are no traces of problematic degraining adjustments. However, because the master that was used is older some density fluctuations are present. There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Image stability is good, but there are a few tiny frame jumps and a couple of shaky transitions. Small scratches, blemishes, and specks can be seen from time to time, but they are not distracting. Finally, it would have been better to have the film presented in 1.85:1, as it was shot, but the current framing is competent. To sum it all up, On the Beach can definitely look better in high-definition, but this is a strong organic presentation that makes it very easy to appreciate the vision of its creator. (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 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
Clarity remains very good throughout the entire film. Depth occasionally fluctuates a bit, but the film's original sound design is actually slightly uneven. This being said, if the audio is fully remastered balance will be improved. More importantly, there is light background hiss that sneaks in from time to time that will also be eliminated. There are no audio dropouts, sync issues, or digital distortions to report in our review. My score is 3.75/5.00.
It is cynical to believe that the message of Stanley Kramer's film On the Beach is dated because the Cold War is over. (The Cold War isn't over either. It went through a transitional period and the players that are involved in it now follow different rules). Considering recent developments in North Korea and Syria, it is actually as relevant as it has ever been. This recent Blu-ray release from Signal One Entertainment is really quite wonderful. Despite the presence of a few tiny rough spots, On the Beach looks very good in high-definition. Also included is a very interesting new interview with actress Donna Anderson. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
1961
1957
Premium Collection
1964
1961
1958
1956
Indicator Series
1953
1955
Indicator Series | Standard Edition
1954
1957
Masters of Cinema
1977
1954
Warner Archive Collection
1943
Indicator Series | Standard Edition
1948
Masters of Cinema | Limited Edition
1955
Warner Archive Collection
1958
2014
1966
Indicator Series
1952
2015