7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The Moorish general Othello is manipulated into thinking that his new wife, Desdemona, has been carrying on an affair with his lieutenant, Michael Cassio, when in reality it is all part of the scheme of a bitter ensign named Iago.
Starring: Orson Welles, Micheál MacLiammóir, Robert Coote, Suzanne Cloutier, Hilton EdwardsDrama | 100% |
Romance | 27% |
History | 6% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Winner of Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Orson Welles' "Othello" (1952) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the release include a trailer for the recent restoration of the film; new video program featuring film historian and author Joseph McBride; Hilton Edwards' short film "Return to Glennascaul" (1953); archival interview with the American director from 1975; and more. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Othello
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Orson Welles' Othello arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label Carlotta Films.
Carlotta Films' new 2K restoration of Othello is lovely. What immediately impresses is how notably healthy the film looks now -- there are no large scratches, debris, cuts, stains, or damage marks, and overall image stability is excellent. Depth and clarity are very good. While there are some areas of the film where minor density fluctuations are noticeable -- and some of the unevenness is definitely inherited as the film was shot over a long period of time and at various locations -- fluidity is consistently pleasing. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Compromising sharpening adjustments also have not been applied. Color saturation and stability are very good. All of these factors contribute to an overall very satisfying organic appearance (with many of the darker sequences revealing many of the most dramatic improvements). Finally, there are no encoding anomalies to report in this review. All in all, this is a very beautiful restoration of Othello which is guaranteed to please fans of the film and Orson Welles' work. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Carlotta Films have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature.
Because Othello was shot over a long period of time -- with different parts of it also shot at different locations -- and because there are some minor native balance issues, portions of the dialog could be somewhat difficult to follow. The most obvious fluctuations are in terms of density, but some minor clarity fluctuations also remain. This being said, it is very easy to tell that the audio has been restored and rebalanced -- though it should be said that the synchronization adjustments and a number of other corrections were made when the 1992 restoration of the film was completed -- as there is no background hiss, crackle, or distortions.
Blu-ray
In an ideal world we would have new restorations of the 1955 and the 1992 versions of Orson Welles' Othello, but I am still very pleased to have this new 2K restoration of the 1992 version available on Blu-ray. The film really does look wonderful now. Carlotta Films' upcoming release also comes with some excellent supplemental features. Hopefully, when the new restoration is released on Blu-ray in North America, Fiction Factory's new featurette with film historian and author Joseph McBride will be included with it. It is fantastic. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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