7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
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 | 26% |
History | 6% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Winner of Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Orson Welles' "Othello" (1952) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the two-disc set include an audio commentary by Peter Bogdanovich and Orson Welles' scholar Myron Meisel; new interview with scholar Francois Thomas; new interview with biographer Simon Callow; new interview with author Ayanna Thompson; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic Geoffrey O'Brien and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for both versions of the film. Region-A "locked".
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 Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new digital transfer of the 1952 European version was created in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from a 35mm fine-grain master positive. This new digital transfer of the 1955 U.S. and UK version was created in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. For both versions, the monaural soundtrack was remastered from composite fine-grain prints. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.
1952 Version
Scanning: Eclair/Groupe Ymagis, Epinay-sur-Seine, France.
Colorist: Russell Smith.
1955 Version
Scanning: Universal StudiosPost, Universal City, CA.
Colorist: Lee Kline."
Included on this release are two versions of Othello that have been recently restored. Please note that the screencaptures that are included with our review appear in the following order:
1. Screencaptures #1-20: Restored 1952 Version.
2. Screencaptures #22-35: Restored 1955 Version.
1952 Version: I did some direct comparisons with the French release that Carlotta Films produced a few years ago, which I liked quite a lot, and my impressions are that there are two substantial differences between the previous 2K restoration and the new 4K restoration. First, there are very noticeable improvements in terms of density and you do not have to have a projector to identify them. Plenty of close-ups make the difference very obvious (see screencaptures #2 and 4). There is plenty of panoramic footage where there are marginal improvements in terms of depth, though I should say that an overall improved shadow definition and image balance also contribute to it. On the other hand, the same minor density fluctuations that were present on the previous restoration remain. (We already clarified in the previous review that they are inherited from the existing elements). Second, the visuals are better balanced. The grayscale has better balanced blacks and whites with more convincing gray nuances. There are obvious differences during indoor and outdoor footage, but compare screencapture #10 and screencapture #6 to get a general idea what type of difference to expect. Furthermore, there appear to be some additional stabilization improvements that also strengthen the overall appearance of the film. Grain is finer and better resolved, as it should be after a 4K restoration. (Basically, you should see 'tighter' images while viewing the film). There are no problematic sharpening adjustments. Age-related imperfections have been removed as best as possible, though some minor dirt specks remain as they appear to have been printed a long time ago. All in all, even though some source limitations remain, the new 4K restoration is clearly superior and undoubtedly the most convincing presentation of the film.
1955 Version: There are some more pronounced density fluctuations on display, especially early into the film, and the overall image balance is definitely a notch and in some areas even two below that of the 1952 version. You can see the difference even if you directly compare the grayscale balance between different segments -- some appear healthier, and some basically lose definition (compare screencaptures #7 and 23). Elsewhere it is actually painfully obvious that time has left its mark and the quality of the available elements isn't optimal (see screencapture #30). However, this isn't how the entire film is, and there large areas where the quality is essentially on par with that of the new presentation of the 1952 version. To be perfectly clear, the starting point for the 1955 version was different and this is reflected in the end result. So the restoration is indeed very good, but you will see that time was clearly more unforgiving here. All in all, given the history of this film and its versions, I think that what is offered is about as definitive as anyone interested in the film would have hoped to get on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).
Lossless English LPCM 1.0 tracks are provided for both versions of Othello. Also, each version can be viewed with optional English SDH subtitles.
There is additional work done on the lossless track for the 1952 version, but anyone expecting a drastic change in terms of overall balance and clarity will be disappointed. The reason for this is simple: the original soundtrack has plenty of native unevenness, thinness/softness, and even flat spots where the dialog/monologue can be rather difficult to hear and comprehend. I would say that the lossless track on this release is superior to the one that was included on the French release, but for ideal viewing experience you will almost certainly need to use the optional English subtitles.
The 1955 version comes with a different soundtrack that is easier to follow and has better balance. However, the production limitations are still very obvious, so in terms of dynamic intensity and fluidity the end result is far from impressive.
DISC ONE
Considering the difficult and truly quite unusual production history of Orson Welles' Othello as well as how the different versions of the film have aged, it is pretty clear that the folks at Criterion did everything they could to offer the very best possible presentations of the 1952 and 1955 versions. Both have been restored in 4K and I like how they look a lot, though obviously because of source limitations the end results are different. The two-disc set also has an excellent selection of new and archival supplemental features, one of which is the old audio commentary with Peter Bogdanovich and Myron Meisel that many years ago appeared on Criterion's Laserdisc release of Othello. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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