6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Gang of robbers heads for Mexican border, meets unexpected opposition along the way.
Starring: Fred MacMurray, Dorothy Malone, James Barton (I), Sydney Chaplin, John GavinWestern | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Harry Keller's "Quantez" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new aucio commentary by critic Toby Roan and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Quantez arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from a good remaster that was supplied by Universal Studio. I don't know how old it is, but it could be that it was finalized before or around 2011, when this DVD release of Quantez was produced. Regardless, the age is irrelevant. Indeed, while the film can be fully restored to look spectacular in high-definition, the current master has very pleasing organic qualities. For example, detail ranges from good to very good, which isn't always easy because there is quite a bit of darker footage. Clarity is good. There is some inherited softness -- a proper 4K master struck from the OCN will obviously produce superior visuals -- but the overall appearance of the visuals is quite wonderful. Color balance is very convincing as well. Yes, saturation levels can be rebalanced even better, plus some darker nuances can be expanded, but as it is the film looks very nice. Image stability is good. There are no traces of problematic digital work. All in all, while there is room for meaningful improvements, the current master is in fact quite good. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. I thought that clarity and sharpness were very strong. Balance is good. Is there room for improvement? I think so. I think that some enhancements can be performed to even dynamic balance in a few areas, but as far as I am concerned this isn't a major weakness. I just feel that with modern equipment it would be quite easy to strengthen the audio a bit more.
Much like André De Toth's Day of the Outlaw, Harry Keller's Quantez is a film noir disguised as a western. Because Day of the Outlaw is set in the freezing fields of Wyoming and shot in black-and-white, I think that the noir ambience in it is quite a bit stronger, but in Quantez the hot desert produces plenty of noir magic as well. I am quite certain that this was done entirely by design as well because Harry Keller chose to work with cinematographer Carl E. Guthrie, whose credits include several small but very solid film noirs. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a lovely organic remaster that was supplied by Universal Pictures. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
1958
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Warner Archive Collection
1950
Warner Archive Collection
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2018
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1940
Warner Archive Collection
1956
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Warner Archive Collection
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Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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Warner Archive Collection
1953