Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

School Ties Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 2, 2023

Robert Mandel's "School Ties" (1992) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critic and filmmaker Jim Hemphill; archival interviews with cast and crew members; and vintage trailer. In Enlgish, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The 1950s. In a sleepy town in Pennsylvania, David (Brendan Fraser) bids his family goodbye and gets on a bus that takes him to a different world -- St. Matthew's Academy, a prestigious prep school in Massachusetts. Because of his impressive record as a quarterback, David has secured a football scholarship, but he is not dreaming of making it as a professional football player. David wants to do well in college, get a degree, and make his family proud.

As predicted by his coach, David quickly becomes a winning leader of the football team and raises the spirits of the most important people on campus. During a lavish post-game reception, David also impresses Sally (Amy Locane), who is already in a relationship with Charlie (Matt Damon), the former quarterback of the football team that is trying to reestablish himself playing different positions. While David and Sally begin spending time together, Charlie becomes increasingly jealous and eventually makes an ugly Hail Marry play to regain his girl -- after realizing that David is Jewish, he reveals his secret. Because David has been cheating everyone by pretending not to be Jewish, he instantly becomes an outsider and it seems like it is only a matter of time before he packs his bags and heads back to Pennsylvania. However, much to everyone's surprise, David decides to stay, and soon after during a cheating scandal gets a chance to redeem himself.

Robert Mandel’s School Ties retells an interesting but quite unbelievable story that was penned by Dick Wolf. However, it is not because the ugly it highlights is unbelievable -- antisemites have always been around and made their presence known, and they will be around and keep doing it in the future too -- rather, it is because it is revealed almost exclusively through cliched behavior and oddly scripted situations. This is the main reason all important characters in School Ties are deeply flawed as well. Because they are forced to operate and legitimize each other in these oddly scripted situations, it becomes impossible for them to convince that their choices and decisions are rational. Predicting all of their choices and decision correctly, all the time, then easily creates the impression that they are simply following a script.

The narrative is broken into two uneven acts. In the first act, David learns how to behave in an unmistakably foreign environment and meet very particular expectations. However, what he does is not part of a blending act. His experiences are part of an educational process that reveals to him what makes him different. The fast-evolving friendships, his engagements with the teachers and administrators, and the post-game receptions where he meets the parents of his classmates are the main generators of his experiences. In the second act, David is in a familiar environment and chooses how to behave. He still must meet expectations, but now they have everything to do with the revelation that he is Jewish. His new experiences then become part of a litmus test that introduces him to various truths his family has warned about.

Unfortunately, the efforts to develop each act accordingly range from mediocre to poor. Indeed, virtually everything that is said and done in them is supposed to prepare or produce striking contrasts, which is why all developments begin to look like carefully scripted situations in a staged theater. (Example: how is it possible that David's teammates spend more time telling jokes about Jews than engaging in conversations about girls, sex, and booze?)

The cast list instantly raises expectations very high. Sadly, there are only a few scenes where a few of the talented actors perform as they should so that School Tiles becomes an authentic period drama.

School Ties Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, School Ties arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an old and quite weak master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. Large areas of the film have a distinct video quality that reveals a wide range of limitations that many viewers will find problematic. For example, delineation and depth are barely acceptable because density levels are very weak and grain routinely evolves into conventional video noise. In many areas, the weaker visuals tend to reveal light edge enhancement as well. Clarity can be pleasing at times but in many darker areas quickly becomes inconsistent and eventually problematic. In wider panoramic shots -- like the one seen in screencapture #4 -- delineation, depth, and clarity can be equally underwhelming. Color balance is good, but there is plenty of room for meaningful improvements, especially in terms of saturation. Several primaries and twice as many supporting nuances simply do not look as healthy as they should. Image stability is good, but this is another area where minor yet meaningful improvements can be made. I spotted a few blemishes, but there are no large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, School Ties will need to be remastered in 2K or 4K so that it begins to look as it should on Blu-ray. My score is 2.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

School Ties Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed virtually the entire film with the English LPCM 2.0 track, which is quite strong. For example, all exchanges were very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Dynamic intensity is good. In fact, even though the film has a period identity, the soundtrack has contemporary qualities that are impossible to miss. As a result, there are plenty of very good dynamic contrasts. The 5.1 track opens up the dynamic field, but I am unsure if surround activity can be considered on of its biggest strengths. You will have to test it to determine on your own. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or distortions to report.

School Ties Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for School Ties. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic and filmmaker Jim Hemphill.

• Interviews - presented below are several archival interviews with director Robert Mandel, producer Sherry Lansing, and cast members that were conducted in 1992. The bulk of the comments focus on the production of School Ties, the story it tells, and its characters. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Matt Damon. (6 min).
  2. Brendan Fraser. (7 min).
  3. Sherry Lansing. (7 min),
  4, Chris O'Donnell. (8 min).
  5. Robert Mandell. (6 min).

School Ties Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is not impossible to accept that in the 1950s there might have been closeted bigots like the ones that emerge in School Ties. Such people have always been around, and they will always be around. However, it is impossible to believe that they would have behaved and exposed themselves as they do in School Ties. More importantly, they would not have been tolerated for as long as they are in School Ties. Yes, of course, there are always exceptions, but School Ties sets out to recreate a very particular environment where these people supposedly felt at home and the magnitude of it is utterly unrealistic. Via Vision Entertainment's Blu-ray release if sourced from an old and unfortunately quite weak master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures.