8.1 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy gradually realizes that something very sinister is going on at the school.
Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bosé, Barbara MagnolfiHorror | 100% |
Foreign | 47% |
Mystery | 25% |
Supernatural | 17% |
Thriller | 4% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Italian: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Dario Argento's "Suspiria" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Cult Films. The supplemental features on the disc include new interview with Dario Argento; lengthy documentary about the recent restoration of the film; arcchival documentary; audio commentary by m critics Kim Newman and Alan Jones; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Nightmares in color
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dario Argento's Suspiria arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Films.
The release is sourced from the new 4K restoration of the film that was completed by TLEFilms FRPS in Germany. This is the same restoration that Australian label Umbrella Entertainment used for its local release. (In the United States, local label Synapse Films is promoting a different 4K restoration of the film).
I like the restoration a lot. It has excellent organic qualities and the entire film now has a very convincing period Technicolor look. In terms of depth, clarity, and fluidity the improvements are beyond dramatic, and there are actually plenty of large segments where the film looks quite different. For example, because shadow definition is so dramatically improved there is plenty of background flatness that is eliminated, and in other areas there are actually entire ranges of new nuances. Many of the biggest improvements, however, are in the area of color reproduction. The only other release of Suspiria that I have om my collection is this Region-B release and after performing some direct comparisons I can confirm that in terms of saturation and especially overall balance the differences between the two are massive. Basically, the new restoration has a very nicely balanced period color scheme that, as intended, effortlessly becomes an essential element of the film's ambience. There are no traces of problematic digital adjustments. Image stability is excellent. Lastly, there are no distracting age-related imperfections or encoding anomalies to report. (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 are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM 2.0, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and Italian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame. (You will have to use your remote control to turn them on).
The release uses the newly remastered 5.1 mix. (There is an older 5.1 track that is included on the Australian release). I thought that it was outstanding. This film has an incredible sound design that blends some pretty spooky noises with original music from the legendary band Goblin and all I can say is that the new mix handles everything in pretty spectacular fashion. For this reason, I would not hesitate to recommend this disc as 'reference material'.
This new release of Dario Argento's Suspiria from British label Cult Films is sourced from the 4K restoration of the film that TLEFilms FRPS completed in Germany. As I mentioned in our review of the Australian release, which is sourced from the same restoration, the end result is wonderful and the film now has a very convincing proper period organic appearance. The Australian release has more, primarily vintage, bonus features, but this release has a very informative documentary that examines the different phases of the 4K restoration. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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