7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Unable to deal with her parents, Jeannie Tyne runs away from home. Larry and Lyne Tyne search for her, and in the process meet other people whose children ran away. With their children gone, the parents are now free to rediscover/enjoy life.
Starring: Lynn Carlin, Buck Henry, Georgia Engel, Tony Harvey (II), Audra LindleyDrama | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono
French: LPCM Mono
French
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Czech director Milos Forman's "Taking Off" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Carlotta Films. The supplemental features on the disc include a video interview with director Milos Forman; short introduction by director/writer/critic Luc Lagier; and video interview with writer/director/producer Jean-Claude Carriere. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Vincent Schiavelli - This is a joint!
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Milos Forman's Taking Off arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French distributors Carlotta Films.
During the SDVD era Taking Off was a film that was extremely hard to find. It was never released on SDVD in the United States, and, to the best of my knowledge, in Europe it was available only through a Scandinavian distributor. I have never seen or tested the Scandinavian release.
The transfer Carlotta Films have used for their Blu-ray release of Taking Off has been struck from a dated source. Generally speaking, contrast levels and clarity are quite good. However, occasionally big lumps of grain mixed with plenty of noise pop up here and there and give the film a somewhat harsh look. Light edge-enhancement is also easy to spot (see screencapture #4), though it is never overwhelming. During the darker scenes light to moderate noise is present as well, but clarity and detail are still good. The color-scheme is surprisingly strong; the reds, blues, greens, grays, and blacks are rich, healthy and consistent. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. Lastly, the transfer has been cleaned up quite a bit, but occasionally tiny specks and damage marks are indeed easy to spot (see screencapture #3, bottom left). Still, in motion the film looks quite vibrant and surprisingly stable. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. 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 are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 1.0 and French LPCM 1.0. For the record, Carlotta Films have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature. (Use your remote control to turn them on and off).
The English LPCM 1.0 track has a shockingly strong dynamic amplitude. I was expecting a modest loseless track and was pleasantly surprised by the depth and dynamic strength of the English LPCM 1.0 track. The audition scenes, for instance, sound great. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. I also did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts to report in this review.
Note: The supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in 1080/50i. Therefore, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting 1080/50i to 1080/60i, or a native Region-B player and a TV set capable of displaying 1080/50i content, in order to view them in North America.
If you've seen and enjoyed Milos Forman's Loves of a Blonde and The Firemen's Ball - both available on SDVD as part of the Criterion Collection - you do not want to miss Taking Off, the Czech director's first American film. I've been trying to track down a copy of it on SDVD for my library for years, and having it on Blu-ray now is simply perfect. Let's hope that a decent, English-friendly release of Black Peter will also appear on the market. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of French distributors Carlotta Films, is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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