6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Three thugs commandeer a couple of cars on a moving train and spread terror among the passengers.
Starring: Silvia Dionisio, Werner Pochath, Zora Kerova, Gianluigi Chirizzi, Carlo de MejoForeign | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ferdinando Baldi's "Terror Express" (1980) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment and Code Red. The supplemental features on the disc is an archival program featuring interviews with actors actors Carlo de Mejo and Zora Kerova and screenwriter Luigi Montefiori as well as vintage trailer for the film. In English, not subtitled. Region-Free.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Terror Express arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Dark Force Entertainment and Code Red.
The release is sourced from an exclusive master that was prepared with content from multiple sources. I could identify at least three: English, Italian, and German. It has some rough spots and it is very easy to tell that it could have benefited from some serious restoration work, but the end product is good. Indeed, the visuals usually have decent or good organic qualities and on a large screen, the film looks like an aged film. Now, you should expect to see various small and bigger density fluctuations that affect delineation and depth, in some cases even clarity, but there is still a lot to like and appreciate. The master is graded pretty nicely too, though this is another area where ideally saturation and balance should be superior. (For what it's worth, I would much prefer to have this type of grading work than the one that some elaborate 4K and 2K masters are receiving overseas). Image stability is fine, but I need to make it clear that there are plenty of minor jumps and random shakiness. Some scratches, small marks, black spots, and other similar age-related imperfections can be observed as well. Lastly, there is room for some encoding optimizations, and this I think is the release's greatest weakness. On a double-layer disc, with proper optimizations, this film would have looked rather impressive in high-definition. All in all, given the reconstruction work that was needed to prepare the master, I think that the current presentation is fine because it has nice organic qualities, but I think that these projects, and all other films, need to be placed on a dual-layer disc and optimized as best as possible. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. Even though you can turn on an off (some) subtitles via the remote control, there are no optional English subtitles on the disc.
The English is pretty rough, but this is to be expected because virtually all of the actors were overdubbed in English. Yes, most do utter their lines in English, but they were still overdubbed. Dynamic balance is pretty weak as well, but I would not say that it is disappointing. Clarity and sharpness fluctuate quite a lot. I heard various pops, minor hiss, and just plain flatness emerging all over the place. In other words, in an ideal word the English track would have greatly benefited from a proper remastering job. It still serves the film fine, but you need to see your expectations low. My score is 3.25/5.00.
The Italians produced some of the best and some of the worst exploitation films. There are two types of exploitation films I enjoy and virtually all of them are Italian -- the visual stunners, like Tinto Brass' Salon Kitty, and the silly but hilarious ones, like the various Decameron copycats. The 'serious' exploitation films usually quickly bore me to tears, and the ones that pretend to be something else I quite simply cannot tolerate. Ferdinando Baldi's Terror Express isn't for those that are easily offended because it goes places a civilized mainstream film would never dare to explore, but it has a typical Italian sense of humor that works quite well for it. I enjoyed it because it is very loose in several different ways, which is very much a lost art these days, and because its original English track was pretty awful. This recent Blu-ray release offers an elaborate reconstruction of the film, which might be the longest legit English version of it to appear on the home video market. If you enjoy these types of older genre films, do not miss it. RECOMMENDED.
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