7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Researching violence in media, Madrid film student Ángela discovers a video in which a screaming woman is brutalized and then shot. Realizing the victim is a former student at the university, Ángela investigates with the help of classmate and exploitation-film aficionado Chema.
Starring: Ana Torrent, Fele Martínez, Eduardo Noriega (II), Xabier ElorriagaForeign | 100% |
Horror | 55% |
Mystery | 7% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Spanish: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Winner of multiple Goya Awards, including Best Film, Best New Director and Best New Actor, Alejandro Amenabar's "Tesis" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Tanelorn Films. The supplemental features on the disc include a brand new video introduction by the Spanish director; deleted scenes; making of featurette; storyboards; and new documentary produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The dangerous collection
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alejandro Amenábar's Tesis arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Tanelorn Films.
The high-definition transfer has been struck from a pre-existing master and more often than not it shows. Detail can be decent at times, but there are traces of light denoising corrections that have clearly affected image depth (see screencapture #6). Some sharpening adjustments have been applied as well, and as a result parts of the film could look rather harsh (see screencaptures #13 and 15). Colors remain stable. Overall image stability is excellent -- there are no transition issues or general stability issues to report in this review. The encoding could have been better. In areas of the film where light is restricted artifacts are occasionally noticeable, but even during the daylight footage it isn't difficult to see that there is room for improvement. All in all, the Blu-ray release definitely represents a step up in quality over the existing R1 and R2 (Spanish release) DVD releases of Tesis, but the film unquestionably can look better in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish LPCM 2.0. For the record, Tanelorn Films have provided optional yellow English subtitles for the main feature.
The lossless track is excellent. There are no elaborate audio effects, but there are areas of the film where sound is used in very specific ways to enhance the tense atmosphere. In these areas, the lossless track serves the film very well. The dialog is always clean, crisp, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, distracting background hiss, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.
I have followed closely Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar's career and I have to say that his first two films, Tesis and Open Your Eyes, remain his best. The former is now available on Blu-ray courtesy of U.S. distributors Tanelorn Films. While the Blu-ray release definitely offers an upgrade in quality over existing DVD releases in Region 1 and Region 2, the film can look better in high-definition. Amongst the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release is a very good new documentary produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory, which I think fans of the Spanish director and his work will like a lot. Get the Blu-ray release only if you can find it on sale.
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