7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A rich but lonely woman, Frances Austen, one day invites a boy from a nearby park to her apartment and offers to let him live there.
Starring: Sandy Dennis, Michael Burns (I), Susanne Benton, David Garfield (I), Luana AndersDrama | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 11% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Robert Altman's "That Cold Day in the Park" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is an elusive video interview with critic and filmmaker David Thompson. The release also arrives with a booklet featuring new writing and archival images. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Frances Austen
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Altman's That Cold Day in the Park arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release has been sourced from the same master that Olive Films worked with when they prepared their Blu-ray release of That Cold Day in the Park in the United States. It is an older master, struck from an interpositive, but I actually like it quite a lot. Indeed, detail and depth are very good. There are some obvious fluctuations in terms of depth, but they can actually be traced back to specific stylistic choices, such as shooting behind glass (see screencapture #16) or favoring close-ups with unusually fluid camera movement (see screencaptures #5 and 6). Elsewhere, light is also managed in unique ways and as a result some sporadic contrast shifts can be observed as well. Grain exposure isn't optimal, but there are no serious anomalies to report. More importantly, there are no traces of recent attempts to degrain or sharpen up the film. Colors are stable. The primaries are quite warm and there is a decent range of nuances. Saturation could be better but not by much (virtually all of the films Robert Altman shot during the late '60s and early '70s favor soft, earthy primaries and nuances). Image stability is very good. Finally, a couple of specks pop up, but there are no distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, or torn frames to report. So there is some room for cosmetic improvements, but this is a solid organic presentation of That Cold Day in the Park that makes it very easy to appreciate the artistic vision of its creator. (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 is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
Dynamic intensity is limited, but the film's original sound design does not support a great deal of dynamic movement. Johnny Mandel's score is subdued and quite moody, never really making any significant attempts to seriously enhance or even alter the existing atmosphere. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow, but there is some room for minor balance improvements. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report in our review.
That Cold Day in the Park is an excellent addition to Eureka Entertainment's Blu-ray catalog. I think that one can very easily argue that it has been undeservedly placed in the shadow of Robert Altman's bigger and more successful films as the story, direction, and acting are simply terrific. If you don't have the film in your collection, place your orders now. I guarantee you will like it a lot and revisit it many times. The release is sourced from the same master Olive Films worked with in the United States. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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