6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Abandoned by his father at an early age, Jim MacLaine seems to have inherited the old man's restlessness. Despite his apparent intelligence, Jim decides not to take the exams that would pave his way to university. He lives, for a time, a life consisting of dead-end jobs and meaningless sex, before returning home to work in his mother's shop. But still he can't settle down; he begins to think that the life of a pop musician might be the thing for him.
Starring: David Essex, Ringo Starr, Rosemary Leach, James Booth (I), Rosalind AyresMusic | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Claude Whatham's "That'll Be the Day" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers for the film as well as an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Bryan Reesman. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The dreamer
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, That'll Be the Day arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.
This release is sourced from a recent restored master which was prepared on behalf of StudioCanal. However, in the United Kingdom StudioCanal also introduced a newly restored master of Stardust. These two films can be seen individually, but they are actually part of the same cycle. Unfortunately, the folks at Kino Lorber have been unable to secure the rights for Stardust because in the United States they are apparently controlled by another party, so at the moment it looks like Stardust will not have a local release.
The technical presentation of That'll Be the Day looks exactly the same as the one that was offered on the European release. The film still reveals the same signs of aging, plus in the darker areas I noticed the same light crush (see screencapture #6). Some of the crushing can be traced back to the color management -- the grading job could have been more careful -- but I also think that the element that was used to produce the new master was not in optimal condition. In our review of the European release I mentioned that there are pretty obvious inherited limitations that affect the consistency of the density as well as sharpness, and they are again present here. (A lot of the visuals reveal a look I would expect an interpositive to deliver, though I am unsure if this is the element that was used to produce the current master). Overall image stability, however, is still very good. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
he audio has been remastered and anyone with a decent system should be able to tell as soon as the opening credits disappear. Depth, clarity, and balance are very nice. There is a very good range of nuanced dynamic as well, though as it is always the case with these types of older films native limitations remain. There are no audio dropouts, pops, background hiss, or distortions to report.
When rock 'n' roll reached post-war Britain it was more than just great new music from a distant place called America. It was an idea that embodied everything that youngsters wanted more of -- fun and excitement, great adventures to make them feel alive, true love and above all freedom. The wild rhythms and harmonies that rock 'n' roll promoted made them feel and believe that all of it was within their grasp, and all they had to do was reach out and claim it. This is what David Essex's character does in That'll Be the Day -- he attempts to claim what ought to make his life worth living. I like the film a lot but not because I find his struggle fascinating. I like the big picture that he is a part of because the film gets it right, without actually insisting to be seen as a legit time capsule. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from StudioCanal's recent restored master, which is quite good. However, for the time being the sequel to That'll Be the Day, Stardust, which was also recently restored, remains available on Blu-ray only on the other side of the Atlantic. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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50th Anniversary Edition
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The Final Cut
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