7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Idealistic German art restorer Jonathan Zimmermann is dying from a rare blood disease. In an effort to earn some money for the family he will leave behind, he accepts an offer from cunning American sociopath Tom Ripley to carry out a high-paying mob hit.
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer, Gérard Blain, Nicholas RayDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 89% |
Crime | 1% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Wim Wenders' "The American Friend" a.k.a. "Der Amerikanische Freund" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; exclusive new video interviews with director Wim Wenders and actor Bruno Ganz; archival audio commentary with audio commentary by Wim Wenders and the late Dennis Hopper; and deleted scenes with optional audio commentary. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by author Francine Prose. In German and English, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
"There is less than half of what you promised me."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wim Wenders' The American Friend arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"Supervised by director Win Wenders and produced by the Win Wenders Stiftung | A Foundation, with support from the German Federal Film Board (FIA) for the digitization of content, this new digital transfer was created in 4K on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the original 35mm negative at ARRI Film & TV services in Berlin, where the film was also restored. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered in 5.1 surround from the original tapes by the Win Wenders Stiftung | A Foundation and approved by the director.
Commissioned by: The Win Wenders Stiftung | A Foundation.
Financing and coordination: Lura Schmidt, Francesca Hecht, Bernd Eichhorn, Johanna Muth.
Transfer supervisors: Wim and Donata Wenders.
Colorist: Philipp Ogassa/ARRI Film & TV Services, Berlin."
The new transfer, which was supervised by director Wim Winders, is quite wonderful. Depth and clarity remain very pleasing -- even in areas of the film where shadows and darkness become quite prominent -- and fluidity is very good. In fact, next to depth the much improved image balance will likely be the most substantial upgrade for many viewers who have previously experienced the film on DVD. There is a very fine layer of grain throughout the entire film; problematic adjustments have not been performed. During a few indoor sequences the grain appears a bit loose, but depth remains excellent. There are no traces of sharpening adjustments. There is a wide range of very healthy and vibrant nuanced colors.
Image stability is outstanding. Finally, there are no cuts, damage marks, debris, stains, or warped frames to report in our review. (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: German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with large portions of English). Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I would have preferred to have a mono track as well, but the newly remixed track is indeed very good. Jürgen Knieper's music is subtle but has a very important role in the film. The dialog is well balanced with it and remains crisp and clear. However, some viewers will likely have to use the English subtitles for portions of the English dialog because some of the accents can be quite thick. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.
A German man's life spins out of control when he begins talking to a shady American art dealer and a French gangster with powerful enemies in The American Friend, one of Wim Wenders' most stylish films. This is the second film in which Patricia Highsmith's character Tom Ripley appeared, though here he is an older and much more dangerous man played by the late Dennis Hopper. The film is quite moody but beautifully lensed by Robby Müller. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from an excellent new 4K restoration of the film, which should remain its definitive presentation on the home video market. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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