Rating summary
| Movie |  | 3.0 |
| Video |  | 3.5 |
| Audio |  | 5.0 |
| Extras |  | 0.5 |
| Overall | | 3.0 |
The Believers Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 20, 2019
John Schlesinger's "The Believers" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
In the United States, John Schlesinger's "The Believers" was first released on Blu-ray by Twilight Time in 2014. For an in-depth analysis of the film, please see my colleague Jeff Kauffman's review of the first release
here.
The Believers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Schlesinger's The Believers arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.
The release is sourced from an older master that was provided by MGM, which I assume is the same master that Twilight Time used to produce this out-of-print release. (I don't have it in my library and therefore cannot do a direct comparison).
What is good about this master is that it lacks traces of problematic digital work, and as a result delineation and depth are usually quite good. Some of the darker footage looks a bit flatter and/or thicker, but this is a common limitation on masters that were prepared during the DVD era (see screencapture #5). Fluidity can be better, but even on a larger screen it remains consistent enough. Colors are stable, but this is the area where the age of the master shows the most because there is a preset magenta font that essentially shifts all nuances and alters the film's overall temperature. The effect is not distracting, but it is also impossible to ignore its presence. Some minor scratches and white flecks remain, but there are no large cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (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).
The Believers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
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.
The audio must have been remastered because I did not detect any signs of aging while viewing the film. Yes, there are a few minor dynamic fluctuations during the party footage and mass gatherings, but I can tell that they are part of the original sound design. The dialog is very clean, easy to follow, and stable. Also, neither the upper nor the middle registers suffer from 'thinning'. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.
The Believers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- Trailer - original U.S. trailer for The Believers. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).
The Believers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
I'd recommend this release to folks who have already seen The Believers and like it, but could not pick up a copy of the out-of-print release that Twilight Time produced in 2014. This release is sourced from the same old MGM master that was used for the previous release and comes with a very reasonable price tag. RECOMMENDED.
