7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Jonathan Corbett is a gunman so brave to have eliminated all the bandits of Texas. For this he is proposed for the candidacy to the Senate of the United States. In exchange he has only to support the construction of one railway line. Only after he accepts does he come to know that the Mexican Cuchillo has raped and killed a 12 year old girl. Corbett leaves on a long manhunt during which he gets to know his adversary better and discovers a variation on the crime for which the accused Cuchillo may not be as guilty as he first thought.
Starring: Lee Van Cleef, Tomas Milián, Luisa Rivelli, Walter Barnes (I), Nieves NavarroForeign | 100% |
Western | 50% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0
German: Dolby Digital 2.0
German: Dolby Digital 2.0
German, English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (1 BD, 2 DVDs)
DVD copy
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Sergio Sollima's "La resa dei conti" a.k.a. "The Big Gundown" (1966) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss distributors Explosive Media. The supplemental features on this release include a documentary film featuring interviews with Sergio Sollima and actor Tomas Milian; trailers; publicity materials; and the original soundtrack for the film. Also included is a 24-page illustrated booklet with writings on the film by German spaghetti western expert Steffen Wulf. In English, Italian, or German, with optional English or German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The American
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sergio Sollima's The Big Gundown arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media.
I assume that the available elements for the longer Italian cut of The Big Gundown are not very healthy because even after the digital remastering numerous minor clarity fluctuations remain. During larger panoramic shots image depth is also not overly impressive. Contrast levels are relatively stable, but occasionally some minor color pulsations are easy to spot. Most close-ups, however, look rather pleasing. There are no large damage marks and cuts, but some tiny flecks could be seen from time to time. All in all, there is undoubtedly plenty of room for sizable improvements, but it is difficult to tell exactly how much better the film could look without knowing what elements are available to work with. (I also plan to have a review of the French release of The Big Gundown, courtesy of Wild Side Video, to see whether there are additional improvements on it). (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There are four standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian Dolby Digital 2.0., new German Dolby 2.0, and original German 2.0 tracks. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.
The English audio track is newly reconstructed by Explosive Media. It allows the viewer to see the Italian cut of the film with all surviving audio elements in English (this is done by mixing and overlapping of the English and Italian tracks).
The quality of the lossy track is quite good. There is a surprisingly good range of nuanced dynamics and depth is very pleasing. The sequences where Ennio Morricone's soundtrack is prominent also sound very nice. The switches between the Italian and English audio bits are also very well done. Also, there is no heavy background or serious distortions to report in this review.
Blu-ray
Swiss label Explosive Media's Blu-ray release of Sergio Sollima's The Big Gundown is a labor of love. I have many releases from around the world in my library, but this is the most elegant I've seen produced for a classic spaghetti western film. I think that the film could look better, but I don't have a problem recommending this release to folks residing in North America who want to see the longer Italian cut of the The Big Gundown but do not have Region-Free players. RECOMMENDED.
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