6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem. The story follows the people that visited the club, those that ran it, and is peppered with the Jazz music that made it so famous.
Starring: Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee, Bob HoskinsMusic | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
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, German, Italian, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Francis Ford Coppola's "The Cotton Club" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The only bonus feature on the disc is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH, German, Italian, and Spanish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Remember, you do as I say.
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Francis Ford Coppola's The Cotton Club arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.
The release is sourced from an older master that appears to have been licensed from StudioCanal. It is certainly not bad, but it has a fair share of obvious, and familiar, limitations. For example, density levels are inconsistent, and plenty of the darker footage, which happens to be a lot in this film, lacks proper depth. (See the good density in screencapture #1, and the lack of proper depth in screencapture #19). Elsewhere random halo effects pop up that could make the visuals appear sharper than they ought to be (see screencaptures #4 and 9). Fortunately, the darkness actually hides these issues quite well. On the other hand, the darkness also exacerbates the effects of the less than optimal shadow definition, and this typically produces overall flatter visuals. Colors are stable and there are good ranges of nuances, but there is no doubt in my mind that a fresh and proper 4K remaster will significantly expand the primaries and the supporting nuances. Image stability is good. All in all, for the most part this is a fine transfer, but the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to begin spotting its limitations. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH, German, Italian, and Spanish subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The quality of the lossless track is excellent. However, I have an older DVD release of the film from MGM which also has a 5.1 track so one should have been included on the Blu-ray release as well. To be perfectly clear, the 5.1 track isn't just a random mix that someone created on a whim, the film actually needs it. Regardless, clarity, depth, dynamic intensity, and stability are excellent, so the 2.0 track still handles the sound design very well. There are no audio dropouts, background issues, or purely digital anomalies to report in our review.
The star power, the stunning period costumes and decors, and Francis Ford Coppola behind the camera should have ensured that at the very least The Cotton Club emerges as a good film. However, I have always had a difficult time describing it as such. There are bits of it that are nice, but the narrative is so loose that to me the entire project looks like a period circus where a lot of excellent performers are doing their best to impress at the same time. So coherence is a serious issue with this film that negates the overwhelming majority of the good things that should have made it special. This recent release from Umbrella Entertainment is sourced from an older master with some limitations, but I have compared it to my DVD release and I would say that it offers a decisively better technical presentation of the film.
(Still not reliable for this title)
2008
1984
2018
2022
2015
Bruce Springsteen
2013
50th Anniversary Edition
1979
2012
1978
2011
2011
2007
2005
2004-2013
2010
2005
Classics Remastered
1986
2013
2009
Cancelled
2018