6.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Drama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.55:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.55:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Otto Preminger’s name will probably forever be linked mostly to films like Laura and Anatomy of a Murder, but merely mentioning those two exceedingly disparate entries in tandem proves what a wide ranging director Preminger was. Preminger loved to push the envelope, even if by modern standards the envelope seem positively quaint (it’s almost funny to look back on the brouhaha Preminger’s The Moon is Blue caused in the early fifties). At times a deliberate provocateur in films like The Man With the Golden Arm (Preminger’s first film after The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell), Preminger could also be kind of rote at times (River of No Return) and late in his career he devolved into something approaching self-parody (Skidoo). The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell probably tips slightly toward the rote end of the Preminger spectrum, but in one way it’s a rather interesting film, at least when looked at within the context of what was soon to come from the famous director. In 1957 Preminger would come in for some major critical brickbats when he cast the young unknown Jean Seberg in the title role of Saint Joan, a film which actually has fared better in hindsight than it did at the time of its original theatrical release. In an odd way, The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell seems like a probably unintended warm-up for the Seberg film. Both outings are quasi-hagiographies (obviously Saint Joan much more so, as evidenced by the title alone) dealing with a martyr to a cause, a visionary who insisted he or she knew the truth, spoke that truth to power, and suffered the consequences. If The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell fudges some relevant facts in order to make its hero less shaded, it’s probably understandable given the film’s thesis that Mitchell saw the war mongering handwriting on the wall and knew modern warfare was going to take to the skies sooner rather than later, even as a fumbling bureaucracy did everything in its power to keep him silent about his “vision”. That salient fact is what The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell wants us to focus on, to the exclusion of some other, perhaps more troubling, aspects to Mitchell’s life, including the well intentioned but pretty libelous statements he made in the 1920s that got him into trouble to begin with.
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.55:1. This CinemaScope production's elements are not in the greatest shape, unfortunately, with some expected minor damage but more problematically some inconsistent contrast and color fluctuations, as well as some minor warping. Contrast seems pretty badly overblown for the first 38 minutes or so, at which point it improves dramatically, at least for the most part (there are occasional fluctuations after that, but not the consistent issues that plague the first section of the film). Colors seem to have faded slightly, with flesh tones looking slightly on the peachy side of things. There are a couple of rather strange passing fluctuations that can't be tied to opticals, where colors either bloom or fade for a moment and then return to a baseline level. There is some rampant ringing in evidence, though some of that is due to rear projection and one especially bad case, of a newspaper headline, is due to its being an optical sandwiched in between two dissolves.
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono audio ably supports this very talky film. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented and the track exhibits no noticeable damage. Fidelity is excellent, though dynamic range is fairly limited.
No supplements are offered on this Blu-ray disc.
Billy Mitchell underwent pretty significant rehabilitation from the time Franklin Roosevelt became President, though he never really regained the influence he had had as a younger man. (If you've ever flown in or through Milwaukee, the airport there is named after Mitchell.) The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell is a pretty staid offering, but it comes fitfully alive during the trial sequences, some of which are evidently based on the actual court records. The biopic conventions of the day wouldn't allow for Mitchell to be portrayed as anything other than a misunderstood martyr, something that deprives the film of a certain internal shading. Preminger's direction is pretty workmanlike, but the cast delivers some nice performances. This Blu-ray has generally very good video (albeit with some problems) and audio. Recommended.
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