7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Two officers in Napoleon's army violently confront each other in a series of duels. The duels begin as a reaction to a minor incident and escalate into a consuming passion that rules the lives of both men for a period of 30 years. Based on Joseph Conrad's story.
Starring: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox, Cristina RainesWar | 100% |
Period | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ridley Scott's "The Duellists" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; video interview with actor Keith Carradine; audio commentary and isolated score by composer Howard Blake; audio commentary by Ridley Scott; and more. In English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Duellists arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.
The release is sourced from the same master that Shout Factory utilized to produce the North America release of The Duellists in 2013. Obviously, this is an old master, and I think that it was prepared even earlier. However, even today I still think that it is quite nice. Here's why:
First, there are no traces of the type of digital adjustments that make many of the older masters that emerge from Universal's vaults unsuitable for Blu-ray. (This master was licensed from Paramount). So, even though it is rather easy to tell that the master isn't new there is nothing particularly distracting on it either. In fact, many close-ups boast very nice delineation and there are plenty of wider shots that have surprisingly good depth (see screencaptures #2 and 3). Furthermore, the color scheme is pretty good. I think that if a new 4K master is prepared under Ridley Scott's supervision this would be one of the key area where various meaningful improvements will be made, but I am quite certain that even if the film gets a proper contemporary makeover a lot of the current color values will be retained. Why? Because it is easy to see that there is period stylization that is integrated into the color scheme (the brownish and blueish hues are part of it). In other words, nuances will be expanded and some primaries rebalanced and the film will get a fresher appearance, but the period stylization and all of the temperature shits it produces will remain. (The rebalancing will expose finer details like the ones that are currently difficult to identify in the tree from screencapture #1). Fluidity can be improved, but on the current master this isn't a serious issue. A few white specks remain, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks warped or torn frames to report. All in all, even though the age of the current master shows, it delivers a good presentation of the film with an overall nice organic appearance. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I prefer the 2.0 track and I don't think there is anything wrong with it -- it is healthy and produces nice dynamic nuances. However, I wonder if a future master would make the audio sound 'fuller'. It just feels like some segments, like the Russia segment where the strings and the wind are brought together, can sound even better. Perhaps I am wrong, but I just feel like the audio could get an upgrade. (Maybe a brand new Atmos mix will get the job done).
If you missed Shout Factory's out of print release of The Duellists and you want to have a copy of the film in your collection, pick up Via Vision Entertainment's release. It is sourced from the same master that was used to produce the North American release, which is old but still quite good, and retains all supplemental features. It is Region-Free as well. My guess is that in the future this film will be redone in 4K, and almost certainly under Ridley Scott's supervision, but more than likely it will be a while before it happens. For the time being what is on the Blu-ray release is the best technical presentation of the film, which I like quite a lot. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
1966
1977
1967
Classics Remastered
1977
Imprint #30
1954
Special Edition
1986
1978
2012
2014
2000
2015
Commemorative Edition
1981
2020
Cinema Cult
1957
Classics Remastered
1958
2008
2002
Imprint #196
1959
2011
Imprint #193
1976