8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity.
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy HillerDrama | 100% |
Biography | 9% |
History | 6% |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, German
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
David Lynch's "The Elephant Man" (1980) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include archival promotional materials for the film; vintage interviews with the director and cast members; exclusive new video interviews with stills photographer Frank Connor and producer Jonathan Sanger; and a lot more. In English, with optional English, with optional English SDH, German, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The strange man
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Elephant Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.
The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:
"The new 4K restoration of The Elephant Man was carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata (Bologna and Paris) under the supervision of David Lynch, who also personally curated the color correction which took places at Fotokem (Los Angeles). The resotration was created from the original camera negative with the latest HDR 16-bit workflow in order to obtain the best possible result. As a result, the black and white image has been restored to its original look."
As the quoted credits above confirm, this release of is sourced from an exclusive new 4K restoration. Obviously, this means that the technical presentation is not identical to the one from StudioCanal's first Blu-ray release of the film. I viewed the restoration on 4K Blu-ray and then performed some direct comparisons with the Blu-ray release. Below are my impressions:
4K BLU-RAY DISC
The density levels of the visuals are better now. Predictably, in native 4K resolution grain exposure is noticeably superior, which is something that directly benefits fluidity as well. So, on a larger screen a comparisons between the new restoration and the old Blu-ray release reveals a wide range of 'tighter' visuals. Also, the restoration is better graded, so expect to see expanded ranges of gray and white nuances, and in darker areas healthier blacks. (In 1080p on the Blu-ray, however, the improvement becomes almost unrecognizable. I explain why below). Overall depth is better, but because on the older master some highlights are elevated it may appear that there is more visible information there. This isn't the case. In native 4K resolution, the restoration conveys better fine details and nuances. Image stability is outstanding. Finally, the new presentation of the film is notably healthier.
BLU-RAY DISC
There have been a couple of recent 4K restoration from StudioCanal where the new grading flattens some existing nuances that are visible on the older master -- see The Deer Hunter and Kind Hearts and Coronets -- and I had a theory that perhaps all final tweaks are done on the 4K master. What this means is that during the transition from 4K to 1080p some gentle nuances would be lost and in darker footage more prominent blacks would begin emerging. So, now that I could see the new 4K restoration of The Elephant Man in native 4K and 1080p it is pretty clear that something extremely similar is in fact happening when new 4K masters from StudioCanal are graded. Indeed, there are some darker areas that definitely convey slightly crushed blacks in 1080p, but not in native 4K. (I took screencapture #22 from one such area to highlight the difference). However, I also think that a lot of older masters are not as accurately graded as they should be, so even with minimally elevated brightness levels they can further contribute to and ultimately exacerbate the discrepancy. Bottom line is this: in native 4K the new restoration of The Elephant Man definitely retains some small(er) nuances that are difficult to recognize in 1080p. (If you perform direct comparisons, darker footage is where you will see the discrepancy. But if you don't, more than likely you will not be able to tell that they actually exist).
Here are some specific improvements that you should see if you compare this Blu-ray release to the old Blu-ray release that StudioCanal produced in 2009:
Grain stability and exposure are better, so once again, on a larger screen you should see superior visuals. Also, density levels are better, but on this particular restoration the difference isn't striking because the older master performed quite nicely as well. Fluidity is improved, but in native 4K it is even more convincing. (One segment that you can test to see the difference in quality is the camera zoom at 01:49:44. The ceiling looks best in 4K). Finally, this is a healthier presentation of the film that eliminates all noticeable age-related imperfections that were present on the older master. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit), German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit), and French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH, German, and French subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The audio was almost certainly redone because the overall dynamic balance is better. If you have the first Blu-ray release of the film and wish to perform direct comparisons, I suggest you test the stage footage around 01:51:53. The dialog is very clean, clear, stable, and easy to follow. There are no encoding anomalies to report.
BLU-RAY DISC ONE
StudioCanal have another definitive home video release of a very popular classic film. Needles to say, I hope that the team that is putting together these lavish 4K Blu-ray releases is encouraged to do even more. I have nothing but great things to say about the new 4K restoration of David Lynch's The Elephant Man. In fact, I liked it so much, there is a part of me now that secretly wishes this 4K package we have reviewed on the site was for Mulholland Drive. So, get this release for your collection and support the quality work the folks at StudioCanal are doing at the moment. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
StudioCanal Collection
1980
1980
Limited Edition of 2000 Copies
1980
Remastered | Vintage Classics
1980
40th Anniversary Edition
1980
1980
40th Anniversary Edition
1980
2014
1999
2013
Masters of Cinema
1966
2018
Napoléon vu par Abel Gance
1927
Masters of Cinema
1974
2010
1947
1942
Зеркало / Zerkalo
1975
Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle
1974
2016
2008
2009
30th Anniversary Edition | Vintage Classics
1986
Андрей Рублёв / Andrey Rublyov
1966
Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1970
Vintage Classics
1963
1986