7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
After a plane crash in the Sahara, one of the survivors says he's an airplane designer and they can make a flyable plane from the wreckage.
Starring: James Stewart, Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch, Hardy Krüger, Ernest BorgnineDrama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
Music: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Nominated for Oscar Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Editing, Robert Aldrich's "The Flight of the Phoenix" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film and exclusive new video interview with film historian Sheldon Hall. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by film scholar Neil Sinyard and archival imagery. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Somewhere in the desert
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1,85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Aldrich's The Flight of the Phoenix arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release is sourced from an older master which was likely used for multiple purposes during and after the DVD era. Nevertheless, the basic qualities we examine in our reviews are quite good. During the daylight footage depth is typically very pleasing. Clarity also does not disappoint, though it is easy to see that during select wider panoramic shots definition isn't optimal. The darker/nighttime footage can be a bit inconsistent as well. In select segments light black crush emerges and depth becomes a bit problematic. As a result, fluidity drops a notch below that from the daylight footage. There are no traces of recent degraining and sharpening corrections. However, ideally grain should be better defined and resolved. Also, some light halo effects emerge in select areas, though they are not introduced by digital tools (you can see examples in screencaptures #9 and 10). The color scheme is very good. The primaries appear healthy and there is a nice range of nuances. Saturation should be better, but I personally am quite pleased with the color temperature of the current primaries. (It is certainly preferable to the odd color temperature conveyed in the color schemes that a lot of new Fox remasters have). Image stability is very good. Finally, a few tiny specks and dirt spots can be seen, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, stains, or torn frames to report. My score is 3.75/5.00. (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 is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The audio has not been recently remastered, but there are no technical anomalies to report. The dialog is very clean, stable, nicely rounded, and easy to follow. The music breathes quite easily, though there are no big shifts in terms of dynamic intensity. Also, there are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.
I have a soft spot for 'desert films' and Robert Aldrich's The Flight of the Phoenix is an old favorite of mine. Obviously, I could not be more pleased that it is now available on Blu-ray. Eureka Entertainment's upcoming release is sourced from an older master, but I actually quite like how the film looks in high-definition. I think that you will as well. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Japanese Artwork Series #4
1975
1970
La guerre du feu
1981
1957
1956
2000
Remastered
1971
1966
2010
2017
1956
Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1935
Premium Collection
1972
Indicator Series
1959
Limited Collector's Edition
1990
2022
2017
1972
2015
2018