8.4 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Allied prisoners of war plan for several hundred of their number to escape from a German camp during World War II.
Starring: Steve McQueen (I), James Garner, Richard Attenborough, James Donald (I), Charles BronsonDrama | 100% |
War | 69% |
History | 54% |
Period | 44% |
Epic | 18% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
5.1 MGM logo is 24bit, rest is 16
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
John Sturges' "The Great Escape" (1963) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by filmmaker/critic Steve Mitchel and author/critic Steven Jay Rubin; archival documentary produced by Steven Clarke; archival interviews; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and encoded with HEVC/H.265, The Great Escape arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. Please note that this is not a combo release. Therefore, a Blu-ray copy is not included.
The 4K Blu-ray release offers a presentation of the same excellent 4K restoration that was initially introduced by the folks at Criterion with this Blu-ray release. I viewed it earlier today and despite the lack of HDR in my opinion it looks terrific. The uptick in visual quality is very noticeable because of the unique density fluctuations that are part of the original cinematography. What does this mean exactly? Well, what might have appeared to be temporary softness in 1080p now translates into the type of organic dynamic shift you would expect to see on a 35mm film from the early 1960s. I specifically took screencaptures #14 and 19 to highlight this exact effect in different areas of the film. Additionally, there is darker/nighttime footage that definitely reveals more subtle nuances. Yes, the uptick in visual quality isn't consistent across the entire film, but it is because the same organic dynamic shifts are present in some darker/nighttime footage as well. The density and fluidity of the visuals are outstanding, but these are improvements I expected to see in native 4K because the higher resolution always tightens up the visuals. The overall color balance is excellent, so to be perfectly honest without having seen examples of what an HDR grade could have accomplished, I think that the current presentation is enormously impressive. There are no stability issues or conventional age-related imperfections. Also, I did not encounter encoding anomalies to report in our review. So, should you consider upgrading if you already have the previous Blu-ray release of the 4K restoration? My answer is yes. If you upscale the Blu-ray release to 4K, you will get a fine presentation of the 4K restoration, but native 4K gives you a different type of quality. Plus, the discrepancy should become even more pronounced as the size of your TV or projection screen increases as well. (Note: This is a Region-Free 4K Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your 4K Blu-ray player regardless of your geographical location).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
I prefer the Mono track, but this time around I viewed the entire film with the 5.1 track. According to technical credits that are provided on Criterion's Blu-ray release, the 5.1 track was created in 2002 by Chace Audio in Hollywood, California. Its dynamic range is clearly superior, so virtually all of the more elaborate action footage sounds better. I think that there are some examples of superior clarity as well, though it could be that the move to 5.1 just opens up some segments a bit better. Regardless, it is a good mix that should easily meet all kinds of different expectations. I did not encounter any technical anomalies.
4K BLU-RAY DISC
German war camps were nothing like the place you would see in The Great Escape, and to assume that soldiers and civilians that were unlucky to end up there could behave like the many stars that made the film is beyond naive. This is the biggest problem with this film -- it sells a fairy tale, it does not recreate a true story. This does not mean that it is an awful film. No, not at all. There is plenty of good acting with memorable action footage in it, but it is not the masterful and authentic war drama that Hollywood wanted it to be and various critics argued it was. (You can get a much more accurate idea of what German camps were like if you see Lajos Koltai's Fateless. And for a similar viewing experience revealing the truth about the Soviet gulags, you can spend an evening with Hardy Martins' As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me).
Kino Lorber's 4K Blu-ray release of The Great Escape offers a presentation of the recent excellent 4K restoration of the film that was initially introduced on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection. Should you upgrade if you already have the Blu-ray release? Yes, I think that the upgrade in quality is quite easy to appreciate. RECOMMENDED.
MGM 90th Anniversary
1963
1963
VUDU Digital Copy + VUDU Offer
1963
1963
1963
65th Anniversary Limited Edition
1957
2010
1961
1970
2006
Oorlogswinter
2008
Der Hauptmann
2017
25th Anniversary Edition
1993
1953
60th Anniversary Limited Edition
1962
1944
2012
25th Anniversary Edition
1987
Fox Studio Classics
1965
金陵十三钗 / 金陵十三釵 / Jīnlíng Shísān Chāi
2011
1955
2005
1975
Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter
2013
Special Edition
1948