7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
A disgruntled veteran recruits a group of disgraced collegues to perform a bank robbery with military precision.
Starring: Jack Hawkins (I), Nigel Patrick, Roger Livesey, Richard Attenborough, Bryan ForbesHeist | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.75:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.75:1
English: LPCM 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Basil Dearden's " The League of Gentlemen" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage audio commentary by Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman; archival program about the life and career of Richard Attenborough; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Our business is finished here. Let's move.
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.75:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The League of Gentlemen arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Network Releasing.
The release is sourced from a very solid new 2K restoration of the film. I have only one minor complaint, which I have mentioned in other reviews of Network releases. Here it is:
I don't understand why the folks that do these beautiful restorations on behalf of the label feel the need to tone down grain on the finalized masters. I have not seen every single restoration they have produced, but I have seen quite a few and especially their TV projects could have looked phenomenal without the additional adjustments. Fortunately, usually these are extremely light adjustments, but I feel that they are not needed. The raw masters, without the grain management, I can tell look sensational, so transfer them to Blu-ray as they are.
The League of Gentlemen looks really, really good, but when I projected it I was able to tell that it could have looked even better. To be perfectly clear, you do not need to worry about anomalies of the kind that poor degraining adjustments produce -- delineation, depth, and fluidity are lovely. But trained eyes will spot a few areas, mostly during darker indoor footage, where it just feels like the visuals could have been even more impressive. There are minor nuances that I felt could have been better exposed; not by much but enough to make these visuals look more convincing. The rest I liked a lot. The grading job, in particular, is outstanding. The entire film also looks very, very healthy. 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 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.
Clarity and stability are very good. However, there are some segments where in the upper register you will hear very light buzz, from time to time with some thinning as well. It is most noticeable whenever the music becomes prominent. These fluctuations are not even remotely distracting, but I wonder if they could have been addressed with additional restoration work. The rest sounds great.
It would be quite silly of me to try to explain why you should be eager to pick up a copy of Basil Dearden's The League of Gentlemen. After all, even a quick glance at its cast list should provide you with plenty of good reasons. I just wish to mention one other good thing about it that may not be so obvious now. At the time of its release this film was a genre outsider that became a trend-setter much in the same way Rififi was in France. It did it differently -- primarily by effectively blending its pragmatism with casual but bold cynicism that produces virtually all of the good laughs -- but its incredible reputation comes from the same insistence that crime is, and always will be, a serious business best handled by men of discipline. Network's new release is sourced from a very solid exclusive 2K restoration and features a small but excellent set of archival bonus features. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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