8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A senator revisits the city he became famous. At a funeral for a mysterious man, the senator tells the story of how his paths crossed with this stranger and why a hero became forgotten by history.
Starring: John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'BrienWestern | 100% |
Drama | 86% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (Original) (224 kbps)
German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
John Ford's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Pictures UK. There are no supplemental features on this release. In English, with optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
"Now, what kind of man are you, dude?"
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Pictures UK.
The main menu of this disc can be set in one of the following languages: English, Danish, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Finnish, Swedish, and French (for Benelux territories).
The high-definition transfer used for this release clearly comes from a high-quality scan. Additional restoration work appears to have been performed as well. Needless to say, the basics we address in these reviews are indeed solid. Detail is consistently pleasing. Close-ups with plenty of light look particularly good (see screencapture #5). Some of the nighttime footage looks marginally softer, but clarity remains very pleasing. Contrast levels are stable. The blacks and whites are well balanced and there is a good range of nuanced grays. There are no traces if excessive degraining corrections. However, some partial corrections whose goal was to remove dirt and noise have been performed. Problematic sharpening adjustments have not been applied. Furthermore, overall image stability is very good. Even frame transitions in areas where time has clearly had an effect on the film are very good. There are no large cuts, damage marks, debris, or warps, but a few minor scratches that could not be removed without affecting the integrity of the film remain. All in all, there is some room for minor improvements, but the overall quality of the presentation is indeed very pleasing. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There are six standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0, German Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian Dolby Digital 2.0, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0. For the record, Paramount Pictures UK have provided optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles for the main feature.
The English Dolby Digital 2.0 is described as English Restored Mono on the disc's menu, and it certainly sounds very good - depth and especially clarity are excellent. But I would have preferred to have a lossless mono track instead of a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. Dynamic levels on the 5.1 track are elevated, but there are sequences where overall balance seems unnatural. On the the other hand, anyone expecting a dramatic expansion in the surrounds will be disappointed. My preference here remains the mono track. For the record, there are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
Most unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release.
John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is one of the all-time greatest Hollywood westerns. In my opinion, it is also the legendary director's best film. Currently, the film is only available on Blu-ray in various European countries and Australia, but I think that it is only a matter of time before it is released in North America. Let's hope that our local release will come with plenty of supplemental features. RECOMMENDED.
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