6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A Scotsman abruptly breaks off his engagement to pretty Kitty and moves to his uncle's castle in the Scottish highlands. Kitty and her aunt follow Gerald a few weeks later, and discover he has suddenly aged. Some mysterious things happen in a maze made from the hedges adjoining the castle.
Starring: Richard Carlson, Veronica Hurst, Katherine Emery, Michael Pate, John DodsworthHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Blu-ray 3D
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Here is a treasure trove of an article, written by Ted Okuda, concerning The Maze, packed with far more knowledge of the film than this reviewer possesses. It's a great jumping-in point to the film (and its 3D presentation) or a fantastic post-watch exploration that brings the entirety of the movie-watching experience together (and it would have made for a perfect centerpiece inclusion in a hypothetical Blu-ray DigiBook release of the film). Broadly, the film is based on a book by a Swiss chemist-turned-author by the name of Maurice Sandoz, but more interesting is that none other than Salvador Dali illustrated it. The film adaptation is directed by William Cameron Menzies (the original Invaders from Mars) who creates a slow-burn buildup to a surprisingly revelatory conclusion that's off the beaten path to be sure but, hey, it was the 1950s. It's a fun film that plays much better in its native 3D, losing in translation to 2D many of the the critical dimensional details that help construct a gripping, wonderfully choking, and fully absorbing atmosphere of place and mystery.
Uncovering the mysteries of the maze (and the castle nearby).
Note: the 2D image was reviewed on an LG OLED65C7P while the 3D content was reviewed on a Sony XBR65Z9D.
Kino's Blu-ray release of The Maze features both 2D and 3D presentations. The project was graciously funded in part by the Martin
Scorsese-founded nonprofit Film Foundation (Margaret Bodde, Executive Director). The left and right 35mm film elements were provided by Laura
Thornburg and Andrea Kalas at the Paramount
Archives, which were turned over to PRO-TEK where the 4K scan was conducted. First, a review of the 2D-only presentation.
The image is almost uniformly excellent. Thad Komorowski performed the clean-up and the resultant presentation, while imperfect
against larger-budget restorations, yields a very agreeable image with minimally invasive wear-and-tear remnants. Very light wobble accompanies the
opening titles,
and a few inherently softer focus shots and subjects are seen
throughout the film, but any issues with the presentation are minor in the larger picture, particularly considering the challenges (budgetary included)
inherent to the process. Generally, the image is very pleasing to, oftentimes, exemplary. Light grain retention is visible and complimentary. Textural
qualities may not be a match
for contemporary blockbusters but there's an agreeable firmness and complexity to essential qualities like faces and clothes while castle interior
accents such as ornate bedposts and wooden furniture, textured walls, and of course the exterior grounds and particularly the maze's hedges all
benefit from a sturdy, often robust level of core textural delights. Grayscale is firm and accurate, with blacks generally deep and boasting exquisite
shadow detail.
The 3D restoration was performed by the 3-D Film Archive and is, as expected, the absolute highlight on the disc (though the commentary track is a
joy, too). The film opens with a "wow" moment right off the bat, as the camera slowly pushes towards that door with the aforementioned "Keep Out"
sign on it. The door slowly opens to reveal the beginning yards of the maze, which stretches back very far into the screen's depth, eerily inviting the
audience
to enter and discover what lies beyond. It's an effective scene both narratively and technically alike. The title card that pushes outward seconds later
isn't as
impressive in its outward push as the maze is with its inward push, but the pairing of extended credits and deep hedges makes for a strong overall
shot, anyway. Shapely
depth and character and object separation are highlights at the party early in the film, with a few fun screen-extending moments as a dancing girl,
flung about by two men, is pushed outwards as if on a swing a couple of times, and her arms extend out of the screen as she completes the routine.
Likewise, at an outdoor swimming pool in the next sequence, there's a very agreeable, tangible sense of depth, as a few character congregate towards
the camera while others lounge about, poolside, far back into the screen's depths.
General depth is certainly a strong point. As with all of the wonderful releases from 3-D Film Archive, it would be easy, and fun, to simply point out
every great example, but time and space constraints prohibit that much detail. Suffice it to say basic depth is wonderful and firm throughout, with
excellent separation and distinction in the spaces between the camera and everything in its frame. That said, there are some nice little touches that are
worth pointing out beyond the general depth excellence. Sometimes, it's the small things in these 3D presentations that make the biggest impact. Take
a
scene around the 12-minute mark in which Edith and Kitty are holding a newspaper, angled slightly towards the audience. The sensation that it's
stretched out before them and, albeit modestly, extending from the screen is obvious. A vase of flowers offers a little more opportunity to explore the
nook and cranny spaces between objects, while an open door behind the characters, whatever is in it barely visible as they stand in front of it, still
offering an added layer of extension
back into the screen into the parts which the audience can see. The scene doesn't look like much in 2D, but it really comes alive in 3D, which is
certainly the case with the entire film.
A few more interesting examples of note. When Kitty and Edith arrive at the castle on a foggy night at the 18-minute mark, three on-screen characters
are slightly offset, and that additional spacing -- they're not bunched up but rather spread out a little, in what is essentially a staggered line -- offers an
enhanced sense of spatial awareness
as the viewer appears to be looking over the shoulders of both Edith and the butler, depending on however Menzies is framing the shots (clearly with a
keen eye for 3D composition, here and throughout the film, for that matter). The castle's
dining room feels appreciably large at the 22-minute mark. In 2D the scene is virtually inconsequential from a visual perspective. In 3D, the viewer
enjoys a significant sense
of place and space. A protruding tree immediately after the film's seconds-long intermission, noted in the commentary track as earning a big audience
reaction, is indeed a fabulous example of 3D extension, as branches seem to push right out of the screen and into the theater. And, of course, the
film's climax returns to the maze seen at film's open, with additional moments of startlingly good depth to enjoy and a solid pop-out moment when the
secret is revealed. There were absolutely no crosstalk effects
visible on the review Z9D panel. The 3D image is firmly detailed and the grayscale is beautiful, both appearing just as good as, if not even a little
better than, the
2D image. This is another must-own, home run 3D presentation from 3-D Film Archive and easily ranks amongst the very best the studio has released.
The Maze features "restored three-channel stereophonic sound by Eckhard Büttner." The DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 lossless soundtrack delivers a quality listen. Fine front stage coverage and effortless width yield open-space ambience and musical richness at the engagement party while splashes in a pool may be heard off to the left side around the 9-minute mark. Additionally, various small details around the castle help build atmosphere, while some more intensive screams and (spoiler-free) climactic sound effects are pleasantly robust and well defined. Musical fidelity impresses under the constraints of age and engineering, and dialogue is presented without technical issue from a firm center positioning.
The Maze contains a high quality commentary track, an actress interview, and a trailer.
It's easy to dismiss The Maze's finale as silly, and out of context it certainly is. It's a movie that, considering its endgame, requires a gradual appreciation as the viewer comes to terms with what, exactly, it means, more in a metaphorical sense rather than a literal one. It speaks to an interesting point that should be relevant still today about perception and reality, identity, and truth. Literally, it's laugh-out-loud absurd. Metaphorically, it's much more challenging. Whether it works in the movie's immediate context is up for debate, but there's no mistaking the the film is otherwise an exceptionally well crafted moody and mysterious experience that's made all the better by its 3D presentation, which on this Blu-ray is the beneficiary of a startlingly intense and highly enjoyable 3D restoration by Greg Kintz, Bob Furmanek, and everyone at the 3-D Film Archive. Also boasting quality sound and a couple of excellent extras including a must-listen commentary, this release of course comes very highly recommended and is an early contender for a spot on the year-end top-10 list.
1954
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2K Restoration
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1982
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1931
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Special Edition | The Creeping Unknown
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Warner Archive Collection
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Collector's Edition
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