7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In the early nineteenth century, after an ivory-hunting safari offends a group of South African hunters, the colonialists are captured and hideously tortured. A lone marksman is released, without clothes or weapons, to be hunted for sport, and he begins a harrowing journey through savanna and jungle back to a primitive state.
Starring: Cornel Wilde, Gert van den Bergh, Ken Gampu, Patrick Mynhardt, Morrison GampuThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Cornel Wilde's "The Naked Prey" (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 video interview with film historian Sheldon Hall. The release also arrives with a 24-page illustrated booklet featuring an essay on the film and archival imagery. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The hunted
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Cornel Wilde's The Naked Prey arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release has been sourced from a pre-existing master. I did some direct comparisons with my R1 DVD release from Criterion and the basic characteristic are practically identical. Obviously, detail and clarity are better, especially during the various larger panoramic shots. However, also during these larger panoramic shots depth isn't as convincing as it should be. (I am not referring to the stock inserts with the wildlife footage. See screencapptures #4 and 5). Colors are stable and natural, but color saturation should be better. The variety of greens and yellows, in particular, should be much richer. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but if the film is rescanned and restored grain distribution will be better. Also, there are no traces of recent digital corrections, but contrast levels are slightly elevated and occasionally the film could look a bit harsh. Overall image stability is very good. There are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, or torn frames, but some minor stains can been spotted. To sum it all up, this is a fine presentation of The Naked Prey, but the film definitely can look better in high-definition. 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 1.0 (with tiny portions of African dialect). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The lossless track is very good. Obviously, dynamic intensity isn't overly impressive, but separation and clarity are excellent. There are no pops, audio dropouts, distracting background hiss, or digital distortions to report in this review.
I don't particularly like Cornel Wilde's The Naked Prey. It is an interesting project, but it heads in two completely different directions at the same time and as a result the important contrasts and similarities it highlights look and feel more than a bit suspicious. I much prefer Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, which tells a very similar story but in a far more effective manner. Eureka Entertainment's presentation of The Naked Prey is good, but the supplemental features on the release are underwhelming. RECOMMENDED.
2018
2019
2015
2017
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1949
1989
Masters of Cinema
1982
1987
2015
40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition
1977
Indicator Series | Limited Edition
1966
Remastered
1971
Le salaire de la peur
1953
1976
1982
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1976
Capharnaüm / کفرناحوم
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Arrow Academy
2016
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Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan
2013