6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A concentration camp survivor discovers her former torturer and lover working as a porter at a hotel in postwar Vienna. When the couple attempt to re-create their sadomasochistic relationship, his former SS comrades begin to stalk them.
Starring: Dirk Bogarde, Charlotte Rampling, Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti, Giuseppe AddobbatiDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: LPCM 2.0
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Liliana Cavani's "Il portiere di notte" a.k.a. "The Night Porter" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment-UK. Unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray release. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
We will stay here
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment-UK.
The high-definition transfer appears to have been sourced from the same new master French distributors Wild Side Video had access to when they prepared their Blu-ray release for the Gallic markets (in fact, the Wild Side Films logo appears in the beginning of the film). Generally speaking, its basics are quite strong. Despite the abundance of low light, most close-ups convey pleasing depth, with the footage from inside the hotel looking quite good. The daylight footage also boasts decent fluidity (see screencapture #3). The best news, however, is that there are no traces of problematic denoising/degrainning corrections. Additionally, edge-enhancement never sneaks in. This being said, grain isn't always well resolved, partially due to the fact that extremely light noise occasionally overwhelms it - but there are no lumps of grain or noise that stick out. On the contrary, despite some minor fluctuations the film has a genuinely pleasing organic look. There are absolutely no serious stability issues to report in this review either. All in all, this Blu-ray release of Liliana Cavani's controversial film represents a substantial upgrade in quality over virtually every previous release of the film, including Criterion's quite problematic R1 DVD release, as well as General Video's Italian R2 DVD release. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Anchor Bay-UK have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The English LPCM 2.0 track has a strong dynamic amplitude that gives quite a boost to the excellent soundtrack. The oboe and violin solos, in particular, sound beautiful. The long segment from the performance of Die Zauberflote also boasts substantially better depth (when one compares the same segment from the Criterion release). There are no distortions, excessive background hiss, pops, or cracks. The dialog is also very easy to follow. However, optional English subtitles should have been included. I tested only a few scenes with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track but did not hear any substantial dynamic improvements. For this film, I prefer the original two-channel track.
Unfortunately, there are no supplemental features to be found on this Blu-ray disc.
Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter is a fascinating and exceptionally bold film reminiscent of Luchino Visconti's legendary The Damned and Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist. It is the type of film that can no longer be made. This new Blu-ray release of The Night Porter represents a substantial upgrade in quality over virtually every previous release of the film. My only minor criticism pertains to the fact that there are no supplemental features on it. Regardless, fans of classic European cinema should not miss it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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