7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.4 |
It's 1942 in Warsaw, and tenacious Wehrmacht Intelligence Maj. Grau is led to Paris as he attempts to pinpoint who of three generals is responsible for killing and then slicing up a hooker. Among the suspects is Nazi Gen. Tanz, a known sadist.
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Omar Sharif, Tom Courtenay, Donald Pleasence, Joanna PettetPeriod | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Well, ya can’t win ‘em all. One of the trailers included on this new Blu-ray presentation of The Night of the Generals touts producer Sam Spiegel’s vaunted string of iconic films through the years, a string which includes such classic titles as The African Queen, On the Waterfront, The Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence of Arabia would have been looming large in any case with The Night of the Generals, due not only to the fact that in 1967 when Generals was released Lawrence was the most recent Spiegel entry mentioned in the marketing campaign, but more importantly due to the fact that The Night of the Generals putatively reunited Lawrence of Arabia’s star duo of Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif. (Tom Courtenay, an alumnus of David Lean’s follow up to Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, is also on hand, further linking this film, albeit subliminally, with Lean’s oeuvre.) Unfortunately The Night of the Generals lacked not just David Lean’s finesse, but the literary genius of screenwriter Robert Bolt. With a screenplay by Joseph Kessel and Paul Dehn, culled from a brief snippet of a 1962 novel by Hans Hellmut Kirst, and with direction by the workmanlike if uninspired Anatole Litvak (Anastasia), The Night of the Generals is a patently odd combination of police procedural and wartime conspiracy thriller, one featuring the rare sight of Peter O’Toole overacting to such a degree that some may find the film downright comical at times.
The Night of the Generals is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Reportedly sourced off a new 4K scan and restoration supervised by Sony-Columbia's Grover Crisp, this is another transfer that I'd personally characterize as a solid triple if not an outright home run, much along the lines of the recent Blu-ray release of A Man for All Seasons. Elements are in excellent condition (or have been restored to appear so), and the film retains a really beautifully organic quality throughout the presentation, with a nicely resolved fine grain field. Sharpness and clarity are generally very commendable, though a couple of scenes (like the first romantic interlude with Hartmann and Ulrike) look at least relatively soft. The color timing here is my one (minor) qualm. Things just look slightly gray-blue a lot of the time, something that can push reds slightly toward the purple end of the spectrum and which gives flesh tones a kind of ashen pall.
The Night of the Generals features a workmanlike DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track which presents the film's dialogue, effects (including a few bombastic war scenes) and Jarre's score with excellent fidelity if an obviously narrow soundstage (the uptick in amplitude and general forcefulness in the isolated score track is quite noticeable). Prioritization is first rate, and there are no issues of any kind afflicting this problem free track.
I've known some big fans of The Night of the Generals, many of whom I'm sure would insist I'm out of my mind for even deigning to question O'Toole's acting choices, Litvak's directorial acumen and/or Jarre's ability to effectively score a scene. To which I respond: get in line. At around the 90 minute mark, The Night of the Generals really clicks into high gear and starts delivering on a somewhat ponderous set up. Still, O'Toole has a rare bout of inglorious overacting (at least at times), and it's a bit of a stretch knitting together the murder "mystery" (not that it's much of a mystery, mind you) and the nefarious Valkyrie plot. Those with a bit of patience will find enough here to enjoy, and with excellent technical merits, The Night of the Generals comes Recommended.
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