6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
A comedy about a couple from a small town in Ohio (Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis) having a troubled visit to the Big Apple on the eve of a job interview for Lemmon's character. This couple endure everything that can go wrong on a trip, including being forced to spend the night on the streets.
Starring: Jack Lemmon, Sandy Dennis, Sandy Baron, Anne Meara, Ron CareyComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 2.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Arthur Hiller's "The Out-of-Towners" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new audio commentary by critic Lee Gambin as well as vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
It can't get any worse than this.
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Out-of-Towners arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.
The release is sourced from an old and unfortunately very, very problematic older master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. Indeed, it appears that at some point in the past, which I assume was during the DVD era, this master was polished with digital tools to make the visuals of the film better balanced. Quite predictably, native detail was immediately lost and various compromising anomalies were introduced in a variety of different places. For example, you will easily see that backgrounds tend to appear soft and smeary, at times even patchy as well. In darker visuals, plenty of analogue-esque noise has replaced the grain too, routinely producing flatness that can be quite distracting (see screencaptures #1 and 5). From time to time, trained eyes will even spot ghosting effects that can contribute to other issues that are compromising the integrity of the visuals. Color reproduction isn't convincing. There are some decent primaries, but saturation isn't proper and most supporting nuances are lost. Darker nuances, in particular, are either very problematic or missing. Image stability is good, but there are a few areas with shaky transitions. Finally, a few small blemishes and marks can be spotted here and there. All in all, it is pretty obvious that The Out-of-Towners needs to be fully restored so that there is master that can produce a proper home video release of the film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The lossless track is actually quite good. The dialog is stable, clear, and easy to follow. I did not notice any troubling anomalies in the upper register, where older films usually reveal weaknesses. I think that dynamic intensity is good too, but if the film is fully restored, I have to assume that the audio will be remastered and dynamic balance likely improved a bit.
Arthur Hiller's The Out-of-Towners is not just a wild comedy about a provincial couple enduring a rather remarkable cycle of misery in the Big Apple. If you adjust your viewing angle just a little bit, you will quickly realize that it actually offers a pretty spectacular commentary on the American way of life. Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis are terrific in it, and I think that in 1970 both should have been considered for Oscar statuettes. Via Vision Entertainment's release is sourced from an older and unfortunately quite problematic master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures. I could not wait for it to arrive because The Out-of-Towners is an old favorite of mine, but much to my disappointment, I must write that at the moment there isn't a good enough master for a proper Blu-ray release.
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