7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A clerical mistake results in a bumbling film extra being invited to an exclusive Hollywood party instead of being fired.
Starring: Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet, Marge Champion, Dick Crockett, Danielle De MetzComedy | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Blake Edwards' "The Party" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival featurettes; and cast and crew profiles. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
What's his name?
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Blake Edwards' The Party arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release is sourced from the same older master that MGM/Fox have licensed to other parties in North American and Europe. (I currently have this Italian release in my library, which is sourced from the same master that Kino Video's release also uses). The master is decent, but it is quite uneven and it easily shows that there are various source limitations. There are two very obvious ones. First, there are noticeable drops in terms of density where the visuals become flat and soft (see examples in screencaptures #7, 8, 9, and 10). A few very minor fluctuations are also part of the original cinematography, but they have different characteristics and are not as pronounced. Second, there are obvious color registration issues. Some are noticeable during the same examples that are listed above, but elsewhere you will see them appear in random spots (see screencapture #17). In fact, even on normal screens (46'-52') you will almost certainly notice various color pulsations even in areas where the registration issues are not present. In other words, overall stability could and should be much better. The good news here is that there are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments, so even though there is quite a bit of room for improvements, the master does have some decent organic qualities. There are no large damage marks, cuts, or torn frames, but various tiny specks, stains, and blemishes occasionally can be spotted. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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 are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The film has a very nice score from the great Henry Mancini and there is actually plenty of dynamic activity before and during the party. I viewed the film with the LPCM 2.0 track and really do not have any major reservations. Depth is very nice and clarity is consistently pleasing; overall dynamic balance is also very good. The dialog is stable, though there are a few areas where it does become somewhat thinner. Still, even if one day the film is fully restored and the audio remixed, I think that the improvements will likely be cosmetic at best. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report.
Blake Edwards' The Party is one of my all-time favorite comedies. I revisit it a couple of times each year and I always find it astonishing that so much of what makes it special was in fact improvised. Interestingly, the more time passes by, the more I also begin to admire its fearless sense of humor. I think that it should have earned at least one Oscar nomination, but on the other hand, considering how it effectively targets just about everything that normal people dislike about Hollywood, it seems perfectly logical that it was snubbed. Eureka Entertainment's upcoming release of The Party is sourced from the same MGM/Fox master that other labels have accessed in different territories. It is a mostly decent master, but the film needs to be fully restored so that it looks as good as it should. RECOMMENDED.
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