6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The creatures who live in the Land of Point all have pointy features, except Oblio, whose circular head is unusual. Singled out because of his appearance, Oblio is exiled to the Pointless Forest. In the process, he learns that it doesn't matter what you look like -- it's who you are on the inside that counts.
Starring: Mike Lookinland, Paul Frees, Lennie Weinrib, Bill Martin (IV), Buddy FosterAnimation | 100% |
Family | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
English: Dolby Digital 5.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Harry Nilsson is a bit of an oddity in the frequently pretty generally odd anyway annals of rock music, having been one of the most influential singer-songwriters of his generation, but one who may nevertheless be best remembered by the public at large for his “cover” versions of two songs he did not write himself, Everybody’s Talkin’, a Fred Neil composition which famously became part of Midnight Cowboy, and Without You, a plaintive ballad many Baby Boomers associate only with Nilsson (younger folks may know Mariah Carey’s version), even though it was written and originally recorded by the British group Badfinger. That data point is rather interesting in and of itself, since Badfinger was famously the first band signed to the Beatles’ then nascent Apple Music label back in 1968, and had several hits that had direct Beatle involvement. The Beatles themselves (or at least John Lennon and Paul McCartney) had just as famously shared their love for Nilsson’s music in an interview given more or less at around this same time, and the fact that what many would probably cite as the single most important band of that era should single out Nilsson as their own personal favorite should certainly be indicative of what esteem Nilsson was held in as a writer. In that regard, it's once again kind of ironic that in terms of being a singer-songwriter Nilsson may be best remembered not for his own version of a song he wrote, but for a song he wrote which became a massive hit for the band Three Dog Night, One. In just one example of the mind boggling vagaries of the music industry, Nilsson didn’t really have a string of massive hits which he both wrote and recorded himself, with many of his own singles of his own material tending to reside in the bottom half of the Top 40 (if they charted at all), though one novelty single of his, Coconut from 1971, did make it to the Top 10. Another tune of his which might be rightly thought of as kinda sorta a novelty single, Me and My Arrow, made it to 34 in 1972 (it was the single released right before Without You, in fact). Me and My Arrow was a jaunty little number that might have been casually understood as a love song, but it was actually an ode to a dog, and was part of the album The Point, a kind of whimsical fairy tale album that sparked an animated feature adaptation which premiered a few months after the album did, as part of the then very popular ABC franchise of so-called "world premieres", Movie of the Week.
The Point is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Rewind Collection, an imprint of MVD Visual, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. While the back cover of this release states this is a "new 2K High Definition transfer from 16mm film elements", expectations should probably be adjusted somewhat by the inescapable fact that the elements utilized are often rather badly damaged. My first piece of advice is to take a deep breath over the very opening couple of production company mastheads, as those are among the worst looking moments in this presentation. However, there are pretty abundant nicks, scratches, and what looks like some emulsion mottling that show up recurrently once the actual film starts. I've tried to provide screenshots that show some of the kinds of damage that regularly crop up, and I highly recommend those interested to look at them in full resolution (there's a rather long lasting scratch down the middle of the frame in the opening few minutes of the film, which can be seen in screenshot 6, and later there's quite a bit of scratching and other damage toward the left side of the frame, as can be seen in screenshot 15, but many other screenshots show other moments of varying damage). The palette looks rather nicely suffused throughout much of this presentation, with especially strong blues. To my eyes grain was more immediately apparent against darker backgrounds. The film has quite a few optical dissolves and during these moments in particular grain can look a bit on the chunky side, with a yellowish tint.
Unfortunately this release only features lossy audio, with Dolby Digital 2.0 mono and Dolby Digital 5.0 surround offerings. (The cover and menu state the surround mix is 5.1, but both a standalone player and my Playstation identified only a "basic" 5.0 mix. Similarly, both the cover and menu state the 2.0 mix is stereo, but I'm not hearing any separation and the original broadcast audio was mono.) I'd frankly stay away from the surround mix, as it adds an almost insane amount of reverb that makes Ringo Starr's narration sound like it's emanating from the bottom of a very deep well. Some of the music also suffers from this same almost "phase-y" quality. The 2.0 mix is quite satisfying, with none of the almost out of phase sounding surround mix issues. Dialogue, effects and Nilsson's effortlessly charming music are all rendered with fine fidelity, though a lossless track would have certainly been preferable. The one element in this version of The Point where some may have preferred not to have a Beatle participating is with regard to the Starr voice work. As trivia buffs probably know, Dustin Hoffman provided the voice of the father in the first broadcast iteration, but evidently his contract only allowed for that single use. Starr does absolutely fine in the role, but "originalists" might have wanted Hoffman as an option at least.
Like Harry Nilsson's music itself, The Point is absolutely sui generis and it should certainly appeal to those who argue for greater understanding between those who perceive themselves to be "different" from each other. The film ultimately may not make a ton of sense (as even Kiefo Nilsson kind of admits to in his comments on a supplement), but it's a lot of fun and Nilsson's music is captivating. Video is encumbered by an at times pretty damaged source element, and unfortunately there are only lossy audio tracks available on this release. With those caveats duly noted, and with an understanding that the supplemental package here is great, The Point comes Recommended.
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