6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Without hostile intent, a Soviet sub runs aground off New England. Men are sent for a boat, but many villagers go into a tizzy, risking bloodshed.
Starring: Alan Arkin, Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Keith, Jonathan WintersWar | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The mid-sixties were not exactly a time of burgeoning detente between the Soviet Union and the United States, and that tended to spill over into cinematic depictions of the simmering conflicts between the two superpowers. Though it had an obviously satiric edge, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’s subtext was decidedly apocalyptic, managing to make a trenchant joke out of Mankind’s seemingly unquenchable thirst to destroy itself. The black humor on display in Kubrick’s 1964 masterpiece set it somewhat apart from grittier filmic portrayals of this era, outings that tended to be darker and more dramatically angst ridden. Films like 1965's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold offered a bleaker view of the interplay between the two most dominant nation states of the time, with a kind of more “intimate” apocalpyse on display than that offered in Dr. Strangelove. Cutting against the general dramatic grain in a comedic way completely different from Dr. Strangelove is Norman Jewison’s ebullient 1966 farce The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming, a film which wonderfully lampoons not just the absurdities of Cold War interaction but the foibles of humans themselves, no matter what nationality they may claim as their own. Deftly written by the always reliable William Rose, The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming is often raucously amusing in its portrayal of a (fictional) island off the coast of Massachusetts thinking it is being overrun by invading Russians when a Soviet submarine runs aground in a shallow seabed and the desperate crew goes ashore to try to get a little help to return to international waters.
The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber Studio Classics with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. There's a variability in the color space throughout this presentation that might be somewhat akin to a "glass half full, glass half empty" situation. At times, colors are nicely vivid and fairly accurate looking (given an understanding of minimal fade toward the brown end of things). But at others, the color space seems too cool, with unconvincing flesh tones and a kind of drab overall appearance. The bright outdoor scenes (of which there are many) offer better clarity and pop, generally speaking. Grain is quite heavy at times, especially in the longish opening credits sequence and (as should be expected) in opticals. Elements have about the expected amount of age related wear and tear, with scratches, dirt and white flecks cropping up with fair regularity. There are no issues with image instability.
The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 which nicely supports Johnny Mandel's fun, brass and piccolo inflected, score, as well as the sometimes manic dialogue. Fidelity is fine throughout this presentation and dynamic range is rather wide for this sort of comedy. There are no issues of any kind to report.
The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming actually bears a 1965 copyright during its credits, despite the fact that it was released in mid-1966. That puts it squarely in the timeframe of grittier Cold War dramas like the aforementioned The Spy Who Came in From the Cold or somewhat similar films like The Ipcress File. How refreshing, then, that this film should be played for laughs, and for such smart laughs at that. A near perfect combination of farce and character driven hilarity, The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming manages to bolster the idea that we can indeed "just get along," at least if there's a child hanging precariously from a nearby church tower. Video quality here is occasionally variable, but overall The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming comes Recommended.
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