7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Slovakia during WW2. Tono lives a poor life, but the authorities offer him to take over the Jewish widow Lautman's little shop for sewing material. She is old and confused and thinks that he is only looking for employment and hires him. The odd couple begin to like each other. But some time later the authorities decide that the Jews must leave the city. What should he do with the old lady?
Starring: Ida Kaminska, Jozef Kroner, Hana Slivková, Martin Hollý (I), Adam MatejkaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 35% |
Period | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Slovak: LPCM Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Winner of Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Ján Kadar and Elmar Klos' "The Shop on Main Street" (1965) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Second Run. The supplemental features on the disc include a gallery of archival promotional materials from the U.S. and new filmed appreciation by critic Michael Brooke. The release also arrives with 20-page illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Peter Hames and technical materials. In Slovak, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The Aryan controller
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos' The Shop on Main Street arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British label Second Run.
There are obvious improvements in terms of density and in some areas clarity and detail. Especially on larger screens a lot of these improvements are quite obvious. However, the current presentation lacks the type of consistency that we have come to expect from recent restorations of classic period films. For example, various large damage marks and scratches remain, and in some areas transitions are quite problematic. Brightness levels fluctuate as well, though there are no serious anomalies to report. The biggest issue is the persistent flatness that is visible during daylight and nighttime/darker footage. Indeed, it is easy to see that denoising corrections have been applied to rebalance the image, and that these corrections have actually impacted depth by introducing various unnatural blocks of gray. (You can see the flatness in screencaptures #8, 10, and 19). The good news is that no attempts were made to repolish the film and as a result some of its organic qualities have been retained. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Slovak LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
There are a few minor pops that can be heard here and there, but clarity and depth remain consistently pleasing. Also, there are no balance issues to report. The overall range of nuanced dynamics is limited, but this is hardly surprising for a period film of this caliber. There are no digital distortions.
An ordinary Slovak carpenter witnesses the profound transformation of his home town during the early 1940s in this brilliant film from Jan Kadar and Elmar Klos. There are a lot of other films that have recreated this specific period in other countries across Europe, but very few, if any, are as sincere and genuinely moving as The Shop on Main Street. Second Run's technical presentation is very good, but the film needs to be fully restored so that it looks as good as it should on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.
Elle s'appelait Sarah
2010
南京!南京! / Nanjing! Nanjing!
2009
Nabarvené ptáce / Montage Pictures
2019
Popiól i Diament / Arrow Academy
1958
Дылда / Dylda
2019
海街diary / Umimachi Diary
2015
Le livre d'image
2018
2013
Нелюбовь / Nelyubov
2017
รักที่ขอนแก่น / Rak ti Khon Kaen
2015
2014
Die Ehe der Maria Braun / Arrow Academy
1978
La notte di San Lorenzo / The Night of Saint Lorenzo
1982
1952
Подземље / Podzemlje
1995
Левиафан / Leviafan
2014
El Club
2015
黒い雨 / Kuroi ame | Arrow Academy
1989
Летят журавли / Letyat zhuravli
1957
天注定 / Tiān zhů děng
2013