7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Filmed in San Francisco, this Stanley Kramer production is one of the earliest studies of a murderous psychopath who kills randomly and without motive, making it almost impossible to track him down. This noir pits the rationalism of law and psychiatry against the irrationality of post-traumatic stress and compulsive homicide.
Starring: Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, Gerald Mohr, Marie Windsor, Frank FaylenDrama | 100% |
Crime | 27% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo verified
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Edward Dmytryk's "The Sniper" (1952) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an archival audio commentary by film noir expert Eddie Muller; archival introduction by Martin Scorsese; vintage promotional materials for the film; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Sniper arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
This film was remastered by Sony Pictures more than a decade ago, and in the U.S. it was available on DVD via the Columbia Pictures Film Noir Classics I collection. While the age of the remaster shows, its overall the quality is still very nice.
The two areas that reveal the age of the remaster are density and fluidity. Predictably, delineation can be a tad inconsistent, especially before and after transitions, and the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to spot the difference. The most obvious examples appear in areas with plenty of light, but trained eyes will spot the discrepancies in darker areas as well. (Screencaptures #3 and 10 are taken from the same sequence and will give you an excellent idea what to expect). Fluidity is a tad loose because grain does not have the consistency you would expect from a high-quality modern 4K master, but I still think that the visuals are quite attractive. The grayscale is convincing. Blacks and white are solid, while the grays appear nicely balanced in daylight and nighttime footage. Image stability is good. Some minor specks, black spots, and blemishes are visible, but overall the film looks healthy. So, even though there is room for meaningful improvements, this is a good organic presentation of the film. (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 is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I did not encounter any distracting age-related imperfections to report in our review. The audio was very clear, stable, and nicely balanced. George Antheil's score easily creates some quite memorable contrasts as well, though you should know by now that even when restored/remastered, these types of older films do not have genuinely impressive sound designs. As far as I am concerned, the basics here are very solid.
The Sniper and City of Fear are even more relevant today because they are warning of dangerous scenarios that sadly are now part of our reality. (Earlier today, while I was finishing this article, NYPD shut down a very large portion of Times Square after an armed and dangerous maniac, almost certainly like the one in The Sniper, went berserk). The no-nonsense attitude of these films had me on the edge of my seat and for a while I really could not tell how far they could go. Both are impressively acted and shot with a tremendous awareness of the right balance between style and authenticity that is required for them to appear legit. The Sniper is sourced from an older but strong master that was supplied by Sony Pictures. It also features a typically outstanding archival audio commentary by film noir expert Eddie Muller. It is included in Indicator/Powerhouse Films' upcoming Columbia Noir #3 box set. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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