7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
An unhappily married man begins a flirtation with a younger woman. When his wife threatens to ruin her, he decides to take action.
Starring: Charles Laughton, Ella Raines, Dean Harens, Stanley Ridges, Henry DaniellFilm-Noir | 100% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.38:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Robert Siodmak's "The Suspect" (1944) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The only supplemental feature on the disc is an exclusive new audio commentary by author and critic Troy Howarth. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The married man
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Suspect arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
The release is sourced from a very beautiful new 2K master. To be honest, aside from a few very small density fluctuations that are retained from the existing elements the rest looks really, really good. (You can see an example of a native drop of density levels in screencapture #4). Delineation and depth range from very good to great, plus the fluidity of the visuals is often terrific. This master is graded very nicely as well. The blacks look strong and stable but do not produce any distracting crush, while the grays and whites have very pleasing ranges of nuances. I projected the film and on my system it looked great. There are no traces of problematic digital work. Grain is nicely exposed and looks healthy. Yes, some minor fluctuations are retained, but they have entirely organic characteristics. There are no serious stability issues. All in all, this is a very fine presentation of The Suspect that makes it a real treat to revisit the film on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only on standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I did not notice any technical issues to report in our review. The audio is very clean, stable, and easy to follow. Whenever the music comes up the audio does become a bit 'thin', but this is to be expected from a film that was completed in the early 1940s. What needs to be underscored is that there are no distracting anomalies like background hiss, pops, and distortions. Balance is good as well.
A classic film noir would have used the original material from James Ronald's novel to produce plenty of suspense in a terrific period environment. Robert Siodmak's The Suspect uses the same material to craft a very interesting character study that is almost completely devoid of suspense. When the film's final credits pop up on your screen, ask yourself whether Charles Laughton's character ever had a chance of becoming a free man again. If your answer is yes, then you need to see the film again because you missed its point. Why? Because he isn't the man your answer implies he is. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a very beautiful new 2K master that was supplied by Universal Pictures and features a predictably excellent exclusive audio commentary by Troy Howarth. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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