8.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.9 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend Harry Lime.
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, Trevor Howard, Paul HörbigerFilm-Noir | 100% |
Psychological thriller | 82% |
Mystery | 42% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
French: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
French, Japanese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
How do you feel about double dipping? What about triple, quadruple, or even quintuple dipping? We’ve already had two SD-DVDs from Criterion of Carol Reed’s brilliant The Third Man, and a previous Criterion Blu-ray of the film which was released a couple of years ago. Now StudioCanal has released a new Blu-ray of the film. What’s a consumer to do? Let’s cut to the chase: the Criterion release has inarguably the stronger transfer, with better contrast and especially inkier blacks, as well as less print damage. It also has a bounteous supply of extras, only a few of which are ported over to this new StudioCanal release. On the other hand, it’s one of an increasing number of Criterion Blu-rays to go out of print (typically Criterion is only able to license products for a couple of years before the rights revert to their original licensors), and you’re going to shell out big bucks to pick up that particular release now. The StudioCanal release, while it indeed has a moderately subpar image (at least with regard to the Criterion Blu-ray), is more than acceptable, features lossless audio, and has its own slew of extras, including one of the best commentary tracks to accompany any of the many Third Man home video releases, as well as a couple of other interesting and informative supplements. Its list price is significantly less than what you’re probably going to end up paying for the Criterion release. It’s a quandary that may not rise exactly to the heights of this film’s “Who is the third man?,” but it may leave ardent consumers scratching their heads and counting the bills in their wallets.
Orson Welles as Harry Lime, who may or may not be. . .The Third Man.
As mentioned above, if you are making a choice solely on video quality, there's little doubt that Criterion's 2008 release is better. But this StudioCanal's AVC encoded 1080p image (in 1.33:1) isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, if one had never seen the Criterion release, this version would probably be seen as mostly exemplary. While contrast is noticeably less well modulated here, and blacks especially don't bristle as they do on the Criterion release, sharpness is quite excellent. There may have been some minor digital noise reduction on this release, but there is still abundant grain noticeable, as is clearly evident on virtually all of the screen captures included in this review. The Criterion version has considerably less damage than this print, but, again, there's very little here to really complain about. If you don't feel like shelling out some major buckage to get the out of print Criterion version, don't feel like you're giving yourself short shrift with this release, because you're not.
The Third Man is presented by StudioCanal with a very good sounding lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. I spot checked against the Criterion Blu-ray, and while there are some very subtle differences, my hunch is those must be traceable to the stems or print utilized for this release. There are some very slight volume fluctuations on this release which do not seem to plague the Criterion release, at least not as much, but aside from that, this is a crisp and clear audio presentation. Especially effective is the expressive Karas score, which doesn't sound brittle or overly bright. There is some noticeable compression on the extreme highs of this track, leading to a bit of boxiness, but for a 60 or so year old recording, this sounds quite admirable, if one is willing to tolerate minimal hiss and a narrow soundfield.
While it may not be "Criterion sized," this StudioCanal release's supplements are quite respectable on their own terms:
The Third Man is an enduring classic for a reason, and it simply must be seen by anyone who cares about film. While this StudioCanal release isn't quite up to Criterion standards, it also won't cost you an arm and a leg. Don't be a Harry Lime-sized cynic; if you didn't pick up the Criterion Blu- ray of The Third Man, you won't be doing yourself a disservice by getting this version. Highly recommended.
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4K Restoration
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Warner Archive Collection
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Encore Edition | Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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