5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A childless couple adopts an abandoned little girl, but the girl's natural parents reappear to reclaim her -- and they're violent outlaws, who live on the run and had to leave their daughter while escaping the scene of a crime.
Starring: Keith Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Moira Kelly, Vincent Spano, Cynda WilliamsThriller | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Kino is reissuing the 1995 thriller The Tie That Binds, a Disney-owned property first released on Blu-ray by Mill Creek seven years ago. While the video master appears to be the same (with some minor improvements), Kino has addressed the problematic stereo surround soundtrack, though not every viewer may appreciate its solution. More importantly, Kino has added a slew of extras where Mill Creek had none, including a newly recorded commentary with director Wesley Strick. The film remains Strick's only outing as a feature director, but he has been busy ever since as a writer and producer, most recently on Amazon's The Man in the High Castle.
(Note: In the accompanying screenshots, I have attempted to approximate images accompanying
the review of the 2011 Mill Creek disc. The
screen capture process used at Blu-ray.com does not
allow for exact frame matches.)
Mill Creek's 1080i Blu-ray of The Tie That Binds was no doubt derived from a master prepared
for HDTV, and Kino appears to have taken its 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray from the same
source, with a few minor changes. First, Kino has upconverted the video so that your Blu-ray
player doesn't have to, and the image has translated effectively. The two discs share the same
colors, densities, black levels and degree of detail, with some minor palette tweaks here and there
(e.g., screenshot 15).
Second, Kino has matted the image to its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (vs. Mill Creek's 1.78:1).
The difference is so minor that the thin black bars may not even show on many displays, but it's
refreshing to encounter a true 1.85:1 AR, which is becoming increasingly rare on Blu-ray.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, Kino appears to have done some additional cleanup on the
master to repair age-related damage. I did not retain any record of the time marks for the
problematic moments noted in my original review, but
nothing leapt out on this viewing. As is
usually the case with good digital cleanup, what's most noteworthy is what you don't see.
Finally, in order to make room for the new extras on a BD-25, Kino has applied tighter
compression, achieving an average bitrate of just under 21 Mbps, as compared to Mill Creek's
28.59. The image doesn't appear to have suffered in the process, but Kino should consider the
benefits of using a BD-50 and allowing the compressionist more room to work rather than less.
If there was a 5.1 mix for The Tie That Binds, Disney still isn't providing it. The 2.0 stereo surround track on Mill Creek's release was terrible, filled with distortion and surround artifacts to such an extent that dialogue was sometimes drowned out. Kino has addressed this problem with an alternate (or remixed) 2.0 track, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA, that substantially pulls back from the surrounds and maintains focus on the front soundstage. Dialogue is more consistently intelligible and appropriately prioritized; the distortions in Graeme Revell's score have been effectively eliminated; and the surround artifacts that I described as a "whooshing" sound are wholly absent. The overall volume is lower, and the surround presence is significantly reduced, but perhaps this is what was always intended. In any case, the track is a vastly improved listening experience and a far superior accompaniment to the film than what Mill Creek released.
Mill Creek's Blu-ray was bare of any supplements.
Disney's 2000 DVD had only a trailer. Kino
has gone the extra mile (and then some) to collect vintage extras and create an entirely new one.
I still find The Tie That Binds problematic for the reasons expressed in my initial review, but fans
of the film should be pleased with this new version. Although Kino isn't offering a new transfer,
its Blu-ray represents a solid upgrade over the marginal quality of Mill Creek's previous release
and is, on that basis, recommended.
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Slipcover in Original Pressing
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