8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
In a squalid South American oil town, four desperate men sign on for a suicide mission to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin over a treacherous mountain route. As they ferry their explosive cargo to a faraway oil fire, each bump and jolt tests their courage, their friendship, and their nerves.
Starring: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter van Eyck, Véra ClouzotDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 80% |
Psychological thriller | 18% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 0.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Henri-Georges Clouzot's "The Wages of Fear" a.k.a. "Le salaire de la peur" (1953) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The supplemental features on the disc include restored original trailer for the film; video interview with professor Lucy Mazdon; audio commentary by critic Adrian Martin; archival interview with assistant director Michel Romanoff; recorded audio conversation with actor Yves Montand; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
This 4K Blu-ray release offers a native 4K presentation of the recent 4K restoration of The Wages of Fear that was completed on behalf of TF1 in France. The same restoration was introduced on Blu-ray in 2017. The 4K Blu-ray release does not have a Blu-ray copy of it.
In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. Later, I did various comparisons with the previous Blu-ray release of the 4K restoration.
Please note that all screencaptures that are included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.
The overall quality of the native 4K presentation is outstanding. On my system, The Wages of Fear looked terrific -- all visuals were very healthy, boasting strong organic qualities, and stable. Yes, there are a few areas with minor density fluctuations, but they are part of the original cinematography. I did not encounter any serious encoding anomalies to report either.
How does the native 4K presentation compare to the 1080p presentation? Are there any significant improvements? Are there any areas that look less impressive now? Should you consider an upgrade if you already have the previous Blu-ray release of The Wages of Fear?
If the previous Blu-ray release was the final home video release of The Wages of Fear, I would have been perfectly happy with it. After viewing the native 4K presentation of the recent 4K restoration, which is fantastic, I think that it is virtually impossible to highlight any areas with meaningful improvements. Yes, in native 4K some of the daylight footage does reveal a superior dynamic range, so on a bigger screen at the very least your perception of depth will be different. But if you begin paying very close attention to delineation, for instance, and try to identify particular areas where the native 4K presentation excels, you will have a difficult time finding the previous 1080p presentation inferior. Indeed, in 1080p the same areas still look very, very good because the quality of the 4K restoration is excellent. In some darker areas, I even prefer how the grasycale looks in 1080p, though I suspect that different systems will produce different results. Also, I pay close attention to the fluidity of the visuals, which can make a pretty significant difference when they move from 1080p to 4K and are displayed on a very large screen. Once again, I could not spot any meaningful discrepancies. (Admittedly, this is not easy because the 4K restoration retains some bumpy spots). So, what's the final verdict? Should you consider an upgrade if you have the previous Blu-ray release of the 4K restoration? If The Wages of Fear is one of your all-time favorite films, and you invest in this 4K Blu-ray release, I suspect that at best you will discover a few cosmetic improvements, which will almost certainly be specific to your system. If you do not have the previous Blu-ray release of the 4K restoration, then it is very easy to justify picking up the 4K Blu-ray release.
the native 4K and 1080p presentaitons produce
There is only one standard audio track on this 4K Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The previous Blu-ray release of The Wages of Fear an LPCM 1.0 track. However, the new dual Mono track is a replica of it. While revisiting the film earlier tonight, I did not encounter any technical anomalies to report in our review. The dialog is equally clear and dynamic balance is identical.
This 4K Blu-ray release offers only a native 4K presentation of the excellent recent 4K restoration of The Wages of Fear that was prepared on behalf of TF1 in France. The same 4K restoration was released on Blu-ray in 2017. If you do not have the Blu-ray release in your library, pick up the 4K Blu-ray release, but keep in mind that it does not have a Blu-ray copy, which means that you need to have a 4K system to play it. Should you consider an upgrade if you already have the Blu-ray release? I think that the 4K restoration looks equally impressive on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. There are some minor discrepancies between the different presentations these releases offer, but as far as I am concerned they are insignificant trade-offs. Also, I think that they will vary on different systems, so satisfaction with these presentations will be different as well. Ultimately, anyone that wishes to see and own a top-quality presentation of The Wages of Fear can choose from two great releases, so a bad pick is impossible. Hopefully, this year the 4K restoration of The Wages of Fear will finally reach America as well. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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