7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
World War II hero Audie L. Murphy (1924-1971), one of the most decorated soldier in American history, portrays himself in this action classic based on his 1949 autobiography. With Murphy re-creating his own actions and movements in key battles, this devastating chronicle of war follows Murphy and his buddies from North Africa to Berlin, with the war hero performing Herculean deeds on the battlefield.
Starring: Audie Murphy, Marshall Thompson, Charles Drake, Jack Kelly, Gregg PalmerWar | 100% |
Biography | 4% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.55:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Jesse Hibbs' "To Hell and Back" (1955) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by critics Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin as well as vintage trailer. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The new guy
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, To Hell and Back arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
In 2019, we reviewed this Australian release of To Hell and Back from Umbrella Entertainment which was sourced from an older but quite nice master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. This release is sourced from the exact same master. I did not notice any meaningful discrepancies between the two releases to report in our review.
I still think that the film looks quite good in high-definition, though obviously the ideal scenario would have been to have it fully restored in 4K. However, there are no traces of problematic digital work, and as you probably know well by now, this is a major bonus on older masters that emerge from the major's vaults. The same minor but noticeable density fluctuations are retained, plus I could see the exact same unevenness in darker areas where shadow definition isn't optimal. Grain exposure is pleasing, but this is one of the areas where the age of the master shows. The same can be said about color balance. I think that it is convincing, but it is clear that there is room for improvement both in terms of saturation and depth. (By color depth I mean expansion of the existing supporting nuances, which at present can appear somewhat limited). Some minor stability enhancements can be made as well. A few specks and small blemishes can be seen popping up, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, even though the age of the current master shows, I think it has fine organic qualities. (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 one 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. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The lossless track reproduces the native qualities of the original soundtrack very well. However, I am quite certain that if the folks at Universal Pictures restored the film in 4K the audio will be redone and some minor yet meaningful improvements will be introduced. I think that there is some room for rebalancing adjustments, perhaps even better dynamics/oomph. To Hell and Back is the type of film that seems like an ideal candidate for one of these new Dolby Atmos tracks that are being introduced on recent 4K Blu-ray/ Blu-ray releases.
Of course, it is good to have a local Blu-ray release of To Hell and Back so that people can pick it up for their collections, but this is the type of great and important American film that should have been fully restored in 4K. It is one of the very best Audie Murphy made, too. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an older but nice organic master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. Also, it has a good exclusive new audio commentary that was recorded by critics Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (If the subject matter of To Hell and Back appeals to you, also consider adding to your collection Robert Aldrich's Attack!, which was released a year later).
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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