To New Shores Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

To New Shores Blu-ray Movie Review

A solid effort by Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows).

To New Shores is a German classic based on the novel by Lovis Hans Lorenz. Produced by Bruno Duday (A Man Wants to Get to Germany, A Prussian Love Story), the film stars Zarah Leander. Featuring direction from Hollywood legend Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows).

Gloria Vane (Zarah Leander) is a woman sentenced to seven years in prison for a crime which was commited by her former lover, Sir Albert Finsbury (Willy Birgel). After Finsbury leaves the country and departs to Australia, his massive debts and forgeries catch up to him – and Gloria decides to take the fall. Yet that is not the end of the story.

Hoping to one day reunite with her past lover, Gloria is eventually released from prison and agrees to marry someone else (to help her release). Yet Gloria's heart still yearns for Finsbury – but the heart is full of aches when she discovers he has moved on to someone else. Can Gloria ever be happy again?

Zarah Leander is the best thing about the feature-film. Leander delivers a solid performance and the film is all the more enjoyable because of it. The role was well-suited to her impressive acting chops. Leander brings the performance to life in a compelling way.

A strong performance by Zarah Leander.

The production design by Fritz Maurischat (Sweetheart of the Gods, Love Letters from the Engadine) manages to help the film excel with a solid foundation. The film also impresses with some notable costumes by Arno Richter (The Night with the Emperor, The Immortal Heart). The overall effort (production-wise) is significant and helps enhance the storytelling.

The black-and-white cinematography by Franz Weihmayr (Request Concert, And Lead Us Not Into Temptation) adds to the filmmaking as well. The cinematographic style is well-suited to the darker undertones of the story. The film has a somewhat Noir-like tone that is matched by the visual cues.

The music score composed by Ralph Benatzky (The Fairy Dolly, The White Horse Inn) adds to the filmmaking as well. The score brings some strong style to the production. The music is a notable backdrop the production.

One of the best elements of To New Shores is the screenplay by director Douglas Sirk (Imitation of Life, The Tarnished Angels) and co-screenwriter Kurt Heuser (Mandragore, Tales of a Young Scamp). The direction is compelling. The pace of the film is also well established through the edit completed by Milo Harbich (Our Flags Lead Us Forward, One Too Many on Board). With suave stylistic flourishes, To New Shores is well worth a visit.

To New Shores Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Kino, To New Shores is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The release has a somewhat average presentation that never manages to shine as well as one might hope to find. The black-and-white cinematography looks acceptable but the release is not quite as crisp or clear as desired. The print shows some minor print wear and lacks the degree of sharpness one might associate with a strong restoration effort. A serviceable print but one that never shines as vibrantly as it could have with a more thorough restoration effort.

To New Shores Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in German uncompressed PCM 2.0 mono and in 16 bit depth. The audio quality provided on To New Shores is decent but never as crisp or clear as a modern production. Dialogue is easy to understand. The track has no egregious hiss or crackle and sounds decent-enough but is not quite pristine. The track never sounds as clear as a well-restored audio track may have but it is still a proficient enough presentation.

Optional English subtitles are provided.

To New Shores Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Audio Commentary by Josh Nelson

To New Shores Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

To New Shores is a compelling production. Featuring solid direction by Douglas Sirk (All That Heaven Allows), the film is worth checking out. Leading actress Zarah Leander delivers a strong performance. Fans of the actress will want to check out the film for her role. Recommended.