6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.6 |
Paul Newman plays Harry Ross, a burned-out private eye who's plunged into a murder mystery tied to a long-unsolved case of Hollywood dreams, schemes and cover-ups.
Starring: Paul Newman, Susan Sarandon, Gene Hackman, Reese Witherspoon, Stockard ChanningDrama | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Robert Benton's "Twilight" (1998) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include a recent audio commentary recorded by critics Alain Silver and James Ursini; vintage trailer; and vintage TV spots. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Harry Ross
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Twilight arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.
Last summer, we reviewed this release of Twilight, which was included in Australian label Via Vision Entertainment's After Dark: Neo Noir Cinema Collection One six-disc box set. It was sourced from an old and quite weak master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures.
Unfortunately, this release is sourced from the same master and reveals the same shortcomings. What are they? The entire film looks quite harsh. Some darker areas have a slightly more pleasing appearance, but the harshness is everywhere and does not allow the film to convey its native organic qualities. This is the reason why various shades and nuances are either collapsed or completely lost. For example, in screencapture #20 you can see how the gentle nuances that should enhance depth are compromised, while in screencapture #8 the background highlights are completely lost. Predictably, grain exposure is very inconsistent and more often than not very problematic as well. It is why delineation, clarity, and depth suffer even during close-ups (see screencapture #5). Colors are stable. However, color reproduction should be a lot more convincing. Currently, a lot of primary values are not any better than what you would expect to get from a mediocre DVD release. Image stability is good. Minor flecks and blemishes can be spotted, but there are no distracting large cuts, warped or torn frames to report. So, to look as it can and should, this film needs to be properly remastered either in 2K or 4K. (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 are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I do not have any comments to add in addition to what I said about the lossless 5.1 track -- which is the one I think the film should be viewed with -- when I reviewed the Australian release of Twilight. I think that its basics are solid. Clarity, sharpness, depth, and stability are excellent. Perhaps there are a couple of areas where balance could be slightly better, but I am unsure whether the very small fluctuations need to be addressed because they are not part of the film's original sound design. So, I think that the lossless 5.1 track is very solid.
Twilight was supposed to be that great final genre film in the filmographies of its iconic stars that critics and scholars would love to describe as their swan song. Unfortunately, the crucial connection between its noirish material and the swan harmonies is quite unconvincing, often even problematic. I am sad to say that Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, and James Garner, even the significantly younger Susan Sarandon, simply do not look very good before Robert Benton's camera. There are a few bits of quality material, but the film is seriously underwhelming. Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release is sourced from an old and regrettably quite poor master that was supplied by Paramount Pictures.
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