7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
After fierce war chief Ulzana and a small war party jump the reservation bent on murder and terror, an inexperienced young lieutenant is assigned to track him down.
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Bruce Davison, Richard Jaeckel, Jorge Luke, Joaquin MartinezWestern | 100% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
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
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
German, English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 2.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Robert Aldrich's "Ulzana's Raid" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swill label Explosive Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an original U.S. theatrical trailer for the film; German dubbed version of the film; and original promotional materials. In English and German, with optional English SDH and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The scout
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Robert Aldrich's Ulzana's Raid arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Explosive Media.
The technical presentation is disappointing. The release is sourced from an old master that was supplied by Universal and most unfortunately there is a wide range of the conventional issues that we have come to expect from the studio's vault masters/remasters. The biggest and most difficult to avoid issue is the presence of strong across-the-board contrast boosting that gives the entire film a very thick digital appearance. Indeed, close-ups and larger panoramic shots basically lack proper delineation; density levels are also very problematic. As a result, even on regular size screens the visuals can often appear very harsh and smeary (see screencaptures #11 and 17). Also, there are hardly any proper nuances especially during darker/indoor footage the visuals become even heavier and more distracting (see screencapture #10). Colors are stable and there are very nice tonal variations, but the harshness that is described above also has an effect on the overall color balance (black crush, for instance, is rampant). Image stability is very good. Lastly, there are no large distracting cuts, debris, stains, or other conventional age-related imperfections to report. All in all, this film desperately needs a proper new master so that it has a solid organic appearance and really look as good as it should in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH and German subtitles are provided for the main feature.
At some point the audio must have been remastered because stability is very good and there are no traces of conventional age-related limitations (background hiss, crackle, pops, etc). The range of nuanced dynamic is also very, very good. Perhaps there is room for some cosmetic optimizations, but I am not convinced that if the audio is fully remastered again the end result would be dramatically different.
Robert Aldrich is one of my favorite American directors and I was hoping that this recent release of Ulzana's Raid will not disappoint. Sadly, it is sourced from an old master that has a wide range of issues that give the film a very harsh digital appearance. If you like the film, my advice to you is to wait-- and hope -- for a U.S. release that will be sourced from a proper new master.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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