7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
New York actors rehearse Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" in a rundown theater.
Starring: Julianne Moore, Lynn Cohen, Larry Pine, Brooke Smith, Wallace ShawnDrama | 100% |
Romance | 25% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Louis Malle's final film "Vanya on 42nd Street" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer and the exclusive new documentary "Like Life: The Making of Vanya on 42nd Street". The Blu-ray disc also arrives with a 22-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by writer Steven Vineberg and film critic Amy Taubin. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Uncle Vanya
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Louis Malle's Vanya on 42nd Street arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"Supervised by director of photography Declan Quinn, this new digital transfer was created on an ARRISCAN film scanner in 2K resolution from the original Super 16mm camera negative A/B rolls and the 35mm interpositive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using Image Systems' Phonix MTI's DRS.
Telecine supervisors: Lee Kline, Declan Quinn.
Telecine colorist: Joe Gawler/Deluxe, New York.
Editing and conforming: David Phillips."
The brand new high-definition transfer is very impressive. There are dramatic upgrades in quality in every single area we typically address in our reviews, from detail to clarity to contrast to color reproduction. Practically all of the close-ups in the film convey outstanding depth, while shadow definition - which was certainly problematic on the R1 DVD - is perfect. As the screencaptures offered with this review reveal, color reproduction is also enormously pleasing. The prominent browns, light reds and grays look notably fresh and stable. Furthermore, there isn't even a hint of post-production sharpening or problematic denoising. Unsurprisingly, a layer of very well resolved light grain is present throughout the entire film. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. Indeed, this is a very impressive, very competent presentation of Louis Malle's last film. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"The original stereo soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the original 35mm magnetic audio tracks. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation."
Vanya on 42nd Street is a dialog-driven film with only a few small jazz solos that pop up before, during and after the rehearsals. Predictably, the loseless track has a rather limited dynamic amplitude. The dialog, however, is exceptionally, crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. There are no sync issues or audio dropouts either.
Vanya on 42nd Street is without a doubt the most impressive screen version of Anton Chekhov's masterpiece ever done. It is not for everyone, but it should be mandatory viewing for anyone even remotely interested in theater. Without the slightest exaggeration, the actors are magnificent. For the film's Blu-ray release, Criterion have struck a brand new high-definition transfer from the camera negative. Unsurprisingly, the Blu-ray represents a massive upgrade in quality over the old North American DVD release of the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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