Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Visions of Eight Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 29, 2021

"Visions of Eight" (1973) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer for the film; teh documentary feature "Munich '72: The Making of "Visions of Eight"; audio commentary by podcasters Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessy, and Chris Ryan; and promotional video. In English and other languages, with optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

"Visions of Eight" initially appeared in Criterion's 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912-2012 box set. For additional information on the film, please click on the link above.

Visions of Eight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Visions of Eight arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. The overall management of the 4K restoration was taken on by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, with VFX Hollywood handing dirt removal and damage using DIAMANT-Film software. The original monaural soundtrack was restored and remastered from the 35mm magnetic tracks and optical soundtrack negative by Audio Mechanics in Burbank, California.

Restoration supervisors: Adrian Wood, Robert Jaquier.
Digital scanning: Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank, CA.
Colorist: Jan Jarbrough/Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging.
Content analysis and reconfirm: The Edit Store, London."

Visions of Eight initially appeared in Criterion's 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912-2012 box set, which arrived on the market in 2017. This release features a presentation of the same 4K restoration of the film that was introduced via the box set.

I think that the overall quality of the restoration is very good. Because the film is a collage of different segments shot by different directors, there are plenty of unique lensing and stylistic choices that produce different types of visual fluctuation. Color preferences vary as well. So, you should expect to see very healthy and stable visuals, with excellent organic qualities. I think that color-grading job is convincing as well, though there are a couple of areas where I think there is shift towards slightly warmer color tonalities (see screencapture #2). The dynamic range of the visuals, however, remains very solid. (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).

Visions of Eight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0 (with portions of other languages). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and stable. However, because of the nature of the content that is used in the film, you should expect to hear various minor dynamic fluctuations as well as random sounds and noises flooding the narration/dialog. The important point here is that the audio has been fully restored and sounds as good as it should. In other words, the lossless track accurately replicates the film's original sound design.

Visions of Eight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer -- vintage trailer for Visions of Eight. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).

• Munich '72: The Making of "Visions of Eight" -- this brand new documentary examines the conception of Visions of Eight as well as the socio-political environment in which the film was produced. Included in it are clips from interviews with Claude Lelouch, Leni Riefenstahl, supervising editor Robert K. Lambert, and executive producer David L. Wolper, amongst others. With optional English subtitles. (54 min, 1080p).

• On Location with "Visions of Eight" -- this short promo was made to coincide with the film's release in 1973. Restored. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Commentary -- this brand new audio commentary was recorded by podcasters Amanda Dobbins, Sean Fennessy, and Chris Ryan from the Ringer, a sports and pop-culture website.

• Booklet -- an illustrated booklet featuring an article by author George Plimpton (1973), excerpts from David L. Wolper's memoir (2003), and a new reflection on the film by novelist Sam Lipsyte, as well as technical credits.

Visions of Eight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Visions of Eight initially appeared in Criterion's 100 Years of Olympic Films: 1912-2012 box set. This release offers a presentation of the same 4K restoration that was introduced in the box set, with a small selection of exclusive new bonus features. RECOMMENDED.