7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
These are the greats of baseball history, legends in their lifetime legends today. It's baseball as you've never seen it before the way you always imagined the way it was. When It Was A Game is composed entirely of 8 and 16 mm home movie footage taken by fans and the players themselves between 1934 and 1957.
Documentary | 100% |
Sport | 88% |
History | 82% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Spanish: DTS 2.0
English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, C (B untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
If a picture is worth a thousand words, every second of film is worth at least 24,000. A single image can convey a lifetime, a minute of footage can transport someone through time, and a well-crafted documentary can shed light on an entire era, offering insight into a period in history that might otherwise be forgotten. And that's precisely the thing that makes HBO's three-film series, When It Was a Game, one of the most rewarding baseball documentaries available. Rather than continually cut away to modern legends-in-the-making and sharp-suited commentators, each entry is comprised entirely of 8 & 16mm home movies and archive footage shot between 1925 and the mid-60s. It isn't a complete chronicle of baseball history, mind you. Far from it. But it does lives up to its name, focusing on an era when baseball wasn't the complex cash-cow it is today; when it was simply a beloved game, a recovering nation's pastime, and a burgeoning populous' escape from a world plagued by war and uncertainty.
"The following program consists solely of 8 & 16mm home movie film. It was taken by Major League Baseball players and fans. The color is all original."
True to the opening disclaimer that accompanies its first two entries, When It Was a Game: The Complete Collection's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation doesn't feature any scenes recorded in recent years, interview or otherwise. Instead, each episode consists of archive footage and archive footage alone, meaning there isn't a single shot that screams "high definition standout." Even the series' first-episode title card looks fittingly worn and weathered; a nod to the HBO series' unwavering devotion to its source materials. And almost all of the imperfections that appear -- color and clarity inconsistencies, poor saturation, muted black levels, specks, scratches, splotches, lines and all manner of print blemishes -- are inherent to the vintage home movies used to create the series, making it difficult to criticize the results. If anything, the results beg the question: why Blu-ray? The answer, though, is simple: because it represents a more proficient presentation than HBO was previously capable of producing for home video release. Comparisons between the new Blu-ray release and its DVD counterpart reveal a number of subtle improvements, nominal or downright negligible as they may be. Ultimately, as long as you're armed with appropriate expectations, When It Was a Game won't disappoint. That said, those who own the DVD edition may find such a modest upgrade isn't worth the cost of admission. Proceed accordingly.
The same could be said of HBO's DTS-HD Master Audio stereo track. The difference between the Blu-ray edition's lossless mix and the standard DVD's lossy track is marginal at best, and doesn't eliminate the obvious volume and fidelity variances between the interviews, commentaries, anecdotes, literary readings and archive audio recordings that narrate each episode. Sound effects and crowd cheers are merely background noise buried beneath the speakers' voices, the series' music and period songs aren't always prioritized as efficiently as they could be, and normalization discrepancies abound. Even so, I doubt anyone will so much as bat an eye. A lossless track is most appreciated; regardless of how much or how little it improves the experience, Warner can't be accused of shortchanging the series' Blu-ray release. Unless you're expecting a water-into-wine sonic miracle, When It Was a Game's DTS-HD MA track is as commendable as its video transfer, glaring flaws and all. Only a complete overhaul would change matters and, even then, I can't imagine by very much.
When It Was a Game: The Complete Collection doesn't include any special features.
When It Was a Game: The Complete Collection is as unique and engrossing as the American pastime it celebrates, and baseball fans from all walks of life owe it themselves to dive into this engrossing exploration of pre and post-World War II-era Major League Baseball. The Blu-ray edition only represents a modest upgrade, but don't let that scare you away. Aside from the disc's complete lack of special features, little else warrants any serious concern. Baseball enthusiasts will be ecstatic.
2004
1994-2010
A film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
2010
2010
Collector's Edition
2016
2014
2016
2007
2013
IMAX
2000
Ken Burns
2016
2007
1992
1989
Seoul 1988: Games of the XXIV Olympiad
1989
1984
1977
Les neiges de Grenoble
1968
1966
1964