5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Emily, a raw recruit to a law firm is sent to Brazil with Claudia to help finalize a real estate deal. Emily is innocent and vulnerable, and when she's left in Rio with Wheeler, a millionaire with an unusual outlook on life, Emily is shocked and intrigued by the sex antics to which she is exposed.
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Jacqueline Bisset, Carré Otis, Assumpta Serna, Bruce GreenwoodErotic | 100% |
Romance | 37% |
Drama | 24% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
48kHz, 24-bit on both cuts.
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Zalman King's "Wild Orchid" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The release contains the shorter Rated R Version and the longer Unrated Version of the film. The only bonus feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The loner
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Zalman King's Wild Orchid arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The release appears to have been sourced from the same master which Olive Films worked with when they prepared their Blu-ray release for the U.S. market. This is good news because the basics we typically address in our reviews are quite strong. Indeed, excluding a few dirt specks that pop up during and shortly after the opening credits, the film looks healthy and pleasingly vibrant. Close-ups boast good depth; even when light is restricted small objects and details are easy to see. There are a few sequences where shadow definition could be better, but there are absolutely no ugly anomalies (crushing, smearing, etc). During the larger panoramic shots fluidity is also very good. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Grain is visible throughout the entire film and quite well resolved. A new master will surely make it look slightly more refined, but its current appearance is very convincing. Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern. Colors are rich, quite well saturated, stable, and healthy. There is a good range of nuances as well. Overall image stability is very good. Finally, there are no large damage marks, cuts, stains, or torn frames to report in our review. All in all, this is a really solid presentation of Wild Orchid that makes it easy to experience the film in an entirely new way. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: Unlike the U.S. release, this release of Wild Orchid also features the longer Unrated Version of the film. The release is Region-B "locked").
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 (with a few small exchanges in Portuguese). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The quality of the audio track is quite good, but it is easy to tell that it has not been recently remastered. Occasionally there is small unevenness in the mid-range and some of the dialog can be a bit flat. Nevertheless, the dialog is easy to follow and the music -- and specifically the beautiful sax theme -- sounds good. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report in our review.
I thought that the critics who unceremoniously dismissed Zalman King's Wild Orchid back in 1989 when the film was released were utterly wrong and I have not changed my mind one bit. In fact, I think that it looks even better today -- it is a dreamy and very effective escapist film with an atmosphere contemporary directors are quite simply incapable of producing. The film also has a phenomenal soundtrack. Last year, Olive Films released Wild Orchid on Blu-ray in the United States, but their release has only the shorter Rated R Version. This is the release fans of the film should have in their collections. It looks better and it has the longer Unrated Version. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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