7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In World War II, during the Japanese invasion of Burma, the lost remnant of a British Army Brigade HQ, led by the ruthless Captain Alan Langford, escapes through the jungle toward the British lines.
Starring: Stanley Baker, Guy Rolfe, Leo McKern, Gordon Jackson, David OxleyDrama | 100% |
War | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: This film is available as part of Hammer Volume Three: Blood & Terror.
Ask even the most casual film fan what comes to mind when they hear the name Hammer Studios (and/or Hammer Film Productions, Ltd., as it is
officially known), and my hunch is very few if any of them would answer “war movies”, since (as is probably obvious) Hammer has long been
known
for its Gothic horror output. But Hammer did make some war movies, albeit not necessarily always with the same focus that some of the
major Hollywood studios did through the years. Powerhouse Films’ Indicator series has been bringing out rather interesting aggregations of
Hammer
properties, including Hammer Volume One:
Fear Warning!, Hammer Volume
Two: Criminal Intent and the recently reviewed Hammer Volume Four: Faces of Fear (Hammer Volume Five: Death & Deceit is coming out just as this review is going live). This third volume is
an
unusual assortment of Hammer films that all feature some kind of war as at least a tangential element, with two of the films offering
plots
that are putatively connected to World War II, and two others reaching further back into the mists of history to detail other kinds of battles and/or
skirmishes.
Yesterday's Enemy is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.36:1. Powerhouse's insert booklet contains only the following pretty generic verbiage about the transfer:
Sony's HD remaster was the source of this Indicator edition. The film's original mono audio was remastered at the same time.Hammer spent quite a bit of money on this film creating the jungle sets at both Shepperton (unusual for this studio) and Bray (its normal stomping grounds), and while at times obviously set bound, the film's backgrounds and teeming jungle scenes look sharp and nicely detailed throughout this presentation. Fine detail on elements like the thatched huts is also typically very good throughout. There are some minor variances in brightness, with a few interior scenes looking darker than the bulk of the material, but on the whole contrast is solid and gray scale very nicely modulated. Because the film does offer so many midrange shots where huge amounts of foliage are part of the frame, detail levels on things like actual humans can understandably tend to ebb and flow at times.
Rather interestingly, Yesterday's Enemy does not feature a score of any kind, with the film's DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track being dotted instead with the sounds of the jungle and of course occasional outbursts of gunfire. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, and while the track has a slightly boxy sound without an abundance of highs, things are reasonably full bodied and there are certainly no major signs of any age related wear or tear.
Yesterday's Enemy is probably the quality touchstone picture in this third volume of Hammer offerings, and in that regard it's ironic if perhaps predictable to note that while the film was critically esteemed in its day, it failed pretty spectacularly to connect with audiences at the time. It's rather thought provoking on any number of levels, and it features absolutely visceral performances from every member of its extremely colorful and nuanced ensemble. The film may have ultimately not gotten Michael Carreras the "respect" he evidently sought with productions like this one, but the film certainly remains a testament to how good a Hammer film could be, especially considering how provocative the material was. Technical merits are solid, and the supplementary package excellent. Highly recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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