kal
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Joined: 06 Mar 2006
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Location: Ottawa, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 2:16 am Post subject: The Lady Vanishes - Criterion Collection (1938) [Blu-ray] |
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Another reference disc!
The Lady Vanishes (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1938)
(Hover over link for price, click to purchase and support our forum at no extra cost to you)
| Quote: | Hitchcock's penultimate British film is a supremely good-natured and entertaining mystery-comedy distinguished by the director's trademark artistry and flawless pacing. Thrills, romance, intrigue, and a bit of potent social commentary also permeate 'The Lady Vanishes,' making it one of the Master of Suspense's best films. Criterion's Blu-ray release is another winner, featuring top-notch video and audio, and an absorbing array of substantive extras sure to please fans of cinema in general and Hitchcock in particular. So hop aboard the train, join the hunt, and revel in this marvelous romp. Highly recommended.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
Criterion has done a fabulous job with 'The Lady Vanishes,' fashioning a surprisingly clear and vibrant 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer that makes this film appear much younger than its 73 years. The source material has been dandily spruced up, with hardly any nicks or specks marring the black-and-white image. A white vertical line here and black vertical line there occasionally appear on the print, but the instances are brief and barely noticeable. Grain is evident, but the picture never succumbs to it, maintaining a warm, film-like feel without looking overly textured. Gray level variance is quite good, with deep, inky blacks contrasting nicely with well-defined whites and the shades in between.
The enhanced clarity makes the use of miniatures more apparent, but rear projection work is seamlessly integrated into the whole, and the close shots of train tracks and telephone wires are stunningly crisp. Facial close-ups are a tad soft, yet possess a glamorous Hollywood feel, and background elements are easy to discern.
No digital issues or doctoring seem to afflict the image, which remains a delight to watch from start to finish. For a seven-decade-old film, this 'Lady' is quite a looker.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
For vintage films, audio is at least as problematic as video, and Criterion takes great care with this antiquated track. The mono audio is presented in lossless LPCM form, which captures every nuance in Hitchcock's active track. (The director was famous for creating meticulous sound fields, and 'The Lady Vanishes' is a primer on the art form.) The mix can be tricky at times, because there's so much background noise competing against the actors' dialogue, especially once everyone boards the train. As a result, conversations occasionally can be hard to understand (the actors' rapid-fire delivery also doesn't help), but for the most part, the spoken word is clear and comprehendible.
Dynamic range is quite good; high ends occasionally flirt with distortion, but remain in check, while lows possess nice weight. Accents, such as train whistles, stomping, and gunfire, are all distinct, while the constant rail noise provides a solid underlying framework to the track. 'The Lady Vanishes' apparently contains less music than any other Hitchcock film, and the sparingly employed score flaunts decent fidelity without the tinniness that often clouds audio from the 1930s.
Criterion's technicians have done a terrific job cleansing this track - a few errant pops crop up now and then, but hiss is kept to a minimum, and no static or crackles creep in. This may not be perfect sound, but for a classic British film, it's mighty fine. |
Kal
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