kal
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Joined: 06 Mar 2006
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Location: Ottawa, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 7:35 pm Post subject: Wild Strawberries [Blu-ray] |
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Another reference disc!
Wild Strawberries (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] (1957)
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| Quote: | Next to 'Fanny & Alexander,' 'Wild Strawberries' is arguably Ingmar Bergman's most personal and reflective film since a great deal of his intimate thoughts and feelings on life are expressed here. Starring legendary filmmaker Victor Sjöström, the story of one man's self-prescribed journey into his past is a lovely photographed and deeply complex tale of self-reflection and introspection. The Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection arrives with a near-reference video presentation and an excellent lossless mix. With a healthy assortment of bonus material accompanying the classic film, the overall package is recommended for Bergman fans and cinema lovers everywhere.
The Video: Sizing Up the Picture
According to the accompanying booklet, this high-def transfer of 'Wild Strawberries' was struck from the original 35mm camera negative at 2k resolution in Stockholm. Criterion, once again, delivers a marvelous, near-reference picture quality that bests previous home video editions of this beautiful piece of cinematic art.
Aside from some unavoidable instances of softness and other negligible, age-related issues, this 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 encode is highly-detailed with distinct fine lines around trees, leaves and grass. Textures and threading in the clothing are distinct with the smallest stitching plainly visible, and the tiniest wrinkle on the face of Victor Sjöström is sharply defined and revealing with incredible lifelike clarity.
Presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, the image also displays a very fine layer of grain, maintaining the classic film's cinematic quality, while contrast is pitch-perfect with crisp, brilliant whites throughout. Black levels are luxurious and accurate with remarkable gradational details and strong delineation within the darkest portions of the presentation.
The Audio: Rating the Sound
Remastered at 24-bit from a 35mm print, as explained in the liner notes, the uncompressed PCM mono soundtrack for the Swedish classic is as equally impressive with a soundstage that feels broad, despite only coming from one channel. Acoustics and fidelity are superb, giving the lossless mix a good deal of presence and warmth. Dynamic range is never really pushed very far, but imaging delivers wonderful clarity detail with ambient effects in the background breaking much of the silence. While the crashing of waves on the beach is heard in the distance, we can also hear actors moving and rubbing against the vinyl seats of the cars. Being a character and dialogue-driven film, conversations are lucid and intelligible, providing the emotional inflections of actors splendidly. Overall, it's a wonderful and very fine high-rez track for an emotional, heartfelt film. |
Kal
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