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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "The Eighth Day" or "Gattaca - La porta dell'universo")
directed
by Andrew Niccol
USA 1997
The Gattaca Blu-ray is also available and
reviewed with the 4K UHD disc HERE
Andrew Niccol was working as a commercials director in London when he wrote the script for Gattaca and was subsequently invited to direct. He later achieved critical acclaim for his work on The Truman Show but Gattaca entirely failed to meet with box-office success. This is a shame because it is probably the most intelligent and insightful science fiction film made in the 1990s. Like all the best serious science fiction it is really a study of the social consequences of a particular technological development, in this case instant automated DNA analysis. Since it appears that technology is developing very much along the lines predicted here, do not be surprised if this prophetic film achieves cult status in years to come. In the meanwhile, enjoy it for the languorous pace, the fine acting, the beautiful cinematography and the timeless 1950s look. |
Poster
Theatrical Release: October 24, 1997
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
Sony - REGION FREE - Blu-ray vs. Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Columbia Tristar - Region 2 - PAL vs. Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 2 - PAL |
Big thanks to Mark Newland and Conrad McDonnell for the SD Screen Caps!
1) Sony - REGION FREE - Blu-ray LEFT2) Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 1 - NTSC - 2nd 3) Columbia Tristar - Region 2 - PAL - 3rd 4) Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT
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Box Covers |
Reissued by Image Entertainment: July 8th, 2013 |
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Distribution |
Sony Region FREE Blu-ray |
Columbia Tristar Region 1 - NTSC |
Columbia Tristar Region 2 - PAL |
Columbia
Tristar Region 2 - PAL |
Runtime |
1:46:22 |
1:46:20 | 1:42:09 (4% PAL speedup) | 1:42:03 (4% PAL speedup) |
Video |
2.35:1
Original Aspect Ratio |
2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.48 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s |
2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
Bitrates: |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Sony Blu-ray |
NO BITRATE YET FOR BLU-RAY |
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Columbia Tristar - Superbit (R1) |
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Columbia Tristar
(R2)
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Columbia Tristar (Superbit)
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Audio |
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, DUBs: French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 |
English (DTS), English (Dolby Digital 5.1) | English DD 5.1, English DD 2.0, German DD 5.1 |
English DD 5.1 & DTS 5.1 |
Subtitles |
English SDH, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai, none |
English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Thai, None | English, German, Czech, Hungarian, Icelandic, Hindi, Hebrew, Polish, Turkish, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Greek, None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Sony Aspect Ratio: 1080P Dual-layered (50Gig)
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: March 11th, 2008 Chapters 28 |
Release
Information: Studio: Columbia/Tristar Studios Aspect Ratio: Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: December
11, 2001 Chapters 28 |
Release Information: Studio: Columbia Tristar Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 28 |
Release Information: Studio: Columbia Tristar Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD
Release Date: 10/14/02 Chapters 28 |
Comments: |
The Gattaca Blu-ray is also available and reviewed with the 4K UHD disc HERE
NOTE: We've removed the Region 4 - PAL SuperBit from this comparison (replacing it with the Blu-ray) as most of those captures weren't exact frame matches and it didn't demonstrate a demonstrative improvement over the Region 1 SD SuperBit anyway.
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc.
ADDITION: ( Blu-ray REGION FREE July 08') - Short story is once again the resized caps don't tell enough of the story. It's mostly about detail but colors finally appear more true with skin tones (see Uma's face) looking far less yellow/magenta. I toggled back and forth from the R1 Superbit and some scenes seem a shade brighter (warmer) - most others slightly darker (cooler) but, as with many Fox 1080P products, the sharpness and clarity were vast improvements. Ditto for noise in monochromatic darkness. Audio and extras both go the way of the Blu-ray and we've covered them in our view HERE.
Since it has everything else going for it - let's include the price - the Blu-ray is now $4 cheaper than the R1 SuperBit SD. Great film - great Blu-ray!
****
ADDITION: (Superbit Region 1) - Colors appear muted and reddish/brown in all three releases. I still think the Region 2 SUPERBIT is the better image. It is slightly sharper and appears to have better balance although differences are quite negligible. It is so close that I wouldn't bother trading up.
****
While the original Region 2 release
represented astounding quality for its day, being among the very first DVDs
released onto the UK market (some 9 months before The Matrix, for example),
a comparison of the two Region 2 PAL versions showcases the improvements in transfer
quality that the Superbit label signifies. The colour palette is virtually
the same across both transfers, suggesting that both are derived from the
same higher definition master, but the Superbit has additional detail in the
image, a higher bitrate and less filtering, leading to less Gibbs Effect
(also known as 'edge enhancement' or 'ringing'). Unless you require the
minor extras or the full-frame transfer, the Superbit is the one to go for.
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DVD Menus
Sony - REGION FREE - Blu-ray (caps
taken with digicam)
(Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Columbia Tristar - Region 2 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
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Screen Captures
1) Sony - REGION FREE - Blu-ray TOP 2) Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 1 - NTSC - 2nd 3) Columbia Tristar - Region 2 - PAL - 3rd 4) Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM |
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1) Sony - REGION FREE - Blu-ray TOP2) Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 1 - NTSC - 2nd 3) Columbia Tristar - Region 2 - PAL - 3rd 4) Columbia Tristar (Superbit) - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM |
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Report Card:
Image: |
Blu-ray |
Sound: |
Blu-ray |
Extras: | Blu-ray |
Menu: |
Blu-ray |
Box Covers |
Reissued by Image Entertainment: July 8th, 2013 |
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Distribution |
Sony Region FREE Blu-ray |
Columbia Tristar Region 1 - NTSC |
Columbia Tristar Region 2 - PAL |
Columbia
Tristar Region 2 - PAL |