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H D - S E N S E IA view on Hi-def DVDs by Gary W. Tooze |
Gigi [Blu-ray]
(Vincente Minnelli, 1958)
NOTE: Aside from the packaging the US edition is exactly the same as the Japanese release (as we suspected) - the exact same region free 1080P, VC-1 encoded Blu-ray disc. Our comments below still hold true. The good thing about the US edition is the price - a significant savings!
Review by Gary Tooze
Studio: Warner Brothers Video: Warner Home Video
Disc: Region FREE Feature Runtime: 1:55:28.880 Chapters: 33 Disc Size: 39,712,766,576 bytes Feature film size: 29,244,801,024 bytes Average Bitrate: 33.77 Mbps One dual-layered Blu-ray Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: October 8th, 2008
Bitrate:
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p Video codec: VC-1
Audio:
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192
kbps / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio French 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192
kbps Supplements: • Audio Commentary by Jeanine Basinger and Leslie Caron• Million Dollar Nickle • The Vanishing Duck, a 1958 Color MGM Hanna-Barbera Tom and Jerry cartoon (7:08) • Theatrical Trailer (3:30) • 1949 French version of "Gigi" (1:22:37) English subtitles burned-in, optional English (SDH) and Japanese • Thank Heaven! The Making of "Gigi" (35 :49) - optional Japanese subtitles in HD!
Product Description: Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's 1958 direct-to-screen follow-up to their My Fair Lady was--miraculously--every bit as memorable as that stage smash. Set in fin-de-siècle Paris and based on a Colette story, Gigi also is about a girl (Leslie Caron) on a lower rung of society who blossoms into Cinderellahood before our eyes and ears. Thank heaven for Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier as her mentors, and Louis Jourdan as her prince. The screenplay writer and lyricist Lerner always said that Gigi's title song was his favorite of all he'd written, and it's easy to see why--"Gigi" is a transcendent anthem to being transformed by love from an unexpected source. The entire score, including "Say a Prayer" (which had been cut from My Fair Lady), "I Remember It Well," "The Night They Invented Champagne," and "Thank Heaven for Little Girls," comprise a sparkling, rare soundtrack recording that stands alone and can be enjoyed and understood by those who have not yet seen the movie, deprived souls that they are. The winner of nine Academy Awards (plus a special Oscar for Chevalier), including Best Picture, Gigi was the last great MGM movie musical and one of the best...
The Film: Gigi was unfortunately the last of the great MGM musicals, but what a way to end a genre already filled with classics! Based on the novel by Colette, Gigi tells the story of a young girl (Leslie Caron) who is reared by her grandmother and great aunt to follow family tradition by becoming a courtesan. The family is scandalised, however, when the handsome and eligible Gaston Lachaille (Louis Jordan) proposes marriage to her. Despite the delightful performances of Caron and Jordan, the film is almost stolen by Hermione Gingold and Maurice Chevalier, who perform the classic and touching "I remember it well" - just one musical highlight in a film containing many.
Review by Kathryn Parkerson taken from EUFS Programme 1992-93 and online HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
This Blu-ray image is compared to the 2008 2-disc SE below. The superiority, in all areas, is not as dramatic as we have seen in other standard-def vs. hi-def comparisons. The most visible improvements I saw were in color and how the Blu-ray maintains a viable, consistent, grain structure (more noticeable later in the film). I'd put any limitations in the appearance more down to 'MetroColor' - seemingly weaker than other cinematic options of the day - or perhaps, it was simply not as resilient. The DVD approaches colors 'bleeding' where the Blu-ray is much tighter on that front. Key markers such as reds, skin tones and even darker colors, as well as contrast, are represented to a higher ideal on this Japanese HD import. On my system the Blu-ray of Gigi looked great - but not as breathtaking as one may have hoped. Technically it is dual-layered with the disc size being almost 40 Gig and the film almost 30. I don't see evidence of any digital manipulations like DNR or edge enhancements. The VC1 encode has done as good as job as it could of recreating the theatrical feel of Gigi through this 1080P transfer. Hopefully, the expandable screen captures below will give you an idea of what it will look like on your system. In the end, it looks far better than I have ever seen before.
Spine packaging difference between Japanese and US Blu-rays
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
NOTE: Not same frame!
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
September 2008 2-disc Special Edition SD-DVD NTSC TOP vs. Warner Region FREE Blu-ray BOTTOM
Audio & Music:
Extras:
Bottom line:
Gary Tooze December 23rd, 2008
NOTE: Aside from the packaging the US edition is exactly the same as the Japanese release (as we suspected) - the exact same region free 1080P, VC-1 encoded Blu-ray disc. Our comments above still hold true. The good thing about the US edition is the price - a significant savings!
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