Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
|
The Getaway [Blu-ray]
(Sam Peckinpah, 1972)
Review by Gary Tooze
Studio: Theatrical: Warner Video: Warner Home VideoDisc: Region: FREE! Runtime: 2:02:49.153 Disc Size: 21,021,705,004 bytes Feature Size: 16,676,413,440 bytes Average Bitrate: 18.10 Mbps Chapters: 33 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: February 27th, 2007
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p Video codec: VC-1 Video
Audio: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps DUBs: Dolby Digital Audio French 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles: English, English (SDH), French, Spanish, none
Extras: • Commentary by Peckinpah documentarians Nick Redman, Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons and David Weddle • 'Virtual' Reel One Commentary by Steve McQueen, Ali McGraw and Sam Peckinpah (10:36 - HD!)• New Featurette: Main Title 1M1 Jerry Fielding, Sam Peckinpah (29:56 - SD) and The Getaway Reel 4 Bank Robbery Sequence with alternate Jerry Fielding Score in HD (9:19 - SD) • Audio-only Bonus - Alternate Jerry Fielding Score• Sam Peckinpah Movie trailer Gallery
Bitrate:
Description: Master thief Doc McCoy knows his wife has been in bed with the local political boss in order to spring him from jail. What he can't know is the sinister succession of double-crosses that will sour the deal once he's on the outside - and executing the ultimate robbery. Fasten your seat belts and join Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw in a supreme action thriller based on Jim Thompson's novel. Sam Peckinpah directed, filming on locations across Texas and in sequence - from the opening inside Hunstville State Prison to the explosive El Paso border climax. Once The Getaway starts, there's no escaping its breathless intensity.
The Film:
We usually think of excess when we think of Peckinpah, most readily from
the trademark slow-motion violence of 1969's
The Wild Bunch. We don't often think of his nuts-and-bolts
filmmaking. Yet despite the gunplay and occasional slow-mo in The
Getaway, the movie is ample evidence that he could really tell a
story in more traditional ways, too. The crisp opening detailing the
grinding monotony of Doc McCoy's prison stint, the cross-cutting among
all the elements of the heist and a tense sequence in which McQueen
scours a train for a con man who bamboozled Carol out of their bag of
ill-gotten money are all textbook examples of visual storytelling.
Peckinpah and McQueen had just come off of the flop Junior Bonner
together (another fine collaboration), while McQueen laid a more
high-profile egg before that with Le Mans, so the emphasis here was to
make a crowd-pleaser, and they definitely succeeded.
The Getaway appears slightly more detailed than the simultaneously released Bullitt on Blu-ray from Warner and both are probably exact duplicates of their HD-DVD editions. The image quality shows some grit and minor grain. It probably looked quite similar to this theatrically over 35 years ago. This is only single-layered and one of the earlier classic brought to hi-def disc. Colors seem brighter and truer than SD could relate although it can tend to look blocky at times. Skin tones seem quite warm - contrast exhibits healthy, rich black levels. Daylight scenes are more impressive but nothing is overly dark. This Blu-ray has a nice realistic feel with the only black-mark being the stock footage used in the film which comes across quite poorly. By modern standards this is fairly tame visually but as a representation of the original - I doubt much more could be done. This Blu-ray probably looks like the film The Getaway and it advances beyond the last DVD editions in several key areas - notably detail and colors.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :No boost going on here - its a mono track pushing mostly through the center channel. I like the authenticity but fans who indulge for their Surround systems will be left empty handed with The Getaway. Quincy Jones does a great score switching moods and encapsulating strong emotions with his deft arrangements. The closing harmonica theme music seems absolutely perfect and sounds crisp enough without range or depth.
Extras : 8The supplements appear to duplicate the SE DVD with the fine Redman led commentary. The 'Virtual' Reel One Commentary by Steve McQueen, Ali McGraw and Sam Peckinpah is s nice nostalgic SD touch for about 10 minutes. There is an SD featurette on Jerry Fielding and The Getaway Reel 4 Bank Robbery Sequence with alternate Jerry Fielding Score in HD. As an audio-only bonus - we get the Alternate Jerry Fielding Score and a trailer gallery of Sam Peckinpah Films. Overall the commentary is the king and very much worth indulging in.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze February 14th, 2009
|
About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 7500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. So be
it, but film will always be my first love and I list my
favorites on the old YMdb site now accessible
HERE.
Samsung HPR4272 42" Plasma HDTV
Sony BDP-S300 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player
(firmware upgraded)
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player Gary W. Tooze
HD-DVD STORE HIGH DEFINITION DVD STORE
ALL OUR NEW FORMAT DVD REVIEWS
|