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3
Days of the Condor [Blu-ray]
(Sidney
Pollack, 1975)
NOTE: Kino's
4K UHD of Three Days of the
Condor is reviewed
HERE
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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LEFT
2)
Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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UK
Optimum Blu-ray Edition
German Kinowelt Blu-ray Edition:
Studio Canal
Blu-ray in France:
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Review by Leonard Norwitz
ADDITION:
Masters of Cinema - Spine # 128 - Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
April 2016 - Comments in
YELLOW!
/ '
Optimum / Kinowelt - Studio Canal Collection - Region
A + B
Blu-ray - September 2010':
Studio Canal Collection comments are in
GREEN!
Studio:
Theatrical: Stanley Schneider
Video: Paramount Home Entertainment +
Studio Canal Collection +
Masters of Cinema - Spine # 128 - Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
Disc:
Region: ALL
/
Studio Canal is Region A + B
/
Masters of Cinema is Region 'B'(as verified by the
Oppo Blu-ray player))
Runtime: 1:57:22.994 /
1:57:06.060
/
1:57:19.323
Disc Size: 41,152,097,447 bytes /
34,858,905,147 bytes
/
48,308,444,860 bytes
Feature Size: 39,929,874,432 bytes /
26,936,604,672 bytes
/
38,369,992,128 bytes
Video Bitrate: 29.36 Mbps /
20.95 Mbps
/
35.65 Mbps
Chapters: 16 /
16
/
8
Case: Standard Blu-ray case /
Custom Blu-ray case /
Transparent Blu-ray case
Release date: May 19th, 2009 /
September / November 2009
/
April 11th, 2016
Video:
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Resolution: 1080p
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video /
VC-1 Video
/
MPEG-4 AVC Video
Bitrates:
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1)
Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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TOP
2)
Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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MIDDLE
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Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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Audio:
Dolby
TrueHD Audio English 3085 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3085 kbps /
16-bit (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio French 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps
DTS-HD Master Audio English 2006 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2006
kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1076 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1076
kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio English 1083 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1083
kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio French 904 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 904 kbps
/ 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio German 853 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 853 kbps
/ 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish 976 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 976 kbps
/ 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps /
24-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio English 3450 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3450
kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles:
English (SDH), English, French, Spanish, none
English , Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Japanese,
Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, none
English (SDH), none
Extras:
• Theatrical Trailer in HD
• Commentary by Sidney Pollack
• CIA Secret Wars - 1947-1977
(53:04 - French + English with subtitles)
• Something About Sidney Pollack (59:05)
• More About the Condor (24:56)
Exclusive new video interview with film historian Sheldon Hall (21:53)
The Directors: Sydney Pollack - A career-spanning appreciation of the
director's works (59:46)
Original theatrical trailer (3:04)
32-PAGE BOOKLET featuring a new essay on the film by critic Michael Brooke,
an extensive interview with Pollack, and archival images
Comment:
The story of one man's struggle to learn who are his
friends, and who are his enemies?
Robert Redford and director Sydney Pollack teamed up for
their third collaboration on Three Days of the Condor, a
sinuous tale of deceit and corruption, as well as one of
Hollywood's finest conspiracy thrillers of the 1970s.
Redford stars as Joe Turner, a junior analyst in the C.I.A.,
scrutinising published texts from around the world for coded
messages. But once he discovers an unusual anomaly, his own
existence comes crashing down, with every error carrying
fatal consequences.
Taught and engrossing, with astonishing modern-day
relevance, and fabulous supporting turns from Faye Dunaway,
Cliff Robertson, John Houseman and the great Max von Sydow.
***
"His code name is Condor. In the next 24 hours, everyone he
trusts will try to kill him." As the ads ominously
announced, a low-level spook confronts the unfathomable in
Sydney Pollack's 1975 political thriller, adapted from the
James Grady novel Six Days of the Condor. CIA
researcher Joe Turner (Robert Redford) returns from lunch to
find the entire staff of his small New York office
assassinated. When he meets his boss (Cliff Robertson) at
another location to tell him what happened, someone tries to
shoot Turner as well. On the run from the cops and his
agency, a desperate Turner resorts to holing up with
innocent civilian Kathy (Faye Dunaway), who becomes his only
ally. Joe decides to save himself the only way possible --
by going to The New York Times. But will it work? One of a
cycle of conspiracy films from the 1970s that also included
The Parallax View (1974) and Redford's
All the President's Men (1976), Three Days of the
Condor pits a working everyman (albeit a CIA everyman)
against a far-reaching conspiracy, as it also criticizes the
CIA during a period of increasing publicity about federal
wrongdoing, from the Pentagon Papers through Watergate and
other congressional investigations. The challenge of
negotiating New York City, shot on location, becomes one
more sign of the forces that Joe must face. With its timely
subject matter, taut suspense, and sympathetic Redford hero,
Three Days of the Condor became a substantial hit.
Balancing the conspiracy cycle's pessimism with a margin of
attenuated hope, Three Days of the Condor suggests
that one man can still discover the truth, but whether it
helps him remains to be seen.
NOTE: Kino's
4K UHD of Three Days of the
Condor is reviewed
HERE
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were
taken directly from the
Blu-ray discs.
While the image may not have the kind of resolution or
breadth of contrast we find in a Bourne Ultimatum or
Goldfinger, it is nonetheless sharp and fairly
immaculate. I found no obtrusive manipulations or
enhancements. On the contrary, the image is every bit as
grainy as it must have been 30-odd years ago. It can tend to
look thick but the texture is consistent and benefits the
presentation. Colors seem true with acceptable flesh tones
but there isn't a lot of dimensionality to the visuals. It
has no gloss and the image is clean of dirt and speckles.
The Paramount looks a little crisper
to me. Studio Canal came out
with a bare-bones HD-DVD of the film and as this is
still the same VC-1 encode and the feature size would fit
that defunct format assuming it was dual-layered. Colors
have some noticeable differences - see below. The Paramount
is generally more vibrant and the Studio Canal Collection
has some green in it. This is how we saw the disparity in
The Graduate - from the US vs. European Blu-rays.
The Paramount has a higher bitrate, AVC encode and a larger
file size for the feature. I think the Paramount is superior
in appearance.
The Masters of Cinema mimics the colors scheme of the
Paramount - that we feel is more accurate and it even looks
a tad tighter than the US BD. If forced to choose between
the three - I'd lean to the UK transfer.
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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Studio Canal Collection
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Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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TOP
2)
Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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MIDDLE
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Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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TOP
2)
Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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MIDDLE
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Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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TOP
2)
Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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MIDDLE
3)
Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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1)
Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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TOP
2)
Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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MIDDLE
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Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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TOP
2)
Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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MIDDLE
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Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
BOTTOM
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1) Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
- TOP
2)
Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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Paramount
- Region FREE
Blu-ray
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Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
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Audio & Music : 7/8
Condor
is a relatively subtle and subdues thriller by today’s
standards. The few times that there is gunfire it is a
surprise even though we see it coming. The uncompressed
Dolby TrueHD mix helps put this over. The attack on the
Historical Library is an excellent case in point, as we are
carefully suspended in the midst of computer and printer
noises between bursts of automatic weapons fire, followed by
the falling down a stair or over a desk. There is a bizarre
and very dark humor to these moments that the audio mix does
its part to bring off.
Given the choice I will almost always lean to the
DTS-HD Master
over a TrueHD track. While the TrueHD of the Paramount may
be more robust - the SC can seem more resonant in the
minimal activity of gunshots and Dave Grusin score. It's a
small difference that most wouldn't be concerned over. The
European
Blu-ray
has a some foreign language DUBs and subtitle options. See
the initial menu screen:
Studio Canal Collection
- Region 'A + B' -
Blu-ray
The MoC is the best technically - 24-bit and
more robust and hence has a quality advancement and the
option of 5.1 or original - both in lossless. MoC wins this
category as well. It also offers optional subtitles (SDH).
Masters of Cinema - Spine #128 Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
Extras :
Zip - aside from an HD trailer.
This is where the Studio Canal edition may be of interest to
some. Yes, it has the Pollack commentary but I didn't find
it a very good one. There are plenty of gaps where he is
just watching and when he does interject it is more of a
narration of the scene. He does state some production
choices but they are few and far between. BUT the video
supplements are interesting. The CIA Secret Wars -
1947-1977 is fascinating in French + some English with
optional subtitles. It runs about 53-minutes and for those
keen on the politics of the CIA from its inception with
president Truman till the time of Three Days of the
Condor - its well worth the indulgence seeing undercover
operations with William Karel. Something About Sidney
Pollack is an hour with the director on his routine for
film creation starting with the script. There is also
More About the Condor - a 25-minute piece with Redford.
No commentary but MoC add a new exclusive 22-minute video
interview with film historian Sheldon Hall - and I enjoyed
it find it revealing. There is also the hour-long The
Directors series with Sydney Pollack - examining his
career-with interviews of Pollack himself and Charles
Durning, Sally Field, Harrison Ford, Paul Newman, Cliff
Robertson, Meryl Streep etc. There is also an original
theatrical trailer and a beautiful 32-page booklet featuring
a new essay on the film by critic Michael Brooke, an
extensive interview with Pollack, and archival images.
Sweet.
Bottom Line :
Too bad about the lack of extras. I guess Paramount doesn’t
think as highly of this movie as I do, since there are no
interviews with Dunaway, Redford or Robertson, or a
commentary by a film historian. Nevertheless 3 Days of
the Condor is a classic of the genre with a special
resonance for our times. The image and audio recover more
than I had hoped. Recommended.
This is a great film that I could watch yearly. I think it's
an easy choice - for those concerned with the visual quality
- I'd lean to the Paramount - but for those keen on
supplements the Studio Canal is the way to go. I should note
that many systems may not distinguish the two
Blu-ray
a/v differences enough to make it overly important. Both are
consistent which is our greatest desire in a transfer.
NOTE: I don't think Optimum officially released this film on
Blu-ray
at the writing of this review. It can be had from
Amazon France (Universal S/C) or Germany (Kinowelt) though.
Aside from packaging - it is the exact same transfer.
The MoC is the one to get in my opinion - the best a/v
presentation and solid extras including the keepsake
booklet. I never tire of seeing this film. Strongly
recommended!
Leonard Norwitz
May 14th, 2009
Gary Tooze
September 27th, 2010
April 2016
NOTE: Kino's
4K UHD of Three Days of the
Condor is reviewed
HERE
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UK
Optimum Blu-ray Edition
German Kinowelt Blu-ray Edition:
Studio Canal Blu-ray in France:
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