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H D - S E N S E I

A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Rain Man [Blu-ray]

 

The 4K UHD of Rain Man is reviewed HERE

 

(Barry Levinson, 1988)

 

  

  

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: United Artists

Video: MGM Video

 

Disc:

Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 2:13:50.230

Disc Size: 48,850,274,507 bytes

Feature Size: 46,309,988,352 bytes

Video Bitrate: 32.00 Mbps

Chapters: 32

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: February 15th, 2011

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 3721 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3721 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS Audio French 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio German 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio Italian 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio Russian 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio Spanish 768 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit
Dolby Digital Audio Czech 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Polish 448 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 448 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -1dB
Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -5dB
Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -1dB
Dolby Digital Audio Hungarian 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -11dB
* Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio Portuguese 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / DN -4dB

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), Chinese (traditional and simplified), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, none

 

Extras:

Feature Length Commentary with Director Barry Levinson
Feature Length Commentary with Co-Writer Barry Morrow
Feature Length Commentary with Co-Writer Ronald Bass

The Journey of Rain Man (22:07 in 480i)

Lifting the Fog: A look at The Mysteries of Autism (20:13 in 480i)

• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:14 in 480i)
Deleted Scene (2:13 in 480i)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: Callous hustler Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) is busy working on his next deal when he receives word that his estranged father has died. After traveling back to Ohio from Los Angeles for the funeral, Charlie is miffed to find that although he will receive a vintage Buick from his father's estate, he isn't getting a cent of the three-million-dollar fortune. Instead, Charlie finds that the money has been left to the caretakers of his institutionalized autistic brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). Once he gets over the shock of the existence of a brother of whom he seems to have no recollection, Charlie kidnaps Raymond and heads cross-country in the Buick in an attempt to get a cut of the inheritance to pay off some of his failing deals. However, during their adventure, Charlie not only learns how to deal with Raymond's many idiosyncrasies, but he also actually begins to care about his older brother, surprising even himself with his ability to love and his realization that money isn't necessarily the most important thing. Barry Levinson directs Ron Bass's script with impeccable timing and a wonderful sense of humor.

***

"My father stuck it to me all my life," complains Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise), a callous, self-centered young hustler who feels he's been cheated out of his three million dollar inheritance. Left only with his late father's prized rose bushes and a vintage '49 Buick convertible, Charlie soon uncovers yet another surprise - a brother he never knew he had. Discovering his autistic brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), in an institution, Charlie abducts him in a last-ditch attempt to extort his 'fair share' of the family estate. But what begins as an unconventional journey across the country evolves into a mystical odyssey of love and self-revelation and Raymond forces Charlie to grow beyond the limits of his handicapped heart..

 

 

The Film:

Self-centered, avaricious Californian Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) is informed that his long-estranged father has died.... Expecting at least a portion of the elder Babbitt's $3 million estate, Charlie learns that all he's inherited is his dad's prize roses and a 1949 Buick Roadmaster. Discovering that the $3 million is being held in trust for an unidentified party, Charlie heads to his home town of Cincinnati to ascertain who that party is. It turns out that the beneficiary is Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman), the autistic-savant older brother that Charlie never knew he had. Able to memorize reams of trivia and add, subtract, multiply, and divide without a second's hesitation, Raymond is otherwise incapable of functioning as a normal human being. Aghast that Raymond is to receive his father's entire legacy, Charlie tries to cut a deal with Raymond's guardian. When this fails, Charlie borrows Raymond from the institution where he lives, hoping to use his brother as leverage to claim half the fortune. During their subsequent cross-country odyssey, Charlie is forced to accommodate Raymond's various autistic idiosyncrasies, not the least of which is his insistence on adhering to a rigid daily schedule: he must, for example, watch People's Court and Jeopardy every day at the same time, no matter what. On hitting Las Vegas, Charlie hopes to harness Raymond's finely-honed mathematical skills to win big at the gaming tables; but this exploitation of his brother's affliction compels Charlie to reassess his own values, or lack thereof. A longtime pet project of star Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man was turned down by several high-profile directors before Barry Levinson took on the challenge of bringing Ronald Bass' screenplay to fruition (Levinson also appears in the film as a psychiatrist). All three men won Oscars, and the movie won Best Picture.

Excerpt from Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The 4K UHD of Rain Man is reviewed HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

The Blu-ray transfer for Rain Man is impressive. It is dual-layered with an stratospheric bitrate. The image quality shows some grit and, readily visible, grain that may be too strong for some. The visuals are thick and rich and colors seem brighter and truer than SD could relate. Skin tones seem quite warm - and contrast exhibits healthy, pitch black levels. Daylight scenes are more impressive but nothing is too dark or noisy. This Blu-ray has a film-like quality that even showcases some unexpected depth. The textures are fairly consistent throughout the presentation and detail advances significantly beyond flatter and lifeless SD.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

I believe this is the most optional DUBs and subtitles that I have ever seen on one disc. We get the original English as a DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a healthy 3721 kbps. There is some great music in Levinson's storytelling from Hoagy Carmichael to Johnny Clegg & Savuka. The audio transfer never seems to struggle with the powerful shirts and depth is abundant. This was especially notable in the arrival in Vegas with a penetrating and rhythmic bass that envelopes the room. Aside from that the track offers minimally in aggression or adroit separations but dialogue always crystal clear. My Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

 

Extras :

Extras mimic the 2004 Special Edition DVD with the three feature Length Commentaries by a) Director Barry Levinson, b) Co-Writer Barry Morrow and c) Co-Writer Ronald Bass. It's a lot even for hardcore fans of the film - I appreciated Levinson's comments very much and the while the co-writers offers somewhat less in terms of production detail - there is some viable information imparted. There are two more featurettes that I don't recall seeing before - The Journey of Rain Man runs 22-minutes and has Levinson detail more production and the 20-minute Lifting the Fog: A Look at The Mysteries of Autism is extremely interesting in focusing on the neuro-developmental disorder that is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. This will be educational for most who watch it. We get the original theatrical trailer and the short deleted scene found on the last DVD edition. All video supplements are in 480i.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Rain Man is another one of those films that you tend to forget how good it is until you simply re-watch it. It is still solid entertainment in a controlled, professionally related story. I was again keen on Cruise's portrayal - which I think is one of his best. This is infinitely superior to the previous DVDs in every area with excellent video and audio. I think this is a tremendous film to have in your Blu-ray library. We won't see it look or sound any better and I give a strong recommendation! 

Gary Tooze

February 12th, 2011

 

The 4K UHD of Rain Man is reviewed HERE

 

 

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 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 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.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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