|
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
|
|
A Farewell to Arms [Blu-ray]
(Frank Borzage, 1932)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Paramount Pictures Video: Kino / BFI
Disc: Region: FREE! / 'B'-locked (as verified by the Oppo region FREE Blu-ray player)Runtime: 1:29:13.264 / 1:28:49.583Disc Size: 24,290,442,117 bytes / 22,305,271,311 bytesFeature Size: 22,607,812,224 bytes / 20,968,637,568 bytes Video Bitrate: 29.88 Mbps / 27.91 Mbps Chapters: 10 / 12Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: December 20th, 2011 / September 22nd, 2014
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48
kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles: None English, none
Extras: • Trailers for Nothing Sacred, A Star is Born, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman • Gallery• Alternate Ending (5:42) • War Scenes in Italy (:57) • Austrian Prisoners of War in Concentration Camp (2:32) • Latest Crime of the Sinister Hun (1:44) • Frank Borzage talks to Cecil B. DeMille (3:19) • A fully illustrated booklet featuring full film credits and essays by Geoff Andrew, Adrian Wootton, and Kent Jones. DVD of the Feature
Bitrate:
Description: A tale of the love between ambulance driver Lt. Henry (Gary Cooper) and Nurse Catherine Barkley (Helen Hayes) during World War I. The action takes place in Italy and the two fall in love during the war and will stop at nothing to be together. The film also analyses Lt. Henry's feelings on war and the purpose of fighting.
The Film: Not only the best film version of a Hemingway novel, but also one of the most thrilling visions of the power of sexual love that even Borzage ever made. An American ambulanceman, serving in Italy in World War I, falls in love with an English nurse; he finally goes AWOL to rejoin her, only to find her carrying his child and dying of hunger and loneliness. No other director got performances like these: Cooper at his youngest and sexiest, moving from drunkenness to intoxication; moon-faced Hayes, at once a mother-figure and a lover; and Menjou as Cooper's repressed homosexual friend, jealously coming between the lovers. And no other director created images like these, using light and movement like brushstrokes, integrating naturalism and a daring expressionism in the same shot. This is romantic melodrama raised to its highest degree, fittingly set to the music of Wagner's 'Liebestod'. Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE
It's no secret that Ernest Hemingway could be an ornery cuss when he
wanted to, and he had little use for people who made their living in the
film industry. So it's hardly a shock that he openly despised Frank
Borzage's entertaining but bowdlerized version of his war novel, A
Farewell to Arms. It is surprising, though, that he developed a longtime
allegiance to the film's broad-shouldered star, Gary Cooper. Hemingway
was known for discarding, or, worse yet, alienating even his closest
friends. But he and Cooper became buddies a few years after A
Farewell to Arms (1932) was released, and they stayed that way for
nearly 20 years.
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. The 1932 Borzage-directed A Farewell to Arms is transferred to a single-layered, virtually bare-bones, Blu-ray from Kino... and it looks impressive. The bitrate is quite high for the 1.5 hour film and grain is wonderfully rich and thick. There are still plenty of surface, frame-specific, scratches but this image exemplifies what I love about older films put to 1080P. The restoration via Blu-ray exports the film's textures and contrast to lofty heights - probably not seen since its initial theatrical run. The film's age makes this imperfect by today's pristine presentations - but give me this authentic film look every time. Big thumbs-up on the video! Image quality is duplicated on the BFI - similar bitrate, disc space etc. - Looks excellent.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Audio :The linear PCM mono track at 2304 kbps sounds about as good as we can expect from the 80-year old film. The weaknesses are manifest in the production but there are no egregious pops or dropouts. Dialogue is a clear but, predictably, less consistent than a more modern feature. There are no subtitles offered and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.
Audio, is also - for my ears - duplicated on the BFI - utilizing a, flawless, linear PCM track. BFI do however offer optional English subtitles (sample above) and an 'Audio Descriptive' track. The disc is region 'B'-locked.
Extras : There are no important supplements. The disc has trailers for Nothing Sacred, A Star is Born, plus Pandora and the Flying Dutchman and a 16-image production/marketing gallery. The film reaches masterpiece status and deserves more in the way of extras but as a positive the menus are impressive.
This is where the BFI advances offering a 6-minute Alternate Ending, some short newsreel clips (War Scenes in Italy, Austrian Prisoners of War in Concentration Camp and Latest Crime of the Sinister Hun) as well as an audio conversation between Frank Borzage talks to Cecil B. DeMille. Being Dual-Format there is also a DVD of the Feature included in the package and a fully illustrated booklet featuring full film credits and essays by Geoff Andrew, Adrian Wootton, and Kent Jones.
BOTTOM LINE:
Amazing film that just seems to get better every time I see it. BFI have gone the extra-mile with the supplements, booklet, subtitles etc. No matter what side of the pond you reside - this should be a part of your digital library! Gary Tooze December 8th, 2011 September 13th, 2014
|
|
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. 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 APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V Gary W. Tooze ALL OUR NEW FORMAT DVD REVIEWS
|
CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze
|
|
Thank You!
