Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
|
Death Watch aka La mort en direct [Blu-ray]
(Bertrand Tavernier, 1980)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Société Française de Production (SFP) Video: Shout! Factory
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 2:10:01.460 Disc Size: 23,704,006,752 bytes Feature Size: 23,265,712,128 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.99 Mbps Chapters: 12 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: August 28th, 2012
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1562 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1562 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles: None
Extras: • Image GalleryDVD of the Feature
Bitrate:
Description: A highly acclaimed French film from 1980,
Death Watch was directed by the great French director
Bertrand Tavernier (Coup
De Torchon,
L'Appat,
Daddy Nostalgie) and filmed on location in Glasgow,
Scotland.
The Film:
The English-language film, shot entirely in Scotland by the French
director, is about the efforts of some TV hustlers in the near future to
create the ultimate in a human-interest television series. It's a show
called ''Death Watch,'' which seeks out people with terminal
diseases, who are paid by the television company for the rights to
record the last months of their lives. Director Bertrand Tavernier provides an unexpected feminist slant to the otherwise standard sci-fi trappings of Death Watch. Harvey Keitel plays a man of the future who has had a camera implanted in his brain. The mechanism, which is endowed with special X-ray properties, is activated by the user's eyes. Keitel is assigned by ruthless TV producer Harry Dean Stanton to secretly probe the subconscious of a dying woman, played by Romy Schneider. Stanton is only interested in the grim spectacle of what goes on inside the brain of someone who knows she's doomed. Keitel, on the other hand, becomes increasingly compassionate--and disgusted by the tawdriness of his assignment--as he stares into Schneider's tortured psyche. Excerpt from MRQE located HEREImage : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Death Watch is surprisingly impressive on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory easily eclipsing any previous SD releases - on the visual front. Glasgow - where the film was shot - looks wonderful. The image quality is crisp with frequent depth, solid contrast and strong detail. This is only single-layered but colors are rich and tight. Skin tones show a bit of warm but as a representation of the original - is probably accurate. There is very minor gloss at times. This Blu-ray probably looks like the film 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 :Simple but effective DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel at 1562 kbps. The majority of the film is dialogue (English) with a few more demonstrative effects. No range and a smidgeon of scattered depth but appears to be faithful. No subtitles are offered. My Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked although the film is available on region 'B' Blu-ray later this year HERE.
Extras : No extras except a 'Photo Gallery' but there is a single-layered DVD included in the package - also with feature and same extra.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze August 19th, 2012
|
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 5000 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
|