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Grand Hotel [Blu-ray]
(Edmund Goulding, 1932)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: MGM Video: Warner Video
Disc: Region: FREE! (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:52:41.796 Disc Size: 21,334,034,660 bytes Feature Size: 18,373,054,464 bytes Video Bitrate: 17.77 Mbps Chapters: 32 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: January 8th, 2012
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.33:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1062 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1062 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio French 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio German 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Italian 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, none
Extras: • Commentary by Jeffrey Vance and Mark VieiraBehind the Story • Checking Out: Grand Hotel (12:20)• Hollywood Premiere of MGM's Grand Hotel (9:24) • Nothing Ever Happens (18:50) • Just a Word of Warning (1:15) Trailers • Grand Hotel (2:27) and Week-end at the Waldorf (2:42)
Bitrate:
Description: In this great screen drama, the glitz and glitter of Berlin's opulent Grand Hotel comes alive with its star-studded guests and employees: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery and Lionel Barrymore. *** Based on Vicki Baum's novel and produced by Irving Thalberg, this film is about the lavish Grand Hotel in Berlin, a place where "nothing ever happens." That statement proves to be false, however, as the story follows an intertwining cast of characters over the course of one tumultuous day. Greta Garbo is Grusinskaya, a ballerina whose jewels are coveted by Baron von Geigern (John Barrymore), a thief who fancies Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford), a stenographer and the mistress of Preysing (Wallace Beery), businessman boss of Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore), a terminally ill bookkeeper who is under the care of alcoholic physician Dr. Otternschlag (Lewis Stone). Grand Hotel won Best Picture at the 1932 Academy Awards.
The Film:
Greta Garbo's status as a screen legend became official when MGM billed
her solely by her last name in Grand Hotel, the Oscar-winning
Best Picture of 1932. It was a distinction previously earned by such
stage greats as Sarah Bernhardt and Eleonora Duse. Beyond her impressive
billing, the film also cemented her image as the most reclusive star of
all time, even giving her the line that would forever be associated with
her, "I want to be alone."
Gleaming deco dinosaur, Thalberg's pet, and the most legendary all-star
movie ever made; a tribute to all that "stars" and glamour used to be in
Hollywood's vanished Golden Age. Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Texture and contrast give Grand Hotel its greatest video appeal on Blu-ray from Warner. The strength of the black levels is a key to the richness of the image quality which shows some heavy, very pleasing, grain. The film of over 80-years old has had care looking clean without damage or even minor speckles. The Blu-ray advances over SD, primarily in the manner that the grain is supported and the layering of the contrast. It is only single-layered with a modest bitrate but I don't know how much further dual-layering would have taken the visuals. This Blu-ray appears to do its job with only very minor noise, in the darkest of scenes, as a inconsequential deterrent. I enjoyed the presentation quite a lot - the improved 1080P resolution made it much easier to drift back to the timeframe and its luscious, period, art direction. Garbo is hypnotic in close-ups.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Lossless but unremarkable with a DTS-HD Master mono track at 1062 kbps. At the mercy of the elements and production quality, dialogue is occasionally scattered - but everything is audible. The original music is by Charles Maxwell with some classical pieces like On the Beautiful Blue Danube and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor build the grandeur inside the hotel's atmosphere and individual stories. There is no real depth to speak of but there are optional subtitles and m y Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.
Extras : Extras mimic the previous DVD with the informative commentary by Jeffrey Vance and Mark Vieira and 'Behind the Story' featurettes; Checking Out: Grand Hotel (12:20), Hollywood Premiere of MGM's Grand Hotel (9:24), Nothing Ever Happens (18:50) and Just a Word of Warning (1:15). There are also trailers for Grand Hotel and Week-end at the Waldorf (1948).
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze January 4th, 2013
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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.
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