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A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

Taxi For Tobruk aka Un taxi pour Tobrouk [Blu-ray]

 

(Denys de La Patelličre, 1960)

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Société Nouvelle des Établissements Gaumont (SNEG)

Video: Olive Films

 

Disc:

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

Runtime: 1:40:55.049

Disc Size: 19,247,846,071 bytes

Feature Size: 18,074,812,416 bytes

Video Bitrate: 24.01 Mbps

Chapters: 9

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: October 30th, 2012

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio French 837 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 837 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)

 

Subtitles:

• English (burned-in)

 

Extras:

• Trailer (5:58)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: 1942 Tobruk, a French commando unit destroys a German gas depot. The four surviving soldiers manage to escape into the deadly desert and are soon lost. Exhausted and dehydrated, they spot a German armored car and attack and kill all but one. They start a surprising adventure where in the face of danger; the four men and their German prisoner discover the real meaning of solidarity. The stellar cast includes Lino Ventura (Army of Shadows), Charles Aznavour (Shoot the Piano Player) and Hardy Kruger (The Wild Geese). Directed by Denys de la Patellire (The Upper Hand).

 

 

The Film:

In this WW II adventure, a band of French soldiers must escort a group of high-ranking German officers across the North... African desert. Along the way a strange bond develops between the men, one of whom is Jewish. Just before they reach their destination, they are attacked by their own troops who do not recognize them. Only one of them survives.

Excerpt from MRQE located HERE

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

Taxi For Tobruk has a decent bitrate on Blu-ray from Olive Films and the transfer produces an impressive presentation. Typical of the production company this is only single-layered but contrast is well-layered. There is some nice grain and detail is strong without digital manipulation. The black levels look wonderful. Shot almost exclusively outdoors, the image quality is pristine with no noise or artefacts. The Blu-ray is significantly superior to an SD rendering and the rendering exports very pleasing visuals.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

The score is by veteran composer Georges Garvarentz (actually the brother-in-law of Charles Aznavour, himself a famous French singer.) It sounds solid via the DTS-HD mono track at 837 kbps. There are hints of depth but, obviously, no range to speak of. I suspect that it is faithful to the original presentation and I noted no significant flaws. This is another French-language film with burned-in English subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE.

 

Extras :

A lengthy trailer which is the bare-bones route that Olive are going with their releases.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
This is a rich, well-made, war drama. Taxi for Tobruk is a great film. I had never seen it before but loved my Blu-ray viewing. Hardy Krüger, Lino Ventura, and Charles Aznavour give super performances. I thoroughly enjoyed the film. The Blu-ray certainly isn't demo but it is solid enough to enjoy a highly pleasing 1080P 'Movie Night' in the Home Theater. Absolutely recommended! 

Gary Tooze

October 24th, 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.

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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