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Glengarry Glen Ross [Blu-ray]
(James Foley, 1992)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Zupnik Cinema Group II Video: ITV / Lionsgate
Disc: Region: 'B' / 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:40:23.058 / 1:40:24.518 Disc Size: 45,826,881,476 bytes / 23,446,067,274 bytes Feature Size: 30,329,057,280 bytes / 20,098,713,600 bytes Video Bitrate: 30.00 Mbps / 21.00 Mbps Chapters: 8 / 16Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: October 22nd, 2012 / October 11th, 2016
Video (both): Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 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 DTS-HD Master Audio English 3472 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3472 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
DTS-HD Master Audio English 3862 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3862
kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Subtitles: English, none
English, English (SDH), Spanish, none
Extras: • Audio commentary with director James Foley
•
ABC: Always Be Closing (29:59) • Alan Arkin 'George' (14:25) • Jane Musky 'Production Designer' (11:25)
• Audio commentary with director James Foley • ABC: Always Be Closing (29:58) • Magic Time: a Tribute to Jack Lemon (30:06) • Charlie Rose Show (10:11) • Kevin Spacey - Inside Actor's Studio (2:08)
Bitrate:
Description: Adapted from his Pulitzer Prize winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross shows David Mamet, at his searing, profane best. A group of Chicago real-estate salesmen-cum-con artists live on the edge... life is good for the one on a roll, for the rest, life hangs in the balance. There is no room for losers. A-B-C Always Be Closing, sell or go under, is the salesman's mantra. With the pressure on, so begins a rainy night of cut-throat business and shattered lives. Oscar nominated Al Pacino plays the fast talking Ricky Roma, alongside a phenomenal performance by Jack Lemmon as the veteran Shelly "The Machine" Levene, struggling to keep his neck above water. With a star studded ensemble cast featuring Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris and Alan Arkin.
The Film: David Mamet's award-winning play about a group of desperate real estate agents comes to the big screen from director James Foley. In a role created specifically for the movie, Alec Baldwin appears as a sales motivator, informing the group of hard-luck salesmen that they must compete in a sales contest where the losers will be fired. The agents work their same tired leads, until one hatches a scheme to burglarize the office, steal the leads, and sell them to a rival. Featuring a cast that includes Al Pacino as the office's sales leader, Jack Lemmon as an elderly loser, Alan Arkin and Ed Harris as frustrated salesmen, Kevin Spacey as the harassed office manager, and Jonathan Pryce as a client, Glengarry Glen Ross is, at its core, a character study about a group of men whose time has passed. Excerpt from MRQE located HEREDavid Mamet's play about the wheelings and dealings of real-estate salesmen gets dedicated playing from a splendid cast, but gains nothing by the transfer from stage to screen. Foley takes us outside the office a bit, but essentially it's a claustrophobic story of men under pressure revealing cracks in character. 'Always be closing,' is the motto of these high-pressure hustlers, but after a brutal pep talk from bossman Blake (Baldwin), many of the team are faced with personal closure if they don't perform at peak. In this competitive climate, one of them steals the 'leads' (names of prospective clients). Mamet's aphasic dialogue and profanities fit perfectly with the accents, and it's possible to imagine how hotshot Ricky Roma (Pacino) will end up like pitiful, pleading Levene (Lemmon). Both turn in superb performances, but it's an ensemble piece, and Harris, Arkin and Spacey are just as good. Excerpt from TimeOut located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Glengarry Glen Ross gets an impressive transfer to Blu-ray from ITV in the UK. It's solidly in dual-layered territory and the 1080P transfer has a strong bitrate. Colors are passive but austenitic and truer than SD could relate and there is no noise in the darker sequences. The 1080P supports solid contrast exhibiting healthy, rich black levels and some minor depth in the 2.35:1 frame. It's pristinely clean showcasing some hi-def detail and there are really no flaws with the rendering. Textures also appear to a small degree and detail is adept. This Blu-ray is the best I have seen Glengarry Glen Ross look in my Home Theatre... by a long shot.
Lionsgate's Blu-ray is only single-layered but looks almost as good - a few pixels shift - skin tones may warm a shade and in-motion the ITV might be marginally superior. Most systems won't notice the improvement - discerning eyes may.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
More ITV - Region 'B' - Blu-ray Captures
Audio :Audio gives the option of a linear PCM 2.0 channel track at 2304 kbps or a, more robust, DTS-HD Master surround at 3472 kbps. There are some separations including the constant rain in the background. Aggression takes a backseat to the, essentially, dialogue-driven screenplay. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.
Lionsgate stick with the surround - an equally robust DTS-HD Master but don't give the stereo option and add Spanish subtitles - as well as both English and English (SDH). It is region 'A'-locked.
Extras : ITV include the audio commentary by director James Foley originally found on their 2005 DVD. It's good but a co-commentator - one of the cast - might have raised interest. ABC: Always Be Closing is a 1/2 hour documentary on salesmanship relating specifically to Glengarry Glen Ross. We also get a 1/2 hour Magic Time: A Tribute to Jack Lemmon with input from actor Peter Gallagher, writer James Lipton and others. There is also 11-minutes of the Charlie Rose Show with Lemmon, and less than 3-minutes Kevin Spacey: Inside Actors Studio tidbit. One of Tony Buba’s early film portraits was J. Roy–New and Used Furniture (1974), about a chap who has had 11 failed businesses but now feels that he can finally start on the path to success with an over-stocked second hand shop. It's amusing and poignant. There are 3 selected scene commentaries from Alec Baldwin (19-minutes), Alan Arkin (15-minutes) and 12-minutes with production designer Jane Musky. These are all excellent imparting some vital details to both characterizations and production. We also get 21-minutes with cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchía discussing Glengarry Glen Ross regarding, lighting, framing and other details. Lastly, there is a trailer. This Blu-ray is really stacked with a lot of supplement material.
Most of the same extras as the ITV. Same audio commentary with director James Foley, same featurettes; ABC: Always Be Closing (29:58), Magic Time: a Tribute to Jack Lemon (30:06), Charlie Rose and Kevin Spacey - Inside Actor's Studio. We lose about 1 1/4 hour's worth of J. Roy - New and Used Furniture, Cinematographer Juan Ruez Cinematographer, Alec Baldwin 'Blake', Alan Arkin 'George'and Jane Musky 'Production Designer' plus a trailer. So ITV also nudges ahead with the extras.
ITV - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Lionsgate - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
BOTTOM LINE:
The Lionsgate may be marginally inferior as a package but it's hard to argue with the price. A masterpiece film that deserved dual-layering but still make it a must-own for region 'A' 'ers. It never gets old - some of the best performances from the strongest actors. Gary Tooze December 11th, 2013 October 12th, 2016
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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.
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
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Player APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V Gary W. Tooze ALL OUR NEW FORMAT DVD REVIEWS
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