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(aka "Esther e il Re" )
directed by Raoul Walsh, Mario Bava
Italy, USA 1960
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Esther and the King (1960) is a cast-of-thousands epic spectacle set in the Ancient World, of the kind popular in its era. The film is visually gorgeous, with rich color design in its elaborate costumes and sets. Such an immersion in a world of spectacle was typical of such 1960-era films, including Fritz Lang's The Tiger of Eschnapur (1959) and Anthony Mann's The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). All of these films have huge sets that represent royal palaces. The sets are brilliantly colored, and remote from anything in modern life. They give a dream like feeling to the works, a sense of total escapism from contemporary reality, at least in visual appearance. Excerpt of review from The Films of Raoul Walsh [Michael E. Grost] located HERE |
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Theatrical Release: 18 November 1960 (New York City, NY)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
DVD Comparison:
20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. KSM Klassiker - Region 2 - PAL
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for all the Screen Caps!
(20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. KSM Klassiker - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
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| Distribution |
20th Century Fox Region 0 - NTSC |
KSM Klassiker Region 2 - PAL |
| Runtime | 1:49:08 | 1:44:48 (4% PAL speedup) |
| Video |
2.32:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
2:35:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives)
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Bitrate:
KSM Klassiker
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| Audio | Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 (English) |
Dolby Digital Mono 2.0 (English, German dub) |
| Subtitles | None | German, None |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: 20th Century Fox Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 11 |
Release Information: Studio: KSM Klassiker Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD Release Date: September
17th, 2012 Chapters 12 |
| Comments |
In the review of the Fox's made-on-demand disc of Esther and the King, I mention that there is a German disc from KSM Klassiker presenting film with anamorphic enhancement. Here is the comparison of the captures - the German transfer shaves off some of the image on the sides and lacks some clarity expected from higher resolution on this dual-layered DVD. The colors are the same, so it seems both transfers derived from the same source. It's still a mystery why the US disc is not enhanced - at least the film is not pan-and-scanned like other releases from Fox Cinema Archives 23 Paces to Baker Street, Night People). 2.0 Mono soundtrack is decent for both, but we need to consider German disc's PAL speedup. Both discs feature original trailer and KSM Klassiker adds more trailers for other films they released and some bios and galleries. German disc is slightly better for its anamorphic enhancement, but hopefully film gets a Blu-ray release from Fox or Twilight Time soon. |
DVD
Menus
(20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema
Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. KSM Klassiker - Region 2 -
PAL - RIGHT)
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Screen Captures
(20th
Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. KSM
Klassiker - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
Subtitle sample (German)
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(20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. KSM Klassiker - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. KSM Klassiker - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. KSM Klassiker - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. KSM Klassiker - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. KSM Klassiker - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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(20th Century Fox (Fox Cinema Archives) - Region 0 - NTSC - TOP vs. KSM Klassiker - Region 2 - PAL - BOTTOM)
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Report Card:
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Image: |
KSM Klassiker |
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Sound: |
20th Century Fox |
| Extras: | KSM Klassiker |
| DVD Box Covers |
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| Distribution |
20th Century Fox Region 0 - NTSC |
KSM Klassiker Region 2 - PAL |
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