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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Wim Wenders
US 1997

Mike Max is a Hollywood producer who became powerful and rich thanks to brutal and bloody action films. His ignored wife Paige is close to leaving him. Suddenly Mike is kidnapped by two bandits, but escapes and hides out with his Mexican gardener's family for a while. At the same time, surveillance expert Ray Bering is looking for what happens in the city, but it is not clear what he wants. The police investigation for Max's disappearance is led by detective Doc Block, who falls in love with actress Cat who is playing in ongoing Max's production.

***

Wim Wenders directed this allegorical drama about the emotional impact of violence in our culture, set against the backdrop of California's entertainment business. Mike Max (Bill Pullman) is a Hollywood producer who has earned a great deal of money and power in the film industry through his success with a series of brutally violent action pictures. While Max can juggle any number of tasks while working, he can't find time for his wife Paige (Andie MacDowell), and when she announces that she's divorcing him, he admits to himself (but not to her) that he deliberately put her through emotional trauma; Paige leaves to do volunteer work in the Third World, hoping to bring new meaning to her life. Very little reaches Max on an emotional level until Cat (Traci Lind), a stunt performer, is seriously injured on the set of Max's latest project. Not long after, Max is first car-jacked, then kidnapped by a pair of desperate thugs. He escapes and is given shelter by a group of Mexican-American gardeners. Wanting to retreat from the physical and spiritual violence that has become a key part of his life, Max opts to work with the gardening crew and stay away from his old life, remaining "missing" in the eyes of the world as he searches for a new life. Meanwhile, Max and his secretary Claire (Rosiland Chao) become aware of a secret plan that Ray Bering (Gabriel Byrne) has prepared for the city of Los Angeles, which will essentially put the entire town under constant surveillance, with the goal of ending violent crime once and for all. Frederic Forrest, Udo Kier, and legendary director Samuel Fuller also star; Ry Cooder composed the film's striking original score.

 

  Posters

Theatrical Release:  May 11th, 1997 (Cannes Film Festival)

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Comparison:

MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT

 

Box Covers

    

  

    

Distribution MGM - Region 1 - NTSC Olive Films
Region 'A' -
Blu-ray
Runtime 2:01:44 2::01:58.2694
Video 2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.67 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

Disc Size: 22,844,311,879 bytes

Feature Size: 22,377,627,648 bytes

Total Bitrate: 20.99 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Bitrate: Blu-ray

Audio English (Dolby Digital 5.1), DUB: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)

DTS-HD Master Audio English 2134 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2134 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

Subtitles Spanish, French, None None
Features Release Information:
Studio: MGM

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• Trailer (2:25)

Pan and Scan on reverse side4-page liner notes with essay

DVD Release Date: March 28th, 200
0
Keep Case
Chapters: 36

Release Information:
Studio: Olive Films

 

Disc Size: 22,844,311,879 bytes

Feature Size: 22,377,627,648 bytes

Total Bitrate: 20.99 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC

 

Edition Details:
Trailer (2:26)
 

Blu-ray Release Date: March 24th, 2015
Standard Blu-ray case

Chapters 9

 

 

 

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray March 15': The DVD is fifteen years old this month and it has always been a bit of a mess - riddled with artifacts, unrealistic bolstered colors, lack of detail, overly red skin tones and it is slightly out of ratio - these are some of the SD's single-layered weaknesses. The Blu-ray is a real breath of fresh air by comparison. Detail significantly tightens, and contrast becomes layered, colors normalize, there is more information in the frame, and we see frequent depth. The 1080P resolution looked fabulous on my system.

Olive Films use an buoyant DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track at 2134 kbps. There is some aggression in The End of Violence and it is handled easily with notable depth. Wenders uses a mix of music in the film from a duet with Bono and Sinéad O'Connor (I'm Not Your Baby) and always appealing Ry Cooder (Southern Comfort, Paris Texas, Streets of Fire, The Long Riders). There are no subtitles and the Blu-ray disc is region 'A'-locked. The DVD offers Spanish and French subs and a French DUB along with a 5.1 Dolby audio transfer.

Both discs include a trailer - and the DVD has some liner notes with a brief essay. Neither offer anything more in terms of supplements. A commentary would have really helped with appreciating the film, I think.

I enjoyed The End Of Violence when i saw it on DVD may years ago - but seeing it in 1080P is like watching the film afresh. It's a curious work from Wenders - not his best - but still worth re-visitation, IMO. This Olive Blu-ray is the only way to view it in your home theater - you can never go back to the SD once you have..  

Gary W. Tooze




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1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


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2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Olive Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

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Distribution MGM - Region 1 - NTSC Olive Films
Region 'A' -
Blu-ray




 

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