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 S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

Directed By Woody Allen
 USA 1975

Woody Allen's Love and Death is purportedly a satire of all things Russian, from Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky novels to Sergei Eisenstein films, but it plays more like a spin on Bob Hope's Monsieur Beaucaire. Allen plays Boris, a 19th century Russian who falls in love with his distant (and married) cousin Sonja (Diane Keaton). Pressed into service with the Russian army during the war against Napoleon, Boris accidentally becomes a hero, then goes on to win a duel against a cuckolded husband (Harold Gould). He returns to Sonja, hoping to settle down on the Steppes somewhere, but Sonja has become fired up with patriotic fervor, insisting that Boris join a plot to kill Napoleon. Intellectual in-jokes abound in Love and Death, and other gags are basic Allen one-liners; for instance, after being congratulated for his lovemaking skills, Boris replies nonchalantly, "I practice a lot when I'm alone." The pseudo-Russian ambience of Love and Death is comically enhanced by the Sergey Prokofiev compositions on the musical track.

***

Woody Allen takes on the monolith of Russian literature—with a bit of Ingmar Bergman thrown in for good measure—with Love and Death (1975), a deadpan costume epic set against the sweeping backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Allen plays Boris, a philosophical coward who becomes an inadvertent war hero and then a potential assassin thanks to the encouragement of his mad(cap) wife, Sonja (the fab Diane Keaton). Shot by the great cinematographer Ghislain Cloquet (Tess, Au Hasard Balthazar).

 

  Posters

Theatrical Release:  June 10th, 1975

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Comparison:

MGM  (oop) - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray vs. Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - RIGHT

 
Box Covers

 

Also available in Arrow Academy's Woody Allen: Six Films - 1971-1978 [Blu-ray] which has Bananas (1971), Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1972), Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975), Annie Hall (1977) and Interiors (1978)

Distribution MGM - Region 1- NTSC Twilight Time
Region FREE - Blu-ray		 Arrow Academy
Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:24:45 1:24:58.134 1:25:00.178
Video 1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 6.72 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

Disc Size: 22,957,487,979 bytes

Feature Size: 21,687,207,936 bytes

Total Bitrate: 29.99 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC

Disc Size: 27,313,439,355 bytes

Feature Size: 26,432,849,088 bytes

Total Bitrate: 37.26 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC

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

Bitrate: Twilight Time Blu-ray

Bitrate: Arrow Blu-ray

Audio English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), DUB: Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1103 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1103 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
Isolated Score:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1080 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1080 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)

 LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles Spanish, French, None English (SDH), none English (SDH), none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Mgm/Ua Studios

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• Theatrical trailer

Pan and Scan on reverse

DVD Release Date: July 5th, 2000
Keep Case
Chapters: 24

Release Information:
Studio: Twilight Time

 

Disc Size: 22,957,487,979 bytes

Feature Size: 21,687,207,936 bytes

Total Bitrate: 29.99 Mbps

Single-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC

 

Edition Details:
• Isolated Music & Effects Track
• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:31)

• 8-page liner notes by Julie Kirgo
Limited to 3,000 units
 

Blu-ray Release Date: February, 2015
Standard Blu-ray case

Chapters 24

Release Information:
Studio: Arrow Academy

 

Disc Size: 27,313,439,355 bytes

Feature Size: 26,432,849,088 bytes

Total Bitrate: 37.26 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC

 

Edition Details:
• Trailer (2:33)
 

Blu-ray Release Date: October 3rd, 2016
Standard Blu-ray case

Chapters 10

 

 

 

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray September 16': The Arrow has a superior technical transfer (max'ed out bitrate) that is displayed with darker, richer visuals and seems to show more depth. It's the better of the two 1080P video renderings.

Actually the linear PCM may be a bit more robust than the DTS-HD Master and the Prokofiev still sounds amazing. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles and the Blu-ray disc is region 'B'-locked.

NOTE: As Vincent tells us in FB: "The Twilight Time Blu-Ray was missing the opening bit of Prokofiev music that should be playing over the UA logo (seemingly due to the logo being updated to an MGM logo). Has the Arrow release been able to either restore the original UA logo or at least play the music over the MGM logo?"
Answer: "No the Prokofiev music doesn't start till the film title after the two logos - not at the MGM lion which is followed by the UA intro."

Only a trailer as an extra - no liner notes but exclusive to the Woody Allen: Six Films - 1971-1978 [Blu-ray] collection are Annie Hall and a 100-page hardback book featuring new and archive writing on all the films by Woody Allen, Michael Brooke, Johnny Mains, Kat Ellinger, John Leman Riley, Hannah Hamad and Brad Stevens.

I continue to receive great pleasure re-watching Love and Death - one of my five favorite Woody Allen films. The Arrow has the superior video transfer but lacks extras - the Woody Allen: Six Films - 1971-1978 may be the most enticing way to get all these films. Certainly this is recommended!

***

ADDITION: Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray February 15': The new Twilight Time 1080P improves in the expected areas - cooler skin tones, brighter colors and an occasional sense of depth. But the Blu-ray is marginally cropped as compared to the out-of-print 2000 DVD. It looks very strong in-motion, no artifacts and a smooth, film-like quality.

Twilight Time use an authentic DTS-HD Master monaural track at 1103 kbps. Some of the film's battle-sequence effects gain depth. The soundtrack for Love and Death has liberal use of Sergei Prokofiev and parts of Mozart's The Magic Flute Overture. It sounds brilliant in lossless, strongly adding to the film experience. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles and the Blu-ray disc is region FREE.

Twilight Time include there usual Isolated Music & Effects Track (in lossless, an original Theatrical Trailer and the package contains an 8-page liner notes booklet with photos and an essay by Julie Kirgo. It is limited to 3,000 units..

Those who know me - recall I am generally not keen on either period pieces or comedies, but Love and Death is a favorite Woody Allen film and one I have revisited over a dozen times. This Twilight Time Blu-ray may be one to go out of print so those keen should act sooner rather than later.  

***

ON THE DVD: Solid, single-layered anamorphic, bare-bones, flipper, DVD with a pan-and-scan version on the opposite side. Great Allen film - a favorite.

Gary W. Tooze

 

Recommended Reading on Truffaut /  French Cinema (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)

The Films in My Life
by Francois Truffaut, Leonard Mayhew

François Truffaut
by Annette Insdorf 		HITCHCOCK (REVISED EDITION)
by Helen G. Scott, Francois Truffaut 		The French New Wave: An Artistic School
by Michel Marie, Richard John Neupert, Richard Neupert 		A History of the French New Wave Cinema
by Richard Neupert		 French New Wave
by Jean Douchet, Robert Bonnono, Cedric Anger, Robert Bononno 		French Cinema: From Its Beginnings to the Present
by Remi Fournier Lanzoni		 Truffaut: A Biography by Antoine do Baecque and Serge Toubiana

Check out more in "The Library"



Menus

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

 

Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

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

 

Subtitle Sample

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

1) MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - TOP

2) Twilight Time - Region FREE - Blu-ray - MIDDLE

3) Arrow Academy - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

More Twilight Time Blu-ray Captures

 

Box Covers

 

Also available in Arrow Academy's Woody Allen: Six Films - 1971-1978 [Blu-ray] which has Bananas (1971), Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1972), Sleeper (1973), Love and Death (1975), Annie Hall (1977) and Interiors (1978)

Distribution MGM - Region 1- NTSC Twilight Time
Region FREE - Blu-ray		 Arrow Academy
Region 'B' - Blu-ray



 

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