|
We have started a Patreon page with the hopes that
some of our followers would be
willing to donate a small amount to keep DVDBeaver
alive. We are a tiny niche, so your
generosity is vital to our
existence.
We are talking about a minimum of
$0.10 - $0.15 a day, perhaps a
quarter (or more) to those who won't
miss it from their budget. It
equates to buying DVDBeaver a coffee
once, twice or a few times a month.
You can then participate in our
monthly
Silent
auctions,
and have exclusive access to many 'bonus' High Resolution screen captures - both
4K UHD
and
Blu-ray
(see
HERE).
|
|
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
|
|
State of Siege aka État de siège [Blu-ray]
(Costa-Gavras, 1972)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Reggane Films Video: Criterion Collection Spine #760
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 2:01:34.870 Disc Size: 46,360,334,874 bytes Feature Size: 35,573,649,408 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.91 Mbps Chapters: 20 Case: Transparent Blu-ray case Release date: May 26th, 2015
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.66:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: LPCM Audio French 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles: English (only for non-English dialogue), none
Extras:
• New conversation between Costa-Gavras and film scholar
Peter Cowie (31:08)
Bitrate:
Description: Costa-Gavras puts the United States’ involvement in Latin American politics under the microscope in this arresting thriller. An urban guerrilla group, outraged at the counterinsurgency and torture training clandestinely organized by the CIA in their country (unnamed in the film), abducts a U.S. official (Yves Montand) to bargain for the release of political prisoners; soon the kidnapping becomes a media sensation, leading to violence. Cowritten by Franco Solinas, the electrifying State of Siege piercingly critiques the American government for supporting foreign dictatorships, while also asking difficult questions about the efficacy of radical violent acts to oppose such regimes.
The Film: Like most of Costa-Gavras' political thrillers, the French State of Siege is based on a true story. The incident dramatized herein is the kidnapping of a U.S. official somewhere in Latin America. The director's sympathies clearly lie with the kidnappers, especially since the official (played by Yves Montand), ostensibly an expert in traffic control, has been assigned as special advisor to the government's secret police, training these worthies in the art of the torturing of political prisoners. Uruguay was the country where this story actually took place; though no names are given, there's little doubting the identity of Costa-Gavras' fictional locale. Despite its up-to-date radicalism, State of Siege adheres to time-honored Hollywood formula, with ugly, vulgar bad guys vs. handsome, articulate good guys. Excerpt from MRQE located HEREHow easily should one dismiss political potboilers? Z caused a lot of stir, with its topical subject and excellent performance from Trintignant; its audience was large, its message clear. State of Siege betrays its later date in the laboured difficulty of its subject: Tupamaro guerillas vs the CIA. It's the more courageous film, but far less 'successful', simply unable to contain the subject of terrorism within a basically thriller format. Both films sacrifice analysis and integrity in favour of popular polemic and an exploitative format, but then both films told the truth before it became 'true'; well worth seeing, if only to wonder what similar films could be made on Ulster or any of the other 'forgotten' aspects of British democracy in action. Excerpt from The NY TimeOut Film Guide located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. State of Siege shows consistent grain on Blu-ray from Criterion but the image has even more teal-leaning than The Confession. I suspect that a lot of this grey-ish blue cast is part of the original appearance. This is dual-layered but a max'ed-out bitrate and Pierre-William Glenn's (Day For Night, Coup de torchon) cinematography shows some impressive inventiveness and looks appealing in the higher resolution. It is in the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio and contrast and detail, in close-ups, look solid. Skin tones show warmth and I'd say the uniform film textures are the most outstanding, and film-like, feature of the HD presentation.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :The audio is via a linear PCM mono track at 1152 kbps. There are effects that sound flat but export depth. The score is by Mikis Theodorakis (Zorba the Greek, Serpico, Z) and is quite strong - pristinely clean and rises and falls with the film's tensions. There are optional English subtitles - for the foreign-language only - on the region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc.
Extras : Supplements include a new, 1/2 hour conversation, recorded by Criterion at Cinemateque Francaise in January 2015, between Costa-Gavras and film scholar Peter Cowie who, together, discuss the evolution of State of Siege. The character Philip Michael Santore in State of Siege played by Yves Montand, was based on the real-life figure Dan A. Mitrone, who was kidnapped by the left-wing Tupamaros group in Uruguay on July 31st, 1970. We can see 7-minutes of NBC News excerpts that follow the developments in the kidnapping case. They aired originally from August 8th to August 12th, 1970. There is also a liner notes booklet with an essay by journalist Mark Danner.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze April 23rd, 2015
|
|
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
Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD
Player APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V Gary W. Tooze ALL OUR NEW FORMAT DVD REVIEWS
|
CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze
|
|
Thank You!
