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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

H D - S E N S E I

A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

The Legacy [Blu-ray]

(Richard Marquand, 1978)

Review by Gary Tooze

NOTE: The Shout! Factory and Indicator Blu-rays are compared HERE.

Production:

Theatrical: David Foster Productions

Video: Shout! Factory

Disc:

Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:39:42.810

Disc Size: 23,963,566,687 bytes

Feature Size: 18,672,734,208 bytes

Video Bitrate: 21.97 Mbps

Chapters: 12

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: September 15th, 2015

Video:

Aspect ratio: 1.78:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1624 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1624 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

Subtitles:

English, none

Extras:

• Interview with Academy Award winning film editor Anne V. Coates (Lawrence of Arabia) (13:47)
• Interview with special effects artist Robin Grantham (10:46)
• Theatrical Trailer (1:43)
• TV Spot (:32)
• Radio Spot (:29)
• Photo Gallery (2:32)

Bitrate:

Description: How far would you go to inherit everlasting life? When Margaret (Katharine Ross, The Stepford Wives) and her boyfriend Pete (Sam Elliot, The Big Lebowski, Road House) have a car accident in the English countryside, the other driver offers to take them to his lavish country estate to make amends. But once there, they are surprised to learn that all of the other houseguests are already expecting them! It’s not long before the couple’s fear turns into terror when the guests (including Roger Daltrey, Tommy) begin dying in unspeakable ways. Now it’s clear, the true master of the house is a supernatural force that will stop at nothing to find the rightful heirs for an unimaginably horrible legacy.

The Film:

Richard Marquand directed this second-rate retread of Haunted House Horror, with The Devil added to spice up the proceedings. Katharine Ross and Sam Elliot play Margaret Walsh and Pete Danner, a couple of American architects who are inexplicably summoned to the English countryside for an architectural assignment. They meet a mysterious and reclusive millionaire, Jason Mountolive (John Standing), get one look at him, and head back to town. But when they are forced off the road by a chauffeur-driven limousine, they find themselves back at Mountolive's house of horrors. Trapped in the mansion for the weekend, they get to see Mountolive's guests dispatched in a variety of gruesome ways, before the inevitable demonic possession routine kicks in.

Excerpt from MRQE located HERE

Americans Ross and Elliott, arrive in England and end up staying at a country mansion when their car is forced off the road. After the other guests at the house (Gray, Neil, Daltrey, Montague, and Broome) begin dying in strange ways, the new couple eventually discovers that the victims were members of a Satanic cult and had sold their souls to the Devil. Bedridden millionaire Standing is the leader of the cult and the man who is collecting the debts. It seems, moreover, that Ross is the reincarnation of Standing's mother and predestined to take over the sect upon his death.

Excerpt from TV Guide located HERE

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

The Legacy looks solid on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory. It's another modest 70's - 80's horror put to 1080P. The transfer is described as an 'HD transfer from the inter-positive'. The image quality supports the film's visuals with excellent contrast. There are some light surface scratches here and there. This is single-layered with a modest bitrate but the colors look true with some depth. It is transferred in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio. There are no dominant flaws - the video is produces a very positive presentation.

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

Audio :

Audio is in the form of a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel at 1624 kbps. Not an abundance of effects in the film. The score is by Michael J. Lewis (The Medusa Touch, 11 Harrowhouse, Julius Caesar) and is fairly subtle with some aggressive outbursts - exporting some occasional depth. There are optional English subtitles (see sample) and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

NOTE: The Shout! Factory and Indicator Blu-rays are compared HERE.

Extras :

Shout! Factory add some extras - a 14-minute interview with editor Anne V. Coates and a second, 11-minutes long, interview with special effects artist Robin Grantham - both talking about the film production. There is also a theatrical trailer, TV and radio spot plus a superfluous gallery.

BOTTOM LINE:
I think The Legacy had potential, but falls short. I was keen to see Katharine Ross and Sam Elliot together. The plot doesn't move with any urgency and seems directionless - relying on the two stars to carry it forward - which they are capable of doing to a small degree. The Shout! Factory Blu-ray produces a fine presentation - but the film may disappoint those with high expectations.

NOTE: The Shout! Factory and Indicator Blu-rays are compared HERE.

Gary Tooze

September 7th, 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.

Gary's Home Theatre:

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
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

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