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Strategic Air Command [Blu-ray]
(Anthony Mann, 1955)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Paramount Pictures Video: Olive Films
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:53:49.447 Disc Size: 24,563,242,257 bytes Feature Size: 24,352,014,336 bytes Video Bitrate: 25.08 Mbps Chapters: 9 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: October 18th, 2016
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.66:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 1824 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1824 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles: • English, None
Extras: • None
Bitrate:
Description:
James Stewart (Vertigo)
and June Allyson (The Glenn Miller Story) star in
director Anthony Mann's (El
Cid) Cold War aviation drama Strategic Air
Command. Robert ""Dutch"" Holland (Stewart), a
successful player for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team,
finds his inactive duty status with the U.S. Air Force
suddenly active. When Holland, originally tasked with a
staff job, is promoted to commanding a B-36 bomber crew, his
attempts to balance domestic life with Sally (Allyson as his
devoted wife) and service to God and country will test not
only his marriage, but also his sense of self.
The Film: Saga of the US Air Force special bomber unit during the Cold War era. A professional baseball player is recalled to military service because of the expert flying skills he acquired during World War II. Although the athlete and his wife are both reluctant to give up civilian life, both come to realize the importance of the defense mission. The film features spectacular aerial footage of big bombers on maneuvers. Excerpt from MRQE located HERETwo things keep Strategic Air Command (1955) aloft. The first is Jimmy Stewart's conviction and authenticity in a role he not only believed in, but lived. The second is spectacular aerial photography. Thanks to these two elements, the film is kept, if just barely, from seeming a live-action United States Air Force recruitment poster in VistaVision. Stewart doesn't just play a demobilized WWII veteran walking away from St. Louis Cardinals baseball stardom to heed the call of Cold War patriotic duty (a la Red Sox legend Ted Williams!). Stewart and SAC commanding general Curtis LeMay, similarly fired up by patriotism, devised this unabashedly propagandistic film specifically to win public and, by extension, Congressional budget support for the SAC in a postwar climate weary of war. In this respect, Stewart represented ideal casting. Excerpt from TCM located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Strategic Air Command arrives on Blu-ray from Olive Films. This is only single-layered but the source used is in excellent shape. Colors are very appealing - bright with some beautiful pastels. The image is very clean with many instances of depth and this is very pleasing in the 1.66:1 (matted) aspect ratio. The Blu-ray improved the presentation over an SD rendering and it gave me a far better presentation than I was anticipating. Thumbs up!
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Audio is transferred to a DTS-HD Master 2.0 track at 1824 kbps (24-bit). There are plenty of military machines - humming plane engines in the film and Victor Young's (The Sun Shines Bright, Johnny Guitar, China Gate etc.) uplifting score sounds tight with the rousing resonance. The Air Force Takes Command 'theme'. It is competent with some depth and dialogue audible. There are optional English subtitles and m y Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : No supplements - not even a trailer which is the bare-bones route that Olive are going with the majority of their releases.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze October 18th, 2016
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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
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Gary Tooze
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