The Shop on High Street Blu-ray

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

(aka 'The Shop On Main Street' or 'The Shop on High Street")

directed by Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos
Czechoslovakia 1965

Winner of the Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Feature in 1965, Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos THE SHOP ON THE HIGH STREET is one of the cornerstones of World Cinema, and perhaps the most internationally renowned film of the Czech New Wave.

Antonin Tono Brtko is a poor carpenter appointed by his Nazi brother-in-law to be 'Aryan controller' of an old Jewish widow s sewing shop in a Nazi-occupied Slovakian town in 1942. The widow, Rozalie (Yiddish theatre legend Idá Kaminská, nominated here for a Best Actress Oscar® for her performance) is near deaf, isolated and partially sighted. Barely even registering there is a war going on, she fails to fully realize the implications of the context in which she lives. Believing Tono is simply her new assistant, the two develop a tentative friendship that sees him maintaining that fiction as he attempts to protect her from the encroaching Nazi horror.

Moving effortlessly from drama to humour to tragedy, THE SHOP ON THE HIGH STREET is a complex political morality tale of common lives disturbed and destroyed by war. A story of loyalty, betrayal, cowardice and heroism, it is a scathing exploration of how minor compromises can lead to complicity in the horrors of a totalitarian regime. It asks every spectator: 'If it had been you, what would you have done?

Poster

Theatrical Release: January 24th, 1965

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Comparison:

Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Second Run - Region FREE - Blu-ray

1) Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Second Run - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Box Covers
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 130 - Region 1 - NTSC	Second Run Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	2:06:15	2:05:21.875
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.41 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.37:1 - 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 46,554,766,911 bytes Feature Size: 36,753,192,960 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 34.98 Mbps
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	Czech (Dolby Digital 1.0)	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion / Home Vision Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • U.S. theatrical trailer (2:20) • 6-page liner notes with comments by Ján Kadár DVD Release Date: September 18th, 2001 Keep Case Chapters: 36	Release Information: Studio: Second Run 1.37:1 - 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 46,554,766,911 bytes Feature Size: 36,753,192,960 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 34.98 Mbps Edition Details: • An Appreciation by Michael Brooke (40:00) • Original US PressKit • Booklet featuring a new essay Standard Blu-ray case Blu-ray Release Date: August 15th, 2016 Chapters: 12

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Second Run - Region FREE - Blu-ray August 16': It's wonderful to see more Blu-rays from Second Run after their editions of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Mysterious Object at Noon and Pedro Costa's Horse Money. I was also very keen to see how this The Shop on High Street compared to the Criterion DVD of 2001. The 1080P is quite a bit 'lighter' than the SD and tends to show more information on the left edge and shade less on the right edge - more on top and a bit less on the bottom. The contrast does look more layered and detail rises in spots - overall it looks quite pleasing in-motion if a shade inconsistent - more fault of the surviving source. There are a few marks (also seen on the Criterion) but the presentation is a successful one in my opinion - exporting the film's immense value with an improved video viewing in higher resolution.

Second Run use a linear PCM track which supports the score of Zdenek Liska (The White Dove, Fruit of Paradise, The Cremator). It sounds reasonably clean with some depth and there are optional English subtitles on the Region FREE Blu-ray.

There is an excellent extra included - a wonderfully informative 40-minute appreciation by Michael Brooke delving into Czech film of the era, the genre both Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos and much more. There is also a digital original US Press Kit accessible and the package has a booklet featuring a new essay.

This remains an essential film - a masterwork of the Czech New Wave era - a lower budget effort with constant moral dilemmas explored including loyalty vs. betrayal, cowardice conflicting heroism or subjugation battling freedoms. It's brilliant and improves with repeat viewings. The Blu-ray is absolutely recommended!

****

ON THE DVD: Solid DVD - Criterion must have debated about indulging in some extensive extras and pushing this to the higher price point - the film and image deserve it. Regardless, award winning contrast. Tight lines with a smidgeon of damage, but overall excellent. My only complaint aside from the lack of extras are the subtitles - I think the font is a little thick (now you know I am being picky!).