Seven Days in May Blu-ray

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

directed by John Frankenheimer
USA 1964

"I'm suggesting Mr. President, there's a military plot to take over the Government of these United States, next Sunday..."

It happens with startling swiftness and violence. An armed cadre seizes state control. Fortunately, a coup d’état can’t happen here. Or can it? A classic of suspense directed by John Frankenheimer (The Manchurian Candidate, Ronin) and written for the screen by Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone), Seven Days in May tautly explores that possibility. At odds are a popular general and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman (Burt Lancaster) and an unpopular president (Fredric March) with a pacifist agenda. At stake is the survival of the Republic. A vigilant colonel (Kirk Douglas) uncovers the scheme. But are the seven fateful days ahead enough time to derail a takeover? The clock is ticking.

***

After his 1962 breakthrough with the political thriller The Manchurian Candidate, director John Frankenheimer cemented his reputation as a paranoia filmmaker with Seven Days in May. Though the assassination of John F. Kennedy happened around the time of the film's release, Seven Days remained ahead of its time, as the conspiracy-film genre wouldn't fully flourish until the 1970s. The determinedly realistic screenplay was written by Rod Serling, who was also responsible for the television series The Twilight Zone, as well as the scripts for Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962) and Planet of the Apes (1968). Burt Lancaster made five films with Frankenheimer in the 1960s, and Seven Days added to his string of hits.

Posters

Theatrical Release: February 12th, 1964 - USA

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Comparison:

Warner Home Video - Region 1- NTSC vs. Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray

1) Warner - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray - RIGHT

Box Covers
Distribution	Warner Home Video - Region 1- NTSC	Warner Archive Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:57:48	1:57:33.379
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.73 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 Disc Size: 37,724,968,519 bytes Feature Size: 36,491,053,056 bytes Total Bitrate: 34.99 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: Blu-ray
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Dolby)	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1983 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1983 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: DTS-HD Master Audio English 2043 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2043 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	English, French, None	English, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Warner Home Video Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by director John Frankenheimer • 'Political Forces' - 3 text screens • Cast and Crew - 1 text screen • Awards - 1 text screen • Theatrical Trailer (3:45) DVD Release Date: May 13th, 2003 Snapper Case Chapters: 30	Release Information: Studio: Warner 1.78:1 Disc Size: 37,724,968,519 bytes Feature Size: 36,491,053,056 bytes Total Bitrate: 34.99 Mbps Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG4 - AVC Edition Details: • Commentary by director John Frankenheimer • Trailer (3:45) Blu-ray Release Date: May 2nd, 2017 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters:8

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Warner Archive - Region FREE - Blu-ray May 17': Yes, the max'ed out bitrate does improve the visuals from the 2003 SD. We've seen this before - the Warner DVD was quite adept and they use the same source as the Blu-ray, while advancing, in terms of detail and contrast - it's brighter, has plenty of depth and looks significantly more film-like, although still in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio.

An adept DTS-HD Master 2.0 track at 1983 kbps (24-bit) and the biggest attribute of the audio may be in exporting the militaristic score by the great Jerry Goldsmith (The Mephisto Waltz, Seconds, Hoosiers, The Blue Max, Breakheart Pass, The Omen) which accentuates the film's building tension - sounding buoyant in the lossless. There are optional English subtitles (capitals in a yellow font - see sample) and the Blu-ray disc is region FREE playable world-wide.

The only extras are the same commentary from the 2003 DVD with John Frankenheimer and a trailer.

Frankenheimer made some amazing films - The Train, The Manchurian Candidate, Seconds, Ronin, heck, I even enjoyed Reindeer Games! But Seven Days in May is probably my favorite. I've seen it, at least, 20 times and loved watching it in 1080P. Highly recommended!

- Gary Tooze

***

ON THE DVD: This is an excellent DVD with no visible digital manipulation. Audio is consistent and strong. Extras are weak save for the Frankenheimer commentary, which has value. This is a DVD that I will revisit often. the only flaw is the silly snapper case box, which is really being picky. out of