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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "General Idi Amin Dada" or "General Amin" or "No One Can Run Faster Than
a Rifle Bullet" or "O stratigos Amin Dada" )
If
this mind-boggling documentary about one of the
twentieth century’s most reviled dictators were fiction
it would be acclaimed as a comic masterpiece… but it is
all true. With an ambition the size of Napoleon, Idi
Amin considered himself a major leader and revolutionary
on the world stage. In reality, his regime was
amateurish, disorganised, and his maniacal command both
hilarious and bizarre. |
Theatrical Release: April 5th, 1975 (New York New Directors and New Films Festival)
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Comparison:
Masters of Cinema (Spine # 45) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
1) Masters of Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT 2) Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - RIGHT
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Box Cover |
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Distribution |
Masters of Cinema Region 0 - NTSC |
Criterion Collection (spine #153) Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:30:30 | 1:30:49.444 |
Video |
1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 41,943,824,210 bytesFeature: 27,109,521,408 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 35.65 Mbps |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Blu-ray |
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Audio | English (Dolby Digital 1.0) | LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit |
Subtitles | English, None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Masters of Cinema Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 17 |
Release
Information: Studio: Criterion Collection
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 41,943,824,210 bytesFeature: 27,109,521,408 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 35.65 Mbps
Edition Details:
Release Date: December 12th, 2017
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Comments |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray November 2017: The Criterion is cited as a "New, restored 2K digital transfer, supervised by director Barbet Schroeder" and is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. Colors shift to being a little more earthy-brown, there is more information in the 1.37:1 frame and the 16mm image (blown-up to 35mm) shows more grain and a higher level of detail. The 1080P is about 7X the bitrate of the SD. Audio goes linear PCM mono - majority English with optional English subtitles. It's authentically flat but very clear - dialogue accents are difficult at times - but always audible. Music is credited to Idi Amin. Extras include Interviews with Schroeder from 2001 and 2017 totaling 40-minutesplus a new 1/4 hour interview with journalist and author Andrew Rice about Idi Amin’s regime. The package includes a linear notes booklet with an essay by critic J. Hoberman.
The Criterion wins on every front and the
documentary
is as hypnotic
and uncomfortable as ever. In 2003, living in Saudi Arabia, he died
from kidney failure. He remains one of the more fascinatingly
bizarre and reprehensible figures in the latter half of
the 20th century.
*** ON THE DVD:
Film: As director Barbet Schroeder says in an interview
reproduced with this release, he decided to give control of
his film to Amin because, "I thought a self-portrait [would]
be self-revealing". Yet, Schroeder could have no idea how
self-revealing this film would be. In it Amin does his best
to make himself out to be at the vanguard of world
leadership; someone who commands the attention of presidents
and queens but also possesses both the military and athletic
prowess that other world leaders lack. Instead, all that we
see is a thuggish buffoon, someone too stupid to realize
that the rest of the world is unimpressed with his antics.
In this, Schroeder's film can be considered a success, and a
fascinating one at that.
Visuals: This looks quite strong considering it is from a
16mm source. The box states that
this print has been recently restored, and colors are bright
and grain is visible. I can't see it looking much better
from the elements used. When we get the Criterion to compare
I imagine it will further support this Masters of Cinema
release as a very strong SD-DVD representation of the film. |
DVD Menus
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Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle sample
1) Masters of Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) Masters of Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) Masters of Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) Masters of Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) Masters of Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1) Masters of Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC TOP 2) Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM
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1)
Masters of Cinema - Region 0 - NTSC
TOP
2)
Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray -
BOTTOM
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Box Cover |
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Distribution |
Masters of Cinema Region 0 - NTSC |
Criterion Collection (part of spine #153) Region 'A' - Blu-ray |