Mirage Blu-ray - Gregory Peck

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

Directed by Edward Dmytryk
USA 1965

Gregory Peck (The Big Country), Diane Baker (Krakatoa: East of Java) and Walter Matthau (The Taking of Pelham One Two Three) star in Mirage, a psychological thriller where danger, deception and even murder lurk around every corner. Bewildered accountant David Stillwell (Peck) believes he must be suffering from some form of amnesia and enlists the help of a private detective (Matthau) to help determine his identity. Experiencing flashbacks of a disturbing past and perplexed by the woman (Baker) in his life, Stillwell struggles to make sense of his perilous situation before a murder plot ensnares him. Filmed on location in alluring New York City, Mirage is an edge-of-your-seat suspense film that remains one of the genre’s timeless classics. Directed by Edward Dmytryk (Murder, My Sweet) with a screenplay by Peter Stone (Charade), based on the novel Fallen Angel by Howard Fast (Spartacus). The sensational cast includes Kevin McCarthy (Invasion of the Body Snatchers), Jack Weston (Fuzz), Leif Erickson (Strait-Jacket), Walter Abel (13 Rue Madeleine) and George Kennedy (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot).

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A dazed man, David Stillwell (Gregory Peck), wanders down the stairs of a New York skyscraper during a power blackout, only vaguely aware of who he is, where he's been, and why he has this nagging feeling that danger lurks all about him. Stillwell does know that many of the people in the building are acquainted with him -- and that he is somehow linked with the death of wealthy philanthropist Charles Calvin (Walter Abel), who has fallen 27 floors to his death (a special effect that was remarkable for its time). From this point onward, everyone Stillwell meets is connected with Calvin's death, or is in some way threatening Stillwell's well-being. When he seeks the help of Dr. Pepper-imbibing private eye Ted Caselle (Walter Matthau), he is told that "you don't want to remember" -- shortly before Caselle is murdered by persons unknown. Only the enigmatic Sheila (Diane Baker) evinces any real sympathy, and she too is part of the conspiracy aimed at silencing and/or neutralizing the dumbfounded Stillwell. Mirage has far too many twists of plot to go into here, but if you stay with it, everything is satisfactorily explained. Less than three years after its initial release, the black-and-white Mirage was remade in color as Jigsaw.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: May 26th, 1965

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Comparison:

Universal - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover
Distribution	Universal Home Video - Region 1 - NTSC	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:48:32	1:48:59.491
Video	1.85:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 8.71 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 37,832,284,293 bytes Feature: 31,615,580,160 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.93 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	English, some DUBs on some: French, Spanish	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1555 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1555 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, French, Spanish, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Universal Aspect Ratio: All Original Aspect Ratios - 1.85 Edition Details: • None DVD Release Date: November 4th, 2008 6 Slim Keep Cases inside a cardboard box Chapters: various	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 37,832,284,293 bytes Feature: 31,615,580,160 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.93 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Interview with Star Diane Baker (14:09) • Audio Commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson • Animated Image Gallery (8:01) • Theatrical Trailer (2:12) Blu-ray Release Date: September 10th, 2019 Standard Blu-ray Case i Chapters 9

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (August 2019): Kino have transferred Edward Dmytryk's excellent neo-noir 'amnesia' thriller Mirage to 1080P Blu-ray. It, unfortunately, still has the high-frequency edge-enhancement found on the DVD of the Gregory Peck Film Collection (reviewed HERE). I suspect this is on the digital master and, while in the darker scenes (how the films starts) we see some pleasing grain, but there are some brighter sequences devoid of it, looking very flat, and the digitization is quite glaring. It is not blanketed across the transfer. Those sensitive will notice it more. The 1080P still exports an impressive glossy presentation for those who aren't deterred by the EE - but once you see it, it doesn't go away. This is a great thriller and I would like to see if it can be released in HD without this digital flaw.

On their Blu-ray, Kino use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track (16-bit) in the original English language. The film's effects improve in terms of bass and depth - as does the score by Quincy Jones (In the Heat of the Night, The Getaway, The Slender Thread, The Pawnbroker, The New Centurions, They Call Me Mr. Tibbs, A Dandy in Aspic), adding another layer of mystery to the film's atmosphere. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

Kino add an audio commentary by Film Historians Howard S. Berger, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson who team up to discuss the film's darkness and humor, Peter Stone-isms, sexual imprisonment, the Hitchcockian narrative, how Charade's success paved the way for it and Mirage's complexities as well as much more. There is some interesting analysis here. We also get a 1/4 hour interview with the still-classy Diane Baker, a lengthy animated image gallery with plenty of stills + press-book pages plus a trailer for the film (and other trailers.)

Mirage is a very re-watchable effort. AS stated in the commentary - it is more complex than might be noticed oin an initial viewing. It has Edward Dmytryk's measured style and slow build. The Kino Blu-ray is imperfect but I still greatly enjoyed the included commentary and repeat film experience.

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ON THE DVD: Mirage (1965) - a solid thriller that is listed on our Film Noir page. My favorite of the 'new' films-to-DVD but the transfer looks very thin. Extensive signs of edge enhancement exist, most likely due to boosting of black levels that has given the image a frail appearance. Contrast is not particularly consistent showing tinges of sepia in certain scenes. Bad job on this one Universal!