Black Sunday 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 1977

Throughout the 1970s, a wave of daring disaster movies gripped cinemagoers with their combination of bravura spectacle and “ripped from the headlines” plotlines. Among these, John Frankenheimer’s (The Manchurian Candidate, Ronin) Black Sunday endures to this day as among the cream of the crop.

Robert Shaw (Jaws, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three) stars as Major Kabakov, an Israeli agent attempting to avert a terrorist atrocity on US soil. The weapon: a blimp laced with explosives and piloted by Michael Lander (Bruce Dern, Silent Running), a troubled Vietnam vet driven to strike back against the nation he believes has betrayed him. The target: the Orange Bowl stadium, Miami. What follows is a nail-biting race against time culminating in a spectacular aerial climax that will determine the fate of 80,000 spectators.

Adapted from the best-selling debut novel by Thomas Harris (The Silence of the Lambs) and featuring virtuoso performances by a cast headlined by Dern, Shaw and Marthe Keller (Marathon Man), Black Sunday is a nerve-shredding, best-in-class suspense thriller from a filmmaker at the top of his game.

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Black Sunday is the powerful story of a Black September terrorist group attempting to blow up a Goodyear blimp hovering over the Super Bowl stadium with 80,000 people and the president of the United States in attendance.

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An Israeli anti-terrorist agent must stop a disgruntled Vietnam vet cooperating in a plot to commit a terrorist attack at the Super Bowl.

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Black Sunday is a 1977 American thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer, based on Thomas Harris' 1975 novel of the same name. The film was produced by Robert Evans, and stars Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, and Marthe Keller. It was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Motion Picture in 1978. The screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman, Kenneth Ross, and Ivan Moffat. Ross had previously written the screenplay for The Day of the Jackal, a similar plot-driven political thriller.

The inspiration of the story came from the Munich massacre, perpetrated by the Black September organization against Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics, giving both the novel and film its title.

Excerpt from Wikipedia located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: March 22nd, 1977 (USA Film Festival)

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Imprint - Region FREE - Blu-ray Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover	Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Imprint - Region FREE - Blu-ray	Arrow- Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	2:23:05.868	2:23:06.869
Video	2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,567,704,011 bytes Feature: 44,268,957,696 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.89 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,999,727,162 bytes Feature: 42,628,123,392 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.92 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Imprint Blu-ray:
Bitrate Arrow Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 3730 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3730 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps	LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit DTS-HD Master Audio English 3730 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3730 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 320 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 320 kbps / DN -31dB
Subtitles	English, None	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Imprint 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,567,704,011 bytes Feature: 44,268,957,696 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.89 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • NEW audio commentary by film historian Stephen Prince (2020) • NEW “FOURTH DOWN: COMPOSING BLACK SUNDAY” – An all-new interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger about the John Williams score. (2020) 10:31 • It Could Be Tomorrow - Directing Black Sunday (12:18) • Theatrical Trailer (3:50) Limited Edition slipcase on the first 1500 copies Blu-ray Release Date: March 5th, 2021 Transparent Blu-ray Case inside cardboard sleeve (see below) Chapters 13	Release Information: Studio: Arrow 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,999,727,162 bytes Feature: 42,628,123,392 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.92 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Josh Nelson • It Could Be Tomorrow (29:30) • The Directors: John Frankenheimer (58:35) • Image Gallery (0:46) Blu-ray Release Date: March 28th, 2023 Transparent Blu-ray Case inside cardboard sleeve Chapters 13

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Arrow Blu-ray (March 2023): Arrow have also transferred John Frankenheimer's Black Sunday to Blu-ray. The 1080P image quality is very similar to the Imprint. It loses a shade of information in the frame but it carries the same inherent softness. Forced to choose I would lean to the Arrow - even with a lower bitrate. Bottom line - not enough of a difference in the video to make a significant issue.

For audio, Arrow give the option of a linear PCM mono track, a DTS-HD Master stereo or 5.1 bump - all 24-bit - in the original English language. There are plenty of audio effects in the film from the loud hum of the dirigible to machine gun fire and loud explosions including the testing of the fatal multi-bullet (dart) device. The score is by the iconic John Williams (The Rare Breed, The Missouri Breaks, War Horse, The Fury, Images, Sleepers, The Cowboys, Conrack, 1979's Dracula) and adds significantly to the viewing experience augmenting the tension and drama of the extreme action sequences. Also played are The Star Spangled Banner and The Stars and Stripes Forever before the Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Superbowl. Arrow offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their region 'A'-locked Blu-ray.

The Arrow Blu-ray offers a new commentary by Josh Nelson. He takes a very academic and detailed look at the film's history, critical reviews and impact of the film's international terrorism plot line. I found it incredibly revealing and detailed, discussing the novel and production background, Robert Evans etc.. It was excellent. Arrow include a brand new 1/2 hour visual essay, entitled 'It Could Be Tomorrow', by critic Sergio Angelini who explores the film's adaptation and production, and its place within the pantheon of 70s terrorism thrillers. Also as an extra is an hour-long portrait of the director from 2003 - The Directors: John Frankenheimer - including interviews with Frankenheimer, Kirk Douglas, Samuel L. Jackson, Roy Scheider, Rod Steiger and others. There is an image gallery and the package has a slipcase and reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork (see below) by Peter Strain.

I remember seeing John Frankenheimer's Black Sunday when I was much younger and it found it very impactful. It was inspired by the Munich massacre, perpetrated by the Black September organization against Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics. Goodyear granted the film use of all three of its U.S.-based blimps for Black Sunday. The topic is disturbing but it's always a pleasure to see Robert Shaw in such an ambitious effort with a bold storyline. It's an intense thriller that builds with a high level of suspense. We love having options and the Arrow Blu-ray provides a comparable presentation to the Imprint counterpart but the new Nelson commentary, Angelini visual essay and hour-long John Frankenheimer documentary make it a highly desirable package. The slipcase and reversible sleeve add further enticement value. Frankenheimer, Shaw and Dern fans should strongly consider.

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ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (March 2021): Imprint have transferred John Frankenheimer's Black Sunday to Blu-ray. I don't have a DVD or another Blu-ray to compare it to (I think this is the first 1080P transfer of the film.) It doesn't looks great but is consistent. It's on a dual-layered disc with a high bitrate for the 2 1/4+ hour film. It's soft without a high level of detail exporting modest texture. This may be the best it will look for an HD presentation but we hope to compare it one day to a superior Blu-ray image.

NOTE: We have added 76 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Imprint offer a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround or the option of a linear PCM stereo track (both 24-bit) in the original English language. Imprint offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Imprint Blu-ray offers a new commentary by film historian Stephen Prince who discusses Black Sunday as the first Hollywood film to deal with international terrorism. He's very prepared and covers much of Frankenheimer's career, Shaw, Dern and Marthe Keller (John Schlesinger's Marathon Man, Billy Wilder's Fedora and Sydney Pollack's Bobby Deerfield) as a relative unknown to US audiences at the time. She is excellent in Black Sunday. There are also new interviews including film music historian Daniel Schweiger about the John Williams score running 10-minutes plus It Could Be Tomorrow - Directing Black Sunday, a Ballyhoo Production running over a dozen minutes unafraid to take a more critical look at the director's oeuvre. Lastly, is a theatrical trailer and the package has a limited edition slipcase on the first 1500 copies.