- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24
- Audio Codec: English LPCM 2.0 Mono
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Rating: R
- Region: A (B? C?)
- Discs: 1
- Studio: Image Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: February 8, 2011
- List Price: $17.97
[amazon-product align=”right”]B004ALIG38[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase A Private Function on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
1984’s A Private Function is a typically British, absurdist comedy turning a spotlight on class distinctions and social climbing in the UK. Set right after World War II, when there is still strict food rationing, a group of the upper class gentility plan a private feast in honor of Queen Elizabeth’s upcoming marriage, all in order to impress the local government. The feast is supposed to consist of pork from an illegally raised pig they have all been contributing their scraps to to raise, but when a local podiatrist (Michael Palin) and his wife (Maggie Smith) decide they want in and want a chance to rise up the social ladder, they steal the pig and get way more than they’d bargained for.
A Private Function is sort of like Vanity Fair meets Benny Hill, it’s odd, quietly funny, and almost surreal in its humor. It may not be for everyone, but it is worth a try for anyone who loves high quality comedy.
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
There have been better transfers of catalogue titles released to Blu-ray, even of films older than A Private Function‘s 1984 vintage, but the AVC/MPEG-4 encoding still looks acceptably film-like. Despite the appearance of slight source damage throughout and soft details, the transfer is pleasing enough and absent major amounts of compression artifacts and video noise.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3/5]
The audio is a basic LPCM 2.0 Mono mix. There’s not much to say about it other than it provides clear enough dialogue, although it sometimes sounds a bit too compressed. The balance of sound effects and dialogue has a decent amount of space and the midrange is punchy.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
There are no supplements on this release other than trailers for more Handmade Films releases.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
Despite a less than perfect transfer and lack of any supplements on this Blu-ray, the high quality of content in A Private Function should at least put it at the top of your list of Blu-rays to rent.
Additional Screen Captures:
[amazon-product align=”right”]B004ALIG38[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase A Private Function on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
