4.3 C
New York
Friday, November 22, 2024
Advertisement

Brighton Rock (1947) [UK Release] Blu-ray Review

  • Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
  • Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
  • Resolution: 1080p/24
  • Audio Codec: English LPCM 2.0 Mono
  • Subtitles: English HOH
  • Classification: PG
  • Region: B (Region-Locked)
  • Discs: 1
  • Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment
  • Blu-ray Release Date: February 28, 2011
  • RRP: £19.99

[amazon-product align=”right” region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B004CZ6IBE[/amazon-product]

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.co.uk

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]

Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]

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]

This classic piece of British Noir also features one of the classic performances by the great British actor Richard Attenborough. Based on Graham Greene’s pulpy, gangster novel, the film, one the Boulting Brothers’ productions. Was adapted t the screen by Greene himself.

The story charts undoing of smalltime Brighton gangster Pinkie (Attenborough) after he oversteps his bounds and murders a man on a carnival ride. When he starts courting a young café waitress named Rose (Carol Marsh) who was eyewitness to certain events and eventually marries her for her silence, it seems like Pinkie’s alibi is airtight, but events spiral out of his control in the underground world of crime that lead to terrible consequences.

Shot in a typical noir style with stark contrasts of shadow and light and with a quick-paced street dialogue, Brighton Rock maintains a feeling of suspense throughout without the need for cheap special effects and pandering to the baser instincts of the audience, like most crime dramas of today.

Video Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

There is a lot of source damage that can be seen still in this transfer of the film, but at least the film-like quality of the image has been maintained. Grain is very much still present and detail is somewhat strong for a film of this age, although it does tend to waver. Black levels could have been darkened a bit more, because they tend to look a bit too greyish most of the time.

Audio Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

There’s a simple monaural soundtrack in LPCM 2.0 that isn’t always as clear as can be, most likely due to the equipment of the day and the age of the recording, but dialogue is mostly intelligible. There is some audible hiss and pops that can be heard still, which is a good thing, because it means that the integrity of the original recording has been maintained rather than having had artificial noise reduction applied after the fact, which would only lead to less clarity.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:2.5/5]

Supplements are slim, but what is provided is quite good and interesting to watch. There is a 1954 NFT interview with Richard Attenborough and John Boulting and an interview with one Rowan Joffe discussing the film.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3/5]

A true classic worthy of reconsideration and release on Blu-ray, Brighton Rock has stood the test of time. It’s a film that belongs on the shelf of any cineaste.

Additional Screen Captures:

[amazon-product align=”right” region=”uk” tracking_id=”bluraydefinit-21″]B004CZ6IBE[/amazon-product]

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.co.uk

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]

Video Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:2.5/5]

Join the Discussion on Our Forum

Advertisement

Related Articles

Join the Discussion on TheaterByte!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Stay Connected

301FansLike
0FollowersFollow
184FollowersFollow
1,710FollowersFollow
- Advertisement -

Notice of Compliance with FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 16 CFR Part 255

In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR part 255 guidelines, this website hereby states that it receives free discs and other theatrical or home entertainment "screeners" and access to screening links from studios and/or PR firms, and is provided with consumer electronics devices on loan from hardware manufacturers and/or PR firms respectively for the purposes of evaluating the products and its content for editorial reviews. We receive no compensation from these companies for our opinions or for the writing of reviews or editorials.
Permission is sometimes granted to companies to quote our work and editorial reviews free of charge. Our website may contain affiliate marketing links, which means we may get paid commission on sales of those products or the services we write about. Our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers or affiliate partnerships. This disclosure is provided in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR § 255.5: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Latest Articles