- 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]
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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]
