A Christmas Carol
– Special Diamond 60th Anniversary Edition (VCI Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture: B/C+ Sound: B+/C+ Extras: B+ Film: A-
Being that this film is the same as that reviewed in the 2009 VCI
Blu-ray what will be reviewed here is the new vital technical features for this
60th Anniversary Blu-ray release.
For a further look at content and our opinion on the film, please
refer to the link below:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9558/A+Christmas+Carol+starring+Alistair+Sim+as
At first I could not see much of a difference in the Blu-ray releases;
I literally played one after the other.
Upon closer inspection I could tell that the crispness and clarity had
been improved, giving the film more depth.
The inky blacks and solid whites for this black and white release are superb; though debris/grain can still
be viewed. I won’t say it is a perfect
release, but for a 60 year old film it looks good. The sound is a wonderful upgraded LCPM 5.1
track that is quite improved over the previous Dolby Digital 5.1 track. SADLY! for VCI if
you look on the package they seem to list the audio (still) as a Dolby Digital
5.1 track; in other words they need better quality control on their
packaging. The sound, however, is
something to hear and takes the last release to the next level. The DVD included is not worth the time
comparatively.
The extras are a clear upgrade this time around, as everything from
the 2009 Blu-ray are ported over as well as adding on a ton more:
·
Introduction by Leonard Maltin
·
Audio Commentary
·
“Dead to Begin
With: The Darker Side of a Class”
·
“The Human Blarney Stone: The Life and Films of Brian
Desmond”
·
Alastair Sim Version:
Too Good to be Shown Only at Christmas Time
o
Better than the audio commentary even, author Fred Guida
dives into the many adaptations of A
Christmas Carol and how important the Dicken’s
Classic truly is to the world
·
Silent Version of Scrooge
o
1922, silent version of a Dickens’ classic that lasts only
10minutes; though it gets the point across.
·
Silent Version of Bleak House
o
1922, silent version of a Dickens’ classic that lasts only
10minutes
·
Scrooge Revisited
o
Shows some of the locations the 1951 movie was filmed at
and how they look today
·
Theatrical Trailer
·
Bibliographic Essay
·
Vintage Radio Broadcast
-
Michael P. Dougherty II
