Ford
Vs. Ferrari 4K (2019/Fox
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: B+ Picture: B Sound: A-/B Extras: C+
Film: B
Easily
one of 2019's best films, Ford
Vs. Ferrari 4K
(2019) takes us back to the early 1980s when small Italian sports car
manufacturer Ferrari was in its early glory, selling some of the most
sought after cars around, having an exclusive reputation and also
winning all kinds of professional car races. That included the
24-hour LeMans race, but despite these successes and the leadership
of founder Enzo Ferrari, the company was in financial trouble.
One
company interested in winning some races to sell some cars and
modernizing their reputation, as well as their buyers, was U.S. auto
giant Ford, who used to be the number one until events like making
the Edsel put them behind General Motors, hear of Ferrari's position
and propose a merger with him. All looks good until they offend Enzo
Ferrari (who would also be in a feud with newly found Lamborghini
around this time) who sends a message back to Ford and owner Henry
Ford II and a new fight begins. Fiat lands up buying Ferrari (they
still own them as of this posting) and Henry Ford II is furious about
the rejection.
With
a young Lee Iacocca on hand, the company tries to build the perfect
racer to beat Ferrari and land up turning to Carroll Shelby (Matt
Damon) who used to be one of the great race car drivers until a
health issue got in the way, so Shelby is looking to get into the
production business as Ford is about to launch a new car called The
Mustang and take on Ferrari at LeMans. At the same time, Shelby is
also involved professional racing and has a great driver (Christian
Bale) on hand, but he can be a real mess to deal with, short on
temper and always looking for a fight. However, when Ford needs to
win, Shelby knows who the best driver is, no matter the problems and
has to not only get him, but support him against Ford executives who
do not know what they are doing or talking about.
Director
James Mangold (Walk The Line, Logan, 3:10 To Yuma
remake) delivers his best film yet, a race car drama up there with
Frankenheimer's Grand Prix and somewhat underrated LeMans
starring Steve McQueen, both issued in the period this film takes
place. Sadly as we were reminded during its Oscar win, this is the
last film that will ever be produced and released by the original
20th Century Fox, now bought by Disney for its film and TV
library. It reminds us of the kind of ambitious film the studio was
always capable of making since the early days 20th Century
Pictures merged with Fox Films. Damon and Bale carry the film well
and though a few facts were changed around (for better or worse), the
story flows well and this looks good down to the car races, which are
actually exciting instead of just a bunch of noise and bad edits.
It
is also a story of money, power, manipulations and is a little more
realistic in these respects than I was expecting, which is a very
good thing. Imagine, an intelligent film with smart, mature adults
in mind, though anyone can enjoy it. This one is worth going out of
your way for.
Now
for how it looks and sounds. Though the film was shown in some of
its best screenings in the Dolby Vision format, this 2160p
HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1, HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High
Definition image version still looks good and better than the 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image under the regular Blu-ray in
color range, detail, a richer look and a more solid appearance of the
cars themselves. They look more like cars, but some have noted it
looks like some noise, faux grain was added to the HD-shot
production. I thought it worked just fine and th0ough the Blu-ray is
passable, the 4K disc is the way to see the film.
That
also applies to the sound, only on the 4K disc in lossless Dolby
Atmos 11.1 (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 for older systems) in one of the best
sound mixes of the year, rightly an Academy Award winner, it
impresses in all kinds of ways and though the DTS-HD MA (Master
Audio) 7.1 lossless mix on regular Blu-ray is good, you can hear in
comparison just how much detail is being lost in the mixdown. The
Atmos really delivers.
Extras
include Digital Copy,
while you can access the following digitally as well including The
24 Hour Le Mans: Recreating the Course
featurette - Discover how the climactic race of the film was
achieved, from recreating the track to capturing and editing all the
action, Pre-Vis:
Daytona & Le Mans Races
- These animated pre-visualization sequences worked as a roadmap for
filmmakers throughout production, Matt
and Christian: The Conversation
(iTunes Extras exclusive) - Sit down with Christian Bale and Matt
Damon for an intimate reflection on the making of the film and (also
on disc), Bringing
The Rivalry to Life
- Go behind the scenes of the film with this 8-part, 60-minute
documentary.
-
Nicholas Sheffo