
A
Bridge Too Far 4K
(1977/MGM/UA/Via Vision/Imprint 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Set)/Horrible
History: Four Historical Epics By Chang Cheh
(1973 - 76/MVD/Eureka Blu-ray Set)/Inglorious
Basterds 4K Limited Edition
(2009/Universal/Arrow 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray w/Blu-ray)
4K
Ultra HD Picture: A- Picture: B-/B- (Boxer:
B)/B Sound: B-/C+ (Boxer:
B-)/B+ Extras: B/B-/B Films: B/B-/B
PLEASE
NOTE:
The A
Bridge Too Far
Import 4K Blu-ray is now only available from our friends at Via
Vision Imprint Entertainment in Australia, can only play on all 4K
disc players and can be ordered from the link below.
Sir
Richard Attenborough's A
Bridge Too Far 4K
(1977) is
one of the last all-star epics of a cycle of War (and Western) genre
films that grew out of the 1950s, peaked in the late 1960s and
continued to be a success (adding Disaster films by 1970) that made
for some of the biggest productions of the time as well as some of
the smartest, most adult, most mature and most respected. As I said
about the film when I reviewed it on Blu-ray years ago...
''Showing
us the deadly risks in Operation Market Garden aiming for German
bridges to stop their progress in Europe and in general, the film
wants to be another Battle Of Britain, but it becomes more of
a drama at times and they even got Connery, Fox, Caine and Oliver.
It is a good film, but it falls short at times of its aspirations.
However, it also tries to take the War genre into a new direction,
which is at least ambitious.''
Now
the film, itself is nostalgia for better filmmaking that started to
wane in the early 1980s and whereas this was more common then, we do
not see such films very much at all now. A time when the people
running the studios loved movie and knew how to make them and
franchise films were few and far between. Christopher Nolan,
Spielberg, Scorsese (et al) and the recent The Brutalist show
that people and movie fans will sit through along film if it is good
and not worry about the running time. This is a film that needs
further rediscovery and now in 4K, you can enjoy it like nothing
since its original theatrical release.
You
can see the great packaging and artwork when you click onto the order
page below, while the extras in this great hardcase packaging include
the same
extras on both 4K and regular Blu-ray versions:
Audio
Commentary by screenwriter William Goldman and the main crew
Trivia
Track - Alternate subtitle-track with info on the production of the
film
and
an Original Theatrical Trailer, which was the single extra on the
old Blu-ray disc.
Then
you get...
Disc
Three: Blu-ray Bonus Features
NEW
Attenborough
at War
featurette with film historian/screenwriter C. Courtney Joyner
(2024)
NEW
Joseph
E. Levine: Becoming the Showman
featurette (2024)
NEW
More
Than Another War Movie: Elliott Gould Builds A
Bridge Too Far:
interview with actor Elliott Gould (2024)
NEW
We
Are the Calvary: Filming A
Bridge Too Far:
interview with camera operator Peter MacDonald (2024)
NEW
Behind
the Lens: Remembering Geoffrey Unsworth:
interview with clapper loader Tony Jackson and camera operator Peter
MacDonald (2024)
NEW
A
Futile Mission: Scoring A
Bridge Too Far:
interview with film music historian Jon Burlingame (2024)
NEW
Making
A
Bridge Too Far:
a feature-length documentary from Simon Lewis, author of The
Making of A Bridge Too Far
(2024)
The
Arnhem Report:
A rarely-seen 1977 documentary on the making of the film (SD)
Theirs
is The Glory:
1946 film about the Historic events in Arnhem (SD)
Heroes
from the Sky:
2001 documentary (SD)
A
Distant Battle: Memories of Operation Market Garden:
60th Anniversary featurette (SD)
Richard
Attenborough: A Filmmaker Remembers:
interview with director Richard Attenborough (2002)
Archival
interview with director Richard Attenborough (1977)
Archival
interview with actor Anthony Hopkins (1977)
a
Photo Gallery (1977) and a Booklet....
An
exclusive booklet featuring an essay by Simon Lewis, first published
in Cinema
Retro,
as well as an excerpt from Sebastian Abineri's book ''The
Boys from the Bridge: The Story of Attenborough's Private Army''.
Horrible
History: Four Historical Epics By Chang Cheh
(1973 - 76) has The Shaw Brothers allowing the filmmaker to make four
movies based in history, then let him add all kinds of martial arts
into the scripts, even if the actual history did not have so much
depending. The films include a period when the Korean War is ending
in The
Four Riders
(1972,) set-in-the-past The
Pirate
(1973,) not-exactly biopic version of Marco
Polo
(1975) and more history with a Boxer
Rebellion
(1976). Despite the many liberties taken, they are well made films,
do not desecrate the real life history they cover and I can see why
the studio was on board with Cheh to back making all of them.
The
Four Riders
(aka Hellfighters
Of the East)
has four soldiers at the end of the war go back to Seoul to fight
drug dealers, but they fight back by trying to frame them for killing
a fellow soldier. Biblical reference intended by the original title,
it is not too heavy-handed in that respect and is the film that
offers the most recent time. David Chiang leads a decent cast and
yes, one of the actor's real name here is Wang Chung!
The
Pirate
(aka Da
Hai dao)
goes back to the end of the Ching Dynasty in South Seas China circa
1805, is done with some panache and humor like a Hollywood
swashbuckler film in the best way, but much more fighting (and no
dancing or musical numbers) with more outdoor production than in
almost any Shaw production I have ever seen and I have seen more than
most people. Versus more recent such productions (all those endless
Disney Pirates
Of The Caribbean
films, Cutthroat
Island,
or even Polanski's 1986 dud Pirates)
it holds up much better and takes itself relatively more seriously
and just has a better flow. People who liked those other films will
want to see this one.
Marco
Polo
has longtime leading action actor Richard Harrison in the title role,
sent to protect the leader of the Mongol Empire after an
assassination attempt, soon to be assisted by some local fighters.
He actually becomes a de facto stand-in for non-Chinese audiences as
the fighting sequences unfold before any of the conflict kicks (no
pun intended) in, while the new fighters eventually take over the
film. Having such a stationary Polo makes that easier, but makes for
an often odd film. A definitive Polo film has yet to be made, but
this one has some good moments, albeit an odd ending.
Boxer
Rebellion
(aka Ba
guo lian jun
aka Bloody
Avengers)
takes place around 1899 to 1901 A.D. and is based on the true story
of a group fighting back against a group of foreign invaders trying
to take over China until unexpected resistance occurs from within. A
big budget film and sort of response and companion piece to Nicholas
Ray's 55
Days At Peking
(1963 and itself a big budget epic) which was also accused of taking
some liberties with the history, yet this too has its moments and I
was glad this got restored to the extent it did it does deliver some
fine big screen moments as intended. Richard Harrison turns up here
in a supporting role too.
In
all four cases, the events are from rough and very unstable periods
with huge upheavals to match, but the Shaws and Cheh were able to do
this four times with popular and sometimes impressive results. They
are not documentaries, but big screen dramas with action and some
entertainment, flaws and all. Eureka was smart to issue them as a
set and now, everyone can see the good things they have been missing
for a long time, getting the respect they deserve. That should make
serious film fans happy too.
Extras
include
two new feature-length audio commentary tracks by East Asian film
expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist and
filmmaker Michael Worth
Two
new commentaries by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne
Venema
National
Defence:
A new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on Boxer
Rebellion
Rewriting
History:
A new video essay on Chang Cheh's historical films by Jonathan
Clements, author of A Brief History of China
Limited
edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on all four films
in this set by writer and critic James Oliver
Limited
Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Gregory Sacre
(Gokaiju)
and
this is a Limited Edition of 2,000 copies.
Quentin
Tarantino's Inglorious
Basterds 4K Limited Edition
(2009) is the second 4K release of the critically acclaimed hit film,
the first of which we covered at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/15991/Incredible+Shrinking+Man+(1957/Universal*)/Ingl
That
includes a link to the original film he is remaking. Of the many
films Tarantino has made over the years, this has become the one more
people land up talking to be about than most, which I never expected,
but more about its themes than graphic violence. If anything, people
who complain about the violence in his films are not really watching
the films or films in their entirety and a a whole cinematic
experience. The real reason the violence (and action) tend to
resonate is because he actually writes screenplays with
well-developed, realistic people in through and effective ways, so
when the most shocking things happen, it has more impact. We have so
many lite and lame films, no wonder people jump the gun on his films.
That
this is about Nazis and genocidal killers really hits home when you
add that to his approach. Then you have the top-notch directing,
great cinematography and great cast and acting. Yes, there can be
some dark humor, but you also get some irony, so that's why
Inglorious Basterds
is suddenly growing in popularity in unexpected ways and with the
film looking so amazing and 4K Ultra HDTVs getting better all the
time, you can see why it is getting a second 4K edition. For good
measure, it is also getting some expanded extras.
Extras
(per the press release) on this 2 DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION
CONTENTS include...
Limited
Edition "Operation
Kino"
packaging with new art by Dare Creative
60-page
"Films
& Filmmakers"
collector's book with writing by film critics Dennis Cozzalio and
Bill Ryan
Double-sided
fold-out poster
Replica
Nation's Pride Premiere program booklet
La
Louisianne beermat
3
postcard sized double-sided art cards
Strudel
recipe card
Reversible
sleeve with original and newly commissioned artwork by Dare Creative
DISC
1 - FEATURE (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY)
4K
(2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in High Dynamic Range
Original
lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
Optional
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand
new audio commentary by film critic and author Tim Lucas
DISC
2 - EXTRAS (BLU-RAY)
What
Would Sally Do?,
a new interview with editor Fred Raskin
Blood
Fiction,
a new interview with special make-up effects supervisor Greg
Nicotero
Doomstruck,
a new interview with actor Omar Doom
Making
it Right,
a new visual essay by film critic Walter Chaw, author of A
Walter Hill Film
Film
History on Fire,
a new visual essay by film scholar Pamela Hutchinson, author of BFI
Film Classics: Pandora's Box
Filmmaking
in Occupied France,
a new interview with film scholar Christine Leteux, author of
Continental
Films: French Cinema Under German Control
Extended
and alternate scenes
Nation's
Pride
The
Making of Nation's Pride,
an archival featurette
Roundtable
Discussion, an archival interview with Quentin Tarantino, Brad
Pitt and Elvis Mitchell
The
Original Inglorious Bastards,
archival featurette
A
Conversation with Rod Taylor,
archival featurette
Rod
Taylor on Victoria Bitter,
archival featurette
Quentin
Tarantino's Camera Angel,
archival featurette
Hi
Sallys, archival featurette
Film
Poster Gallery Tour with Elvis Mitchell, archival featurette
and
Trailers.
Now
for playback performance. The 2160p HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1, Dolby
Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition
image on A
Bridge Too Far 4K
is the best this film has looked since film prints were originally
issued with fine color, naturalistic looks and very consistent. As I
said in my previous review of the older Blu-ray...
''...the
approach is supposed to be 'nostalgic' come to life and though it was
shot in real anamorphic Panavision by the amazing Geoffrey Unsworth,
B.S.C., and the film was originally offered as a 70mm blow-up at the
time, this transfer just does not totally cut it. Color systems were
plain by now, but Unsworth (Kubrick's 2001,
Cabaret,
Zardoz)
was so talented that he knew how to shoot in any format and get the
most out of it.'' Unsworth knew what he was doing and it really
shows here in a way I have never seen so clearly before.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer is fine for
what it is a slightly better than the older Blu-ray we covered years,
but neither can match the 4K for warmth and overall performance. The
soundtracks on both versions repeat the soundtracks on the older
Blu-ray edition, including a DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1
mix that was not very strong, upgraded a bit from the 6-track
magnetic stereo the 70mm prints offered at the time, but still on the
weak side for dialogue and music, though a little better than the
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 4.0 lossless mix (improved from the lossy
Dolby Digital 4.0 mix form the older Blu-ray). As I noted before...
''John Addison (Tom
Jones,
Torn
Curtain,
The
Seven-Per-Cent Solution)
turns out one of his better scores too and it could also sound better
here, but is not bad.''
The
2160p HEVC/H.265, 2.35 X 1, Dolby Vision/HDR (10; Ultra HD
Premium)-enhanced Ultra High Definition image on the Inglorious
Basterds 4K Limited Edition
set looks
good, looks more color correct and has some shots that are above my
letter grade, making it the visual winner on this list with shots
that much more match the definition of the film print I saw upon its
first release this time versus the older 4K disc. The 1080p 2.35 X 1
digital High Definition image transfer is fine for what it is, but no
match for the slightly better 4K disc here. The soundtracks on both
disc versions repeat what was on the older 4K and Blu-ray editions, a
solid DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 mix that was a little
punchier on the 4K then and is fine now.
The
1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfers on all the
Horrible
History
films show the age of the materials used, but they were also all shot
in Shawscope and the quality of the lenses also age the films a bit.
All in decent color, Boxer
Rebellion
looks a little better, cleaner and warmer. All also have lossless
Mandarin PCM 2.0 Mono that are also limited and in most cases, a
little more boxy and rough at times, but Boxer
Rebellion
sounds the best. This is likely as good as they will ever sound,
though maybe some would look seen better in 4K. Hard to tell, but I
liked many of the shots on all four releases.
To
order
the
A
Bridge Too Far
Import 4K Blu-ray set, go to this link for it and many more great
web-exclusive
releases at:
https://viavision.com.au/shop/a-bridge-too-far-1977-imprint-collection-367/
-
Nicholas Sheffo