Jeremiah
(1998) + Solomon (1997/Bible Story
Series/Affirm/Sony DVDs)
Picture:
C+/C Sound: C+/C Extras: D Main Programs: C
Sony
continues its Affirm release with two more, older TV productions in 1998’s Jeremiah with Patrick Dempsey and 1997’s
Solomon with Ben Cross. This follows the releases of the lame Esther
and Jesus releases we suffered through at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/9646/Esther+++Jesus+(Bible+Stories+Series
These are
not as bad, but still not very good.
Dempsey is unintentionally funny in his performance, but Oliver Reed and
Klaus Maria Brandauer do not fare much better in this still-formulaic, flat
telefilm. Cross is joined by Anouk
Aimée, Vivica A. Fox, Max Von Sydow, David Suchet and Maria Grazia Cucinotta
and does no better in the story of a king’s downfall. Both are formulaic, safe and for those who
already are of faith. Outside of that,
they are not that good and are curios at best, which is better than the last
set of releases.
The 1.33
X 1 image is better on Jeremiah than on the softer-than-expected Solomon, but
both are soft and the productions look confined and phony. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is also better
on Jeremiah than Solomon, which sounds noisier, more distorted and lower in
volume. This suggests it is from a
lesser generation source than it should be.
There are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
