Source France | Publisher : The image workshop | Release date : 03 May 2024
Video format
2160p24 – Ratio 1.85
Dolby Vision / BT.2020 – HEVC encoding
Master intermediate 4K
Soundtrack
English DTS-HD MA 5.1
English DTS-HD MA 2.0
French DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles
French
Rated 4.5 out of 5
Artistic : 9.5 | Video : 9 | Audio : 8.5
It is brought to the attention of our dear readers that, in addition to the specified and used viewing equipment, the rendering may differ from one installation to another, whether or not it is calibrated, as well as personal preferences and expectations may influence notation. Moreover, the images in the article are not representative of the edition tested.
Test equipment and condition (Config. HP: 5.1.4)
Video broadcaster : Sony Bravia XR-65A95L (Dolby Dark Vision)
Sources : Oppo UDP-203 Audiocom Reference | Zappiti Reference
Pregnant : Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar Max (DTS Neural:X), SVS SB-4000
WORK - In the name of faith
In 1327, in a Benedictine abbey, monks disappeared. The Franciscan Guillaume de Baskerville, assisted by the young novice Adso von Melk, conducted the investigation. It is the time when the Church, in the midst of a crisis, is disputed with her spiritual and temporal power. It is also the pinnacle of the Inquisition.
Adapted from the eponymous best seller of Umberto Eco, this thrilling medieval thriller beautifully staged and deeply universalist celebrates culture (and also humor) against religious obscurantism (and more generally disinformation).
And in this major work of Jean-Jacques Annaud (Bears, Love, Stalingrad) populated by tricks coming out of a table of Bruegel, police investigation (led by a duet Connery/Slater worthy of the best buddy movie), « piety » of knowledge and immersion in the Middle Ages of the 14th century (assisted by a rarely equalized historical reconstruction) intertwined divinely. In short, a large-spectrum fresco full of charity and intelligence.
« Laughter is a devilish breath that distorts the linearity of the face and makes man look like a monkey. »
IMAGE - The devil is in the details
From a new scan of the original negatives 35 mm and a meticulous restoration led by the company Neue Constantin Film, this UHD Dolby Vision transfer amazed by its rendering (the sumptuous light-obscurs of the chief operator Tonino Delli Colli have never been so beautiful), as his director (though not involved in the process) said at the Bolognais festival Il Cinema Ritrovato of 2023.
The level of definition aligns with the very good standards of films of the 1980s (similar to Shining and Robocop to mention only two), the restitution of fine details makes a big leap forward (the relief on the faces, the textures of the clothes and the architectural composition of the abbey) and the silver aspect, even if affluently lightened (the Blu-ray published by TF1 Video being more granular for comparison) by the use of a eye-browing DNR (like what is possible), beautifully rendered by a HEVC compression much better than that of its capricious AVC consonant (of the new Blu-ray also resulting from the same 4K restoration).
The colorimetric palette with earthy hues and more shimmering primaries (the red chapes and hats of the pope's representatives) has no more to worry about the magenta drift of the previous Blu-ray even if the manifestation of greenish shades, clearly less marked than on the last Blu-ray date, apostrophe here and there (like some snowy expanses). As for the range of contrasts, widened with careful since far from playing it flashing (the intensity of light sources remaining conservatively while strengthening their realism), it deploys deep unblocked blacks (which is not the case on the two SDR transfers) and whites that are otherwise sharper (sometimes horribly burned). Little funny if it is, the ending credits will appear in German.
SON - Because laughter kills fear
While religiously opening the sound field, VO 5.1 uses sparingly an efficient backstage where the score of James Horner, which rubs itself with the sounds of a distant past not without the use of a worrying synthesizer (!), draws its pin from the game.
The dynamics begin as soon as the narration prays (especially during the fire), the dialogues firmly exuded by the power station maintain a clear and clear course of the whole, and certainly there is no lack of roundness in the serious.
Proposed in 2.0 surround, the other VO and the VF are a little more bleak (especially in the « Molière language ») and fast a certain extent. The voices are on the other hand more prominent and passing, singularly reverberated to the rear (in contrast to the multichannel soundtrack).
CONCLUSION - From obscurantism to light
While the draped reason of clarity is opposed to the usual faith of darkness, the present edition prestige 4K Ultra HD (a classic digipack, more than five hours of bonus and a 44-page booklet) brings back the limbs of the past (that was 38 years ago already) a great classic of medieval cinema which, under its most beautiful auras (glorious performances A/V), continues to preach the good word (more current than ever) where pleasure is in no way a heresy, the disappearance of knowledge a scourge and critical thought a benefit. Amen!
Word game validated!
Thank you! 😜
Not convinced! That it's green... too blurry... A 4k that doesn't look like 4k, on a power TV, on a giant screen with Sony projector calibrated much less convincing! I preferred the colors of the US Laserdisc.
Test performed on a calibrated OLED QD. And if there are some greenish shades too as mentioned (but nothing to see in comparison with Blu-ray), the blurries are original. So I prefer it a thousand times more than digital tripotelling. 😉