Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: August 1, 2023
Rating: NR
Film: 3.5/5
PlotIn the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother Aron for the love of their father Adam. Carl is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, to how to get ahead in business and in life, to how to relate to his estranged mother.
The 1955 period drama is directed by Elia Kazan from a screenplay by Paul Osborn and based on the 1952 John Steinbeck novel of the same name. The film stars James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, and Jo Van Fleet. The film garnered a lot of praise at the time and earned Van Fleet an Oscar nomination.
My ThoughtsOlder movies are hit and miss with me depending on the subject matter. While I generally feel that the writing is better in films from this era, I find the acting style to be much too melodramatic and people don’t act like they would in “real” life. Up until a few months ago, I had never seen James Dean in any of his three big screen roles, so now I’ve checked two off the list and I hate to say it, but neither my wife nor I have come away impressed. He broods through every scene and I can’t say we are enamored with his supposed star power. Maybe his untimely death added to his legend, but I could name plenty of actors from the past 50 years who I would cast over him in a heartbeat.
The film itself is a mixed bag. The first act drags on for much too long—typical of films from this era—but things get better from there and the story ends up being a character study of love, rejection, jealousy, with a bit of revenge mixed in for good measure. At the time it was made it was considered one of the best 400 films ever made, but I doubt it would crack that list today.
It’s great to see Warner giving their older catalog films A-list 4K treatment. The Cinemascope 2.55:1 framed image varies between mediocre to excellent depending on the scene. Careful observers will notice some lens distortion around the edges (at least I did) but I have to commend Warner for using a 4K scan of the original photography and not relying on an upconversion from 1080p. Colors look great with a leaning towards a warmer color palette, which matches the countryside of the Salinas valley (I’ve driving through there hundreds of times over the years). Detail is quite good although you can tell when a scene transition is coming because the image get blurry and soft right before the moment comes.
The film was originally recorded in mono and was upmixed to a 5.1 track about 10 years ago. For this release they’ve taken it one step further and it’s now presented in Atmos. Thankfully, the dialog remains cemented in the center speaker and the atmospheric effects are well placed within the scene, but at times sounds a bit unnatural.
Video 8/10
Audio 8/10 (Dolby Atmos)
Special Features: - Audio Commentary
- Digital Code
ConclusionThe topics covered in the film were somewhat taboo in the 1950s, so I could see how the film would have been considered edgy and hip. Today, not so much. It’s a decent way to spend two hours, but it won’t be the first film I’d grab off the shelf to revisit the era—I’d prefer something from Hitchcock myself. Overall, the 4K presentation should please fans and the film has probably never looked better since its original theatrical run in 1955.
Reference Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
(Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
Kaleidescape Strato + Server
Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
System Controller: URC MX-990
M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
SVS SB3000
HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
M&K Sound X15+ Subwoofer
Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner
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