ALEXANDER THE GREAT- Blu Ray (1 Viewer)

[Ernest]

Purchased from Amazon.UK the Blu Ray of Alexander the Great that has been released in Denmark. The case contains two discs the movie in DVD and Blu Ray.
Video: DVD: PAL 576i Region 2
Blu Ray: 1080p/24 Region B
Audio: DTS HD Master Stereo
Running Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
I have always liked this movie because I felt Richard Burton was perfectly cast as Alexander. At 29 Burton was the correct age as Alexander died 1 month short of his 33 birthday. I enjoy the filming techniques of Oliver Stone's Alexander presenting the battle scenes as close to what they would have been. ( In Alexander the Great the director just had the two armies charging at each other rather than displaying the Greeks in their famous frontal assault formation.) Also the flash back style of Alexander was unnecessary and adds confusion. The Burton movie was released in 1956 so the audio presented in stereo would be correct.
In order to play this Blu Ray/DVD you will need a Blu Ray player that allows you to go into the menu and set the region code, in this case B. I will watch the Blu Ray tonight and advise on how the video looks and audio sounds.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

Looking forward to review on how this one looks!

 

[Ed Lachmann]

I bought this ALEXANDER several months ago along with several other SoulMedia titles. All around, I'd say it looks pretty damned good. Of course, it's not up to the restored stuff like BEN HUR or THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, but if you have any of the Twilight Time BDs, it is perhaps a smidgen below that quality range. I would give it a 4 out of 5, really, well worth the purchase for me. Most of the SoulMedia stuff is really good and you can choose the no subtitles option. They've just released THE LION IN WINTER, which I also plan to buy. If you're a John Wayne fan, their THE CONQUEROR and NORTH TO ALASKA are pretty outstanding, too.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

Thanks, Ed! Sounds like it looks better than I expected.
I hope you'll share your thoughts on "The Lion in Winter" as well.
I really need to invest in a zone free player so I can enjoy these as well.

 

[Ernest]

Agree with the posted review the Blu Ray is much better than the DVD exhibiting much more detail and vivid colors. The movie is far from perfect and don't expect to see Blu Ray transfer as clean and realistic as Avatar. The sound was excellent my Sony receiver had no problem distributing the 2 channel stereo to all five speakers and the sub woofer.
What seems to be happening with these catalog titles that generate small sales is the distributor obtains the best print available and then has it transferred in the Blu Ray process with very little cleanup. Same thing Twilight is doing with titles like "the Egyptian", Demetrius & the Gladiators", etc. Keep that in mind when purchasing these older titles and you will be happy to have them on Blu Ray knowing they are the best they can be.
Next up "1492 Conquest of Paradise" in 1080i/50 DTS HD MA Stereo Region "B". In English & French with removable English & French subtitles. Hope to have a review in 2 weeks however long it takes to ship to me from France.
Remember the USA standard is 1080P/24 or 1080i/60 & the international is 1080P/24 or 1080i/50. To play international Blu Rays you need a player that allows you to set the region code "A-B-C" and can decode 1080i/50.

 

[TheVid]

Aside from anomalies inherent in the print, Soul Media's Danish version of ALEXANDER THE GREAT is a superb upgrade to high definition, albeit the original 4-track sound is 2.0 matrixed stereo (although Dolby Pro-Logic II and DTS: Neo 6 both yield outstanding, accurate results).
I also received the following Danish Soul Media Blu-Rays:
THE LION IN WINTER - This is the exceptional Studio Canal print and it's generally flawless for an outstanding, film-like presentation. The sound is 2.0 monaural.
BUTCH AND SUNDANCE: THE EARLY YEARS - A very good print with film-like texture and 2.0 monaural sound. A recommended upgrade from the US Anchor Bay dvd.
DAVID AND BATHSHEBA - An excellent upgrade of the same print used on the Fox USA DVD. The sound is 2.0 monaural.
TREASURE ISLAND - This is the Warner-Bros. distributed, British-filmed version with Orson Welles as Long John Silver. Sadly, there are problems with this blu-ray upgrade in the form of jitter. I'd advise sticking to the Warner Archive DVD for this title, if you have it. The sound is 2.0 monaural.
ATTILA THE HUN - This is the two-part USA Channel miniseries with Gerard Butler. Exceptionally sharp with excellent color timing, although artificial sharpening is apparent (but may be inherent). The sound is 2.0 matrixed stereo, and the menu splits the presentation into 2 parts.
All these films contain both a dvd and a blu-ray for the price. Scandinavian subtitles are optional and can be removed on the main menu. There are no supplemental options and all the discs are region-B locked.