Smokey and the Bandit
Studio:
Universal
Year:
2007
Rated:
PG
Film Length:
96 minutes
Aspect Ratio:
16X9 Enhanced Widescreen (1.85:1)
Video:
1080p/24
Audio:
English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1
Subtitles:
English, French
|
Release Date: 2007
Overview and Film Information
Smokey and the Bandit is one of those classic films that I have
loved ever since I was a kid. It is in my opinion a true comedic masterpiece.
Jackie Gleason is without a doubt one of the funniest movie characters that has
ever graced a film, I honestly cannot think of another movie character that tops
Sheriff Buford T. Justice. All thru the years I saw this film so many times on
TV and premium movie channels that I couldn't even begin count them. Sadly thru
the years as I grew into home theater, Smokey and the Bandit was missing the
good high quality DVD treatment that it deserved, Universal had merely released
a bare bones non-anamorphic DVD that was of Laserdisc quality at best. Finally a
couple years ago S&B was given high quality DVD treatment. I knew when I
purchased the DVD and ultimately viewed it, that this new release was sourced
from a amazing HD master and that it was going to be a real treat one of these
days on a HD format. At the time I was looking forward to a D-Theater release
from Universal that never came. So just think of the look on my face when I
found out that Universal had announced a HD-DVD release of this comedic
masterpiece.
Video Quality ****.5 out of *****
The video quality of this release is simply astounding, no two
ways about it. The film is presented in it's original theatrical aspect ratio of
1.85:1. I was instantly struck back at how clear and detailed it is. Film grain
is plainly visible throughout the film, not one hint of filtering or NR at all,
fabulous news in this sad new world of those pushing for the removal of film
grain. When film grain is visible and present you are assured of a image that is
bursting with high frequency details and ultimately sharpness like only films in
HDTV can deliver. Colors on this release are spot on and vivid. The lush green
country sides and grass are breathtaking. Bandit's red shirt pops off the screen
realistically with amazing tones and hues (those with 2nd generation Toshiba
players can now enjoy films 100% free of the chroma bug with firmware update
2.0). Flesh tones, including Gleason's fake tan, are amazing throughout.
Contrast ratio is excellent which lends to a very 3D image with great blacks and
whites. As always I must mention that any film of this age will have random soft
shots and degraded scenes, this is the nature of the beast and is 100% normal.
Smokey and the Bandit, in my opinion, is the perfect example of how to release a
film 30 years old, Universal is to be congratulated on this one folks.
Audio Quality ***.5 out of *****
S&B is presented with a very nice Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 remix
and it is actually pretty darn good in this case. Most importantly dialog is
excellent, ADR is easily picked out due to the quality of the audio on this
release. The rumbles of Bandit's car are clean and very realistic. Not much bass
to be had here nor should there be. As with any 5.1 remix we are not presented
with Oscar winning audio or mix quality, but this gets the job done wonderfully.
Being this is mostly a dialog based film, albeit a few stunt scenes and some
great Jerry Reed tunes, the audio we are presented with is fantastic and
combines with the amazing visuals for a top notch performance.
Extra Features and Menus *** out of *****
Extra features include a nice making of documentary titled
"Loaded Up and Truckin'" and a CB tutorial that relives some of the movies
memorable quotes. Menu's are Universal's new style (with opening flying HD-DVD
logo) and are fabulous in every way, easy to navigate and well laid out, I
particularly like the scene selection menu.
Overall **** out of *****
If you are a fan of this classic film then I would say without a
doubt you must own this release as it will never get any better than this, sure
there could be more extras if you are into that type thing, but this delivers
the goods where it counts most. I am so very pleased with this release and
Universal for giving us such a nice package with nearly reference visuals and
great audio.
