The Graduate French Import
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Release Date: 2007 Import
Overview and Film Information
What is there really to say about this now infamous and
legendary film by director Mike Nichols. The Graduate released all the way back
in 1967 was nominated for countless Oscars (and this was when they actually
meant something), ultimately giving Nichols the best director award. A film that
basically put Dustin Hoffman on the map and provided us with the unforgettable
Mrs. Robinson played amazingly by Anne Bancroft. The story is quite simple and
as always to best explain it, I will barrow a plot outline courtesy of IMDB:
Recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock is trapped into an
affair with Mrs. Robinson, who happens to be the wife of his father's business
partner and then finds himself falling in love with her teenage daughter, Elaine.
Fast forward 40 years later and we have a true treat in the form
of a special HD-DVD release from Studio Canal, and available only in France.
This means you will not find this release on store shelves, you must import it.
We would like to think the fine folks at Xploited Cinema for their amazing service
and for providing us with this exclusive HD-DVD release.
This French import version of The Graduate is basically bare
bones, but if all you care about is the film and it's quality then you should
read further because this is a real winner.
Video Quality ****.5 out of *****
Most people don't know what to expect from a much older film
like The Graduate, let me tell you, it doesn't get any better than this. I was
instantly amazed at the image upon first seeing this release, it is nearly
perfect. A true example of film in everyway possible. When film is at it's best
to me has a nice faint softness to it but on the other hand is oozing details,
this is even more true for anamorphic 2.35:1 scope films, of which The Graduate
is and is presented in it's OAR. It really is tough to explain a good solid film
image to those that only care about a perfect razor sharp HDTV image. The
Graduate throughout is breathtaking with absolutely zero sign of any edge
enhancement or ringing and film grain is plainly visible which indicates the
quality of this release. Details and sharpness are again top notch. Colors are
very solid and vibrant. Black level and contrast ratio is also excellent for a
40 year old film. I saw no sings of anything near to a compression artifact.
Older films such as this one will always have a few scenes here an there that
are wildly out of focus or degraded. This is to be expected because of optical
effects and special shooting techniques like the underwater scenes in this film.
This is so near to a perfect 5 out of 5 on video but I have chosen to ultimately
give it a 4.5 for a few small reasons.
Audio Quality *** out of *****
The audio quality of this release is basically what is expected
and shouldn't be anything more or less. A film from 1967 will not sound like one
from 2007 and it shouldn't be expected to. We are provided with a very good DTS
Master 2.0 English soundtrack. The audio is clear and solid in most cases with a
few examples of strain and muddiness, dialogue is very good and clear, sound
effects are directional and not as lush or enviornmental as new films. One point
should be made with the audio on this release, I have no way to confirm this one
way or another because I do not currently own The Graduate on any other media,
there is a possibility that this soundtrack could have a 4% pitch increase which
amounts to being a semitone higher. This is a none issue for me personally with
this film but I cannot confirm either way for lack of material on my end.
Extra Features and Menus * out of *****
There are no extra features on this release save a trailer. There is a nice
preview showing many of Studio Canals releases and upcoming films
including Serpico, The Fog, Terminator 2, Ran, Rambo Trilogy and more (some of
these will be covered in future reviews). This release include a rather simple test tone and video setup pattern. Menus are nice and well laid
out and in English, easy to navigate and fairly simple.
Overall **** out of *****
If you are a fan of this classic film, and are lucky enough to
be into HD-DVD then this is one of those rare times that you can enjoy a film in
this quality of a presentation, I highly recommend this French import basing it
purely on the actual film itself.
