A few words about...™ The Silence of the Lambs -- in Blu-ray

For those with a large screen and 1080p, there are two shots at the beginning of The Silence of the Lambs that allow you to see precisely how good the Blu-ray system is when viewing a well-produced disc.

Today we have superb Eastman duplicating elements, even superior to what was in use in 1991, which was very, very good. 5243 was a great intermediate stock.

If you take note of two shots of Jodie Foster as she enters Scott Glenn's office you'll be able to see the difference that two generations makes. A difference that I would suggest is more discernible on Blu-ray than it would have been in theaters. In each shot Ms. Foster makes a slow forward movement, stepping closer to the camera. Take a look at the color, especially gradations on her face, detail, overall resolution, and you'll see the difference. The two shots are at the very end of the main title sequence (dupe), and the second shot of the film (original).

If you don't see it for a while, it's easy to forget how beautifully controlled The Silence of the Lambs is on every level. Watch it on Blu-ray and the seven Academy Award nominations with four wins, including Best Picture, Actor, Actress and Director come immediately back into focus.

The Silence of the Lambs is brilliant, heart-pounding cinema, brought to Blu-ray with the look of its cinema origins intact. For those attempting to find destructive "DNR" around every bend, I'm unable to detect if there was a small turn of the knob here. What I can tell you, is that there's nothing troubling. This is a quality Blu-ray of a terrific film.

Very Highly Recommended.

RAH

Re: A few words about...™ The Silence of the Lambs -- in Blu-ray

Paul,

You've hit the nail squarely on the head. Contrast equals perceived sharpness. Not actual, but perceived. And the trailer, which is a couple of generations further away from original than the feature literally pops, as it naturally would, with grain and... apparent sharpness. As representative of the increased contrast, you'll note that there is no detail in foreheads, which in some shots hardly exist.

As I noted, it's entirely possible that there is a low level of grain reduction involved here, but I'm not seeing anything untoward. It's also possible that the base transfer is not new.

Bottom line for me is that the Blu-ray is very, very acceptable.

RAH