Pretty much throughout, it had a name coming to mind. That of silent film curator and performer Ben Model. Admittedly, It’s an odd connection, but it comes down to the term “Undercrank,” which is the name of his company, and a term describing a concept of camera speeds during the silent era – running a camera a speed slower than normal projection in order to have action sped up on screen. Strangely, some viewers seem to equate sped up motion – along with splices, scratches and other damage, as endemic to the silent cinema.
All of it untrue.
The fact was that (in general) silent films ran at normal speeds, unless designed otherwise. An early film captured at 1 foot per second (16fps) would generally have been played by at that speed.
In Train to Busan, that effect is achieved digitally. In the analogue world it can also be affected by adapting the shutter, as in Saving Private Ryan.
In Train to Busan it seems to be used continually as zombies run, lurch and hurl themselves over one another.
Well Go USA’s 4k UHD disc is (at least to me) an odd affair. It works fine at a NSD, but in reality does’t have anywhere near 4k resolution. It was shot digitally, finished in 2k, and the up-res, presuming this is an up-res, is nothing special.
The other oddity here is the titles, both main and end. The sub-titles allow the viewer an occasional translation, but generally 90% or more goes by quickly in Korean with nary a translation in sight.
A fun horror film, with some nice effects, but only worth purchasing in 4k as the price is right. Having Dolby Atmos on the 4k disc is a nice attribute. On the Blu-ray, you’ll get DTS-X.
Image – 10* (Dolby Vision)
Audio – 10 (Dolby Atmos)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors – Yes
Makes use of and works well in 4k – 5
Upgrade from Blu-ray – Absolutely!
Worth your attention – 7 (for zombie lovers)
Slipcover rating – n/a
Recommended
RAH
* based upon the imagery presumably duplicating the original 2k.
Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
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