A Few Words About A few words about…™ Hannibal — in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

I am not perfect.
Occasionally, a new release, especially when 4k, comes along that just has me puzzled.
Hannibal is one of those.
And it’s a very Important release for Kino Lorber, as it’s their first foray into 4k.
The original Blu-ray was fine, but nothing to shout about.
As directed by Ridley Scott – yes, we receive two of Mr. Scott’s films in 4k this month – the other being Black Hawk Down – and photographed by John Mathieson, on several different negative stocks, it’s a film in some ways of multiple looks.
Filtered, and softened, as in the case of Julianne Moore’s closer shots, sharp and unfiltered for Ray Liotta, and then there’s the Mason Verger puppet.
It’s that puppet that caught my attention.
In the Blu-ray, there’s a layer of heavy grain that hides some of the details, while in 4k, that grain seems to be gone. I don’t know how to react to this, as I know neither the intent, nor the proper look.
Not a clue, although I prefer the look of the 4k.
I’ve spent an inordinate...

Continue reading...

 

[PMF]

Congratulations to Kino Lorber on the release of "Hannibal";
their very first 4K/UHD disc.

 

[TonyD]

Haven’t they stated that low sales of this one has led to them to decide not to release other movies in 4K?

 

[JoshZ]

Haven’t they stated that low sales of this one has led to them to decide not to release other movies in 4K?

I believe they've acknowledged that preorder sales were below expectations, but are supposedly still investigating the possibility of releasing Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy on UHD. Another announced title was canceled, but that seems to be due to a rights issue.

 

[PMF]

Haven’t they stated that low sales of this one has led to them to decide not to release other movies in 4K?

I would hate to see Kino Lorber hinge their entire 4K/UHD decisions over just a single title. That's a lot of pressure to place on poor old Dr. Lecter, as well as themselves. As it is, along with "Hannibal", I'd be just as eager to scoop up a 4K/UHD of "Sweet Charity", "Irma La Douce" or a Stand-Alone of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"; although I would absolutely buy the Leone trilogy if that were my only option. My hopes for Kino Lorber is that they can afford to produce a couple of more 4K/UHD releases in order to see what's really at hand.

 

[Felix Martinez]

I did a quick spot check and it’s a dramatic improvement over the blu-ray.

Edit: caps-a-holic posted their comparison. Wow, bigger than I thought.

 

[mBen989]

I believe they've acknowledged that preorder sales were below expectations, but are supposedly still investigating the possibility of releasing Sergio Leone's Dollars trilogy on UHD. Another announced title was canceled, but that seems to be due to a rights issue.

Oh great! Another chance to muck these fovies up!

 

[Powell&Pressburger]

I did a quick spot check and it’s a dramatic improvement over the blu-ray.

Edit: caps-a-holic posted their comparison. Wow, bigger than I thought.

Exactly! Compare the new 4K caps to the old MGM Blu-Ray edition of Hannibal

WOW!

Watched it for the first time ever last nite.

 

[ArnoldLayne]

Hoping KL doesn't hang their hat on this movie, it's not one I would buy at all, just as a matter of taste. Seems like that would be an obvious mistake.

 

[David Wilkins]

Sorry, but if sales are poor, it likely tracks back to being a Kino Lorber release. Most people who've bought into UHD are likely people who are more aware of track records. I can't remember the last time I really liked anything KL have done, aside from releases we'd never have gotten otherwise, such as obscure titles.

 

[EnricoE]

Fyi Mr. Harris, the 4K Blu-ray has DTS-HD MA 5.1 and not Atmos

 

[titch]

For me, it's a buy, especially since I'm sure that we all desire more 4k releases from Kino.

Have to add that I wholeheartedly agree with that. I thought this Kino release was really good too. They had done typically good work with their supplements on the blu-ray, although they were in standard definition.

I absolutely hated Hannibal when I saw it nearly 20 years ago. I had high expectations after the book and, of course, Silence Of The Lambs. After watching the Kino disc now, particularly after seeing all eight of Ridley Scotts recently released 4K movies, I found that it fitted in very well with Ridley Scott's oeuvre. Although Ridley Scott has made his share of bombs, I no longer consider Hannibal to be one of them. Totally agree now with the ending of the film too!

 

[Sam Posten]

I'm in the middle of reviewing this now and I thought the same thing as Mr. Harris: WOW are some of these shots not like the others.

You can't see indivual hairs on Ms. Moore's head. It's a blurry mess.

And you can count the pores on Ray Liotta.

WEIRD.

 

[Robert Harris]

I'm in the middle of reviewing this now and I thought the same thing as Mr. Harris: WOW are some of these shots not like the others.

You can't see indivual hairs on Ms. Moore's head. It's a blurry mess.

And you can count the pores on Ray Liotta.

WEIRD.

Filtering. Which negates the benefits of 4k

 

[Patrick McCart]

I wasn't planning to pick this up, but I finally watched The Silence of the Lambs for the first time (via the Criterion Blu-ray) recently and managed to find the UHD at Best Buy for only $18.

This is a way better film than you'd expect and worth seeing if just for some scenery chewing (among other types of chewing) by Hopkins, Oldman, and Liotta. If there's any main flaws, it's that Julianne Moore's Clarice is a underused as a character. But we know who the film is really about.