A Few Words About A few words about...™ The Madness of King George -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Nicholas Hytner's initial film as director, The Madness of King George, was a 1994 Goldwyn release, and typical of some of their product, is a superior production.

A bit of a political thriller, combined with an interesting character study of the aging King George III, who by the 1780s had begun to have a decline in mental abilities. The film is based upon the play by Alan Bennett.

A superb cast, led by Nigel Hawthorne, and meticulously photographed by Andrew Dunn, Olive's new Blu-ray is a welcome addition to the format.

Apparently derived from an interpositive, and not a new image harvest, the Blu-ray can still hold its own, even with a bit of very slight unsteadiness in the image.

Nominated for four Academy Awards, it won for Art Direction.

Image - 4.75

Audio - 5

4k Up-rez - 4.85

Pass / Fail - Pass

Upgrade from DVD - Definitely

Highly Recommended

RAH

 

[Andrew Budgell]

After reading your reviews of Olive's other Blu-ray releases coming out next week, I held my breath and tentatively opened up this thread, as The Madness of King George is a favourite of mine. What a relief! I look forward to receiving my copy all the more.

 

[Angelo Colombus]

Saw it in the theater and what a great film and a excellent performance by Nigel Hawthorne.

 

[PMF]

Image - 4.75

Audio - 5

4k Up-rez - 5

Pass / Fail - Pass

Upgrade from DVD - Definitely

Highly Recommended

Nice to see these high scores.
I guess this proves that even Olive can make a mistake.
Sold!!

 

[Robert Harris]

Nice to see these high scores.
I guess this proves that even Olive can make a mistake.
Sold!!

Olive, like other licensees, is only as good as the element provided.

 

[Jimbo64]

I love the story about how they dropped the III from the film’s title as they were afraid the Americans would think there was a part I and II they had missed!

 

[PMF]

Olive, like other licensees, is only as good as the element provided.

No doubt. But here we have "The Madness of King George" gaining higher scores over Olive's "Father Goose" and "Operation Petticoat". One would think that of the three titles that Olive would have marketed "Madness" as a "Signature" over the other two.
True, "only as good as the element provided" is a very fair and diagnostic point. Nonetheless, its Olive who decides to market their titles of lesser elements as a "Signature"; when, clearly, "Madness" was the superior of the three. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

 

[JoshZ]

Nonetheless, its Olive who decides to market their titles of lesser elements as a "Signature"; when, clearly, "Madness" was the superior of the three. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

It makes sense from the perspective that Father Goose and Operation Petticoat are reissues of titles Olive previously released on Blu-ray, and need new labeling to distinguish the new copies from the old ones. Other labels might go with "Special Edition" or "Collector's Edition."

King George is a first-time release. If they put that directly into Olive Signature, what would they call it when they reissue it in a couple years?

 

[David Wilkins]

Mr. Harris,

I find it curious that you rate the image as 4.75, but the 4K Up-rez as a 5. Forgive my ignorance, but do you care to elaborate on the difference?

 

[PatrickDA]

Should've won Best Actor too!!!!

 

[Robert Harris]

Mr. Harris,

I find it curious that you rate the image as 4.75, but the 4K Up-rez as a 5. Forgive my ignorance, but do you care to elaborate on the difference?

The uprez allows a bit more resolution, while the original transfer is not new, and has movement. The intent is to make it known that the uprez bests the HD.

Probably best to not hit the magic 5.

 

[Konstantinos]

Olive, like other licensees, is only as good as the element provided.

well, permit me to disagree with this statement. Not about olive, but about any label.
Give the same element/transfer to 2 labels and you'll end up with 2 different products.

And if you'd like an example (unfortunately with Olive included now), the initial Bluray of The Quiet Man is much inferior to Eureka's one, with evident macroblocking due to their inferior encoding.
it WAS though, the same element.

 

[Robert Harris]

well, permit me to disagree with this statement. Not about olive, but about any label.
Give the same element/transfer to 2 labels and you'll end up with 2 different products.

And if you'd like an example (unfortunately with Olive included now), the initial Bluray of The Quiet Man is much inferior to Eureka's one, with evident macroblocking due to their inferior encoding.
it WAS though, the same element.

My quote was “only as good.” What a licensee does with it after that...

 

[Konstantinos]

My quote was “only as good.” What a licensee does with it after that...

Oh, I'm sorry then. It seems I didn't catch the whole meaning, since English is not my native language.

 

[B-ROLL]

Oh, I'm sorry then. It seems I didn't catch the whole meaning, since English is not my native language.

Rest assured.... you know English better than a number of of well-known figures who were born in English-speaking countries

Thankfully I don't think it would ever come to verbal threads wish RAH

 

[Andrew Budgell]

Is there a delay on this? No one seems to have it--although the DVD is in stock on Amazon.

 

[Mike2001]

Is there a delay on this? No one seems to have it--although the DVD is in stock on Amazon.

I received mine from Deep Discount the other day (haven't watched it yet, Halloween and World Series ).

 

[Gerry Todd]

Very happy to have finally had this on blu!