UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ - A Man for All Seasons -- in 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

I've always considered Fred Zinnemann's 1966 A Man for All Seasons to be one of the most perfect films ever created. A masterwork from a brilliant director, as written by Robert Bolt, one of the most brilliant of writers.

Columbia has wisely chosen it as one of the six new entrants into their Columbia Classics annual 4k festival, along with All the King's Men, On the Waterfront, Tootsie, The Age of Innocence and the 2019 version of Little Women.

Lest some not be aware, the studio has also sprinkled the set with five silents from the Columbia library - The Price She Paid (1924), Ladies of Leisure (1926), The Belle of Broadway (1926), The Desert Bride (1928) and The Scarlet Lady (1928).

But of all these films, to me it is Mr. Zinnemann's masterpiece that is worth the entire price of admission.

Having sampled the new 4k UHD, it appears to my eyes akin to an original UK dye transfer print that I once had, but sounds nicely updated with Dolby Atmos as well as restore monaural.

I'll be reporting on the other titles in good time, but wanted to get a few words out on my personal favorite.


Image (Dolby Vision)

Forensic - 10
NSD - 10

Audio – 10 (Dolby Atmos)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Plays nicely with projectors - Yes

Makes use of and works well in 4k - 7.5

Upgrade from Blu-ray - Absolutely!

Worth your attention - 10

Slipcover rating - n/a (part of the boxed set with separate slipcover)

Very Highly Recommended


RAH




Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.

Amazon.com

 

[sbjork]

I popped it in last night and it looks stunning. It's definitely my favorite out of the entire set, but I'm disciplining myself to take them in order. I actually watched All the King's Men last night, and I'm sitting down for On the Waterfront right now. And then, Zinnemann glory.

Also, while I definitely don't want to go into specifics on this forum (and it would be against the rules anyway), let's just say that the first three films in this set are all relevant to our current moment, although for different reasons in each case. They're definitely hitting hard right now. Phew. (Let's leave it at that.)

 

[Filmic]

The whole nub of the thing is that the state ultimately decides what justice is. On that charge, this film plays safe with the period setting, allowing it to be both authentic and relevant to a modern world. The cast are superb, as is the screenplay, and the direction. Visually, it looks completely authentic. Even Orson Welles is under rigid control. It’s all quite wonderful, also evoking the period well, without recourse to the usual tropes of historical verbiage. There is much food for thought here, and about the eternal problem of leadership. Robert Shaw nails the near psychotic and manic Henry VIII as he might have been. Schofield and Hiller are amazing. An excellent film for the ages.

 

[SwatDB]

@Robert Harris Have you checked the 4K UHD Mono mix? Is the Sony UHD's Mono low pitched like the Eureka BD's mono compared to the 5.1 mixes?

 

[RMajidi]

I've always considered Fred Zinnnemann's 1966 A Man for All Seasons to be one of the most perfect films ever created. A masterwork from a brilliant director, as written by Robert Bolt, one of the most brilliant of writers.

Columbia has wisely chosen it as one of the six new entrants into their Columbia Classics annual 4k festival, along with All the King's Men, On the Waterfront, Tootsie, The Age of Innocence and the 2019 version of Little Women.

Lest some not be aware, the studio has also sprinkled the set with five silents from the Columbia library - The Price She Paid (1924), Ladies of Leisure (1926), The Belle of Broadway (1926), The Desert Bride (1928) and The Scarlet Lady (1928).

But of all these films, to me it is Mr. Zinnemann's masterpiece that is worth the entire price of admission.

Having sampled the new 4k UHD, it appears to my eyes akin to an original UK dye transfer print that I once had, but sounds nicely updated with Dolby Atmos as well as restore monaural.

I'll be reporting on the other titles in good time, but wanted to get a few words out on my personal favorite.


Image (Dolby Vision)

Forensic - 10
NSD - 10

Audio – 10 (Dolby Atmos)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Plays nicely with projectors - Yes

Makes use of and works well in 4k - 7.5

Upgrade from Blu-ray - Absolutely!

Worth your attention - 10

Slipcover rating - n/a (part of the boxed set with separate slipcover)

Very Highly Recommended


RAH

Sir, bless your bright cotton socks.

Your report has made this particular camper, very happy.

 

[mskaye]

I've always considered Fred Zinnnemann's 1966 A Man for All Seasons to be one of the most perfect films ever created. A masterwork from a brilliant director, as written by Robert Bolt, one of the most brilliant of writers.

Columbia has wisely chosen it as one of the six new entrants into their Columbia Classics annual 4k festival, along with All the King's Men, On the Waterfront, Tootsie, The Age of Innocence and the 2019 version of Little Women.

Lest some not be aware, the studio has also sprinkled the set with five silents from the Columbia library - The Price She Paid (1924), Ladies of Leisure (1926), The Belle of Broadway (1926), The Desert Bride (1928) and The Scarlet Lady (1928).

But of all these films, to me it is Mr. Zinnemann's masterpiece that is worth the entire price of admission.

Having sampled the new 4k UHD, it appears to my eyes akin to an original UK dye transfer print that I once had, but sounds nicely updated with Dolby Atmos as well as restore monaural.

I'll be reporting on the other titles in good time, but wanted to get a few words out on my personal favorite.


Image (Dolby Vision)

Forensic - 10
NSD - 10

Audio – 10 (Dolby Atmos)

Pass / Fail – Pass

Plays nicely with projectors - Yes

Makes use of and works well in 4k - 7.5

Upgrade from Blu-ray - Absolutely!

Worth your attention - 10

Slipcover rating - n/a (part of the boxed set with separate slipcover)

Very Highly Recommended


RAH

One of the things I love most about this film is that it deftly manages all this complex subject matter, exceptional character development, dramatic confrontations, subtext, etc. in only 120 mins. It's a remarkable achievement. In its own way, it's as terse and direct as Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men!

 

[SwatDB]

Fred Zinnnemann

Well...

* Zinnemann?

Excuse me.

 

[Robert Harris]

Well...

* Zinnemann?

Excuse me.

Struggled with idiotic AI three times, and finally thought I had it licked!

They get you every bloody time. Try plugging in then name of the former CA governator!

 

[SwatDB]

Struggled with idiotic AI three times, and finally thought I had it licked!

They get you every bloody time. Try plugging in then name of the former CA governator!

No worries

 

[Robert Harris]

No worries

Can’t mess up Forrrd.

 

[jayembee]

Can’t mess up Forrrd.

Fafhrd.

 

[MoonstruckinMaryland]

Great film but it anyone disputes that Richard Burton should have won th Oscar that year is WRONG!!!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Great film but it anyone disputes that Richard Burton should have won th Oscar that year is WRONG!!!

Matter of opinion because I thought Steve McQueen should have won the Oscar.

 

[RMajidi]

While there’s yet another school of opinion that holds Paul Scofield’s performance here as the greatest on recorded film.

Objectively speaking, of course.

 

[Pictureman]

Among this film's many delights is the river Thames, as the characters travel back and forth on it through countryside where much of the history of England was written. It is most beautifully captured in the Second Unit work of Patrick Carey and must be something to see in 4K.

 

[Robert Harris]

Among this film's many delights is the river Thames, as the characters travel back and forth on it through countryside where much of the history of England was written. It is most beautifully captured in the Second Unit work of Patrick Carey and must be something to see in 4K.

One can smell the river. Quite wonderful.

Many people may not know this, but the river vessels were all either man-powered or had sails during the era in which the film occurs.

Coal or petroleum-based engines wouldn’t arrive for at least another half century, leaving the waters clean, and the bream plentiful.

 

[dpippel]

One can smell the river. Quite wonderful.

Many people may not know this, but the river vessels were all either man-powered or had sails during the era in which the film occurs.

Coal or petroleum-based engines wouldn’t arrive for at least another half century, leaving the waters clean, and the bream plentiful.

Methinks the raw sewage that found its way into the Thames during that time period would have been far more problematic.

 

[Allansfirebird]

I always like to double feature A Man for All Seasons with Anne of the Thousand Days to see the story of Thomas More told from two different perspectives.

 

[RMajidi]

I always like to double feature A Man for All Seasons with Anne of the Thousand Days to see the story of Thomas More told from two different perspectives.

Wolf Hall.

 

[Konstantinos]

Does anyone think it's worth it to give around 100 euros (it's approximately that to import from ebay) for the 4k of this when again I see just some different contrast and saturation but not more detail?

A Man for All Seasons (1966) - Eureka BD vs. Sony UHD HDR10 100 nits | Slowpoke Pics

Slowpoke Pics image comparison service

slow.pics

(screenshots are not mine)
I already have the TT blu-ray. Well, it's not Eureka, but it's the same master, just with a bit worse encoding, as shown in caps-a-holic.