A Few Words About A few words about...™ Ransom -- in Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

Ron Howard's 1996 Ransom, with Mel Gibson in the lead, along with Rene Russo and Gary Sinise, is not your normal (police procedural) kidnapping drama. It's more layered than that, and it works.

The Screenplay, which is based upon a story, shares writer credits, with one of the writers being Richard Price, who is also represented this week via another Disney release, The Color of Money.

From a purely technical Blu-ray quality perspective, the two films could two films could be from different planets.

While The Color of Money arrived as a soft-focus, overly processed mess, Ransom is a good-looking Blu-ray. And before anyone even asks, I doubt that the decade of advancements in film stocks has anything to do with the situation.

Ranson works on Blu-ray.

Image - 3.5

Audio - 4

Recommended.

RAH

 

[Robert Crawford]

I believe this title was never given a SD-DVD release in the film's OAR so it was a definite buy for many fans of the film.







Crawdaddy

 

[Mark-P]

The DVD was OAR, just not 16X9 enhanced, which is also the case for Color of Money, Evita, Sister Act movies, Hocus Pocus and so-forth. In the early days of DVD, Disney was one of the studios that purposefully did not support 16X9 encoding because it was their assessment that there weren't enough widescreen TVs available. A couple years later when they finally went 16X9 (Shakespeare in Love was their first 16X9 DVD release) they neglected to go back and reissue a lot of these films.

I believe this title was never given a SD-DVD release in the film's OAR so it was a definite buy for many fans of the film.
Crawdaddy

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Mark-P /t/321410/a-few-words-about-ransom-in-blu-ray#post_3936834
The DVD was OAR, just not 16X9 enhanced, which is also the case for Color of Money, Evita, Sister Act movies, Hocus Pocus and so-forth. In the early days of DVD, Disney was one of the studios that purposefully did not support 16X9 encoding because it was their assessment that there weren't enough widescreen TVs available. A couple years later when they finally went 16X9 (Shakespeare in Love was their first 16X9 DVD release) they neglected to go back and reissue a lot of these films.

I stand corrected.






Crawdaddy

 

[Lord Dalek]

What no complaints about how its a ripoff of High and Low?

 

[haineshisway]

What no complaints about how its a ripoff of High and Low?

Well, to be exact, both High and Low and its source novel, King's Ransom by Ed McBain.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Originally Posted by haineshisway /t/321410/a-few-words-about-ransom-in-blu-ray#post_3936962
Well, to be exact, both High and Low and its source novel, King's Ransom by Ed McBain.

My understanding is that the Ron Howard film is a remake of the 1956 film Ransom! which stars Glenn Ford and Donna Reed. The original copyright of the McBain novel is dated 1959.

 

[Robert Harris]

Originally Posted by Richard Gallagher /t/321410/a-few-words-about-ransom-in-blu-ray#post_3936980

My understanding is that the Ron Howard film is a remake of the 1956 film Ransom! which stars Glenn Ford and Donna Reed. The original copyright of the McBain novel is dated 1959.

There seems to be some interesting elements here, as to what may have been based upon what. Per MRQE, the 1956 film was based upon a TV drama from US Steel Hour (1954), pre-McBain novel, which may have borrowed from the TV play.

But only one has pink smoke, which I love.

From MRQE:

"Viewers familiar with the 1996 Mel Gibson blockbuster Ransom may be disappointed that there are no smirking villains, car chases, or bloody fistfights in the original 1956 version of the same story. Even so, the earlier Ransom! has much to offer on a purely dramatic level. Based on the Richard Maibaum-Cyril Hume TV play Fearful Decision, the film stars Glenn Ford as self-made industrialist David Stannard. When his son is kidnapped and held for 500,000 dollars ransom, Stannard at first sets about to cooperate with the abductors and to raise the necessary funds. Somewhere along the line, however, Stannard's outrage erupts and boils over. Buying air time on a local TV station, he pulls out the half-million dollars, then informs the kidnappers that they'll never get their hands on a single penny. He further threatens to use the money as a reward for the kidnappers' capture, dead or alive, should any harm befall his son. Despite the protests of his wife, Edith (Donna Reed), and the admonishments of his friends, family, business associates and even the police, Stannard sticks fast to his decision...but will he live to regret it? The boy's abductors are never seen in Ransom!; instead, the film concentrates on the multitude of ramifications (including a few political ones) stemming from David Stannard's bold stance. As such, the 1956 Ransom! is in its own way as tense and exciting as the more elaborate 1996 remake."

 

[Vegas 1]

I'm a fan of Glenn Ford but have never seen 1956 Ransom will have to check it out, thanks.
Glad to hear Ron Howard's film is decent on BR
Thanks
Robert

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Originally Posted by Robert Harris /t/321410/a-few-words-about-ransom-in-blu-ray#post_3937073

There seems to be some interesting elements here, as to what may have been based upon what. Per MRQE, the 1956 film was based upon a TV drama from US Steel Hour (1954), pre-McBain novel, which may have borrowed from the TV play.

I saw the 1956 film on network TV in the sixties. It is extremely suspenseful, as I recall. It's never been released on home video, as far as I can tell.

Does the Blu-ray include the 18 minutes of extended footage which is included on the laserdisc?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Richard Gallagher /t/321410/a-few-words-about-ransom-in-blu-ray#post_3937418

I saw the 1956 film on network TV in the sixties. It is extremely suspenseful, as I recall. It's never been released on home video, as far as I can tell.

Does the Blu-ray include the 18 minutes of extended footage which is included on the laserdisc?

The 1956 film has been shown on TCM channel. I have it on DVD-R, but not in it's OAR.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Originally Posted by Robert Crawford /t/321410/a-few-words-about-ransom-in-blu-ray#post_3937507

The 1956 film has been shown on TCM channel. I have it on DVD-R, but not in it's OAR.

I recorded it onto DVD-R as well, but I haven't viewed it yet. So many movies, so little time.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

I saw the 1956 film on network TV in the sixties. It is extremely suspenseful, as I recall. It's never been released on home video, as far as I can tell.

Does the Blu-ray include the 18 minutes of extended footage which is included on the laserdisc?

Good question. I never upgraded my LD to the DVD for this reason.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Originally Posted by Richard Gallagher /t/321410/a-few-words-about-ransom-in-blu-ray#post_3937580

I recorded it onto DVD-R as well, but I haven't viewed it yet. So many movies, so little time.

I watched it back when I first recorded and it is quite different than Gibson's Ransom.





Crawdaddy

 

[haineshisway]

My understanding is that the Ron Howard film is a remake of the 1956 film Ransom! which stars Glenn Ford and Donna Reed. The original copyright of the McBain novel is dated 1959.

Indeed it is - I was merely pointing out that High and Low was not an original screenplay but one based on an Ed McBain novel.