Blu-ray Review Exodus Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Matt Hough]

Epic is hardly the only word for Otto Preminger’s Exodus. It’s a 3 ½-hour marathon noting the slow, painful birth of the state of Israel after World War II, filled with memorable movie faces playing people on all sides of the conflict.



Exodus (1960)



Released: 02 Jan 1961
Rated: APPROVED
Runtime: 208 min




Director: Otto Preminger
Genre: Action, Drama, History



Cast: Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson, Peter Lawford
Writer(s): Dalton Trumbo (screenplay), Leon Uris (novel)



Plot: The state of Israel is created in 1948, resulting in war with its Arab neighbors.



IMDB rating: 6.8
MetaScore: N/A





Disc Information



Studio: MGM
Distributed By: Twilight Time
Video Resolution: 1080P/AVC...

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[Virgoan]

I very much loved seeing "Exodus" look this splendid after decades of seeing it in less-than-optimal condition. Yes, there are limitations that don't make it THE most desirable version that could be imagined, but it's much more than adequate as a representation of Preminger's film.

 

[Dick]

• Yeah, I think this is as good as we're going to get, so I didn't mind triple-dipping (bought the Australian and the German editions). The intermission is correctly placed, The sound is quite dynamic for a change. The PQ is somewhat better than the foreign Blu-rays, I think. Certainly EXODUS was not Best Picture fodder, especially up against the other films of 1960 (SPARTACUS should have easily won over THE APARTMENT, in my opinion, but it wasn't even nominated!). Despite it formidable length, it does not tell the story of Israel with enough scope, and the front-and-center romance between Newman and Saint is essentially wasted time that could better have been spent educating the audience about the plight of the Jews and developed a more nuanced history lesson for us. I love Dalton Trumbo's work, but with EXODUS I just don't think he took the best advantage of the opportunity. Nonetheless, I have a great fondness for the film. I was only ten when I first saw it, and probably had little to no understanding of what was going on, but it affected me quite deeply (especially the final ten minutes or so). I later voluntarily read the Uris novel (meaning, I wasn't assigned it at school) and found it much more emotionally resonant.

 

[Virgoan]

That's an interesting take, Dick, on the approach to the film that Trumbo and Preminger took. I know that Newman and Saint were the "star power" to draw in audiences, and in 1960, that was what was needed. I've read people are critical of the lack of chemistry between the two. I've always felt that each of the characters were more dedicated to their personal agendas than to the prospect of an emotional commitment. I remember seeing this in a theater with my mom. What I remembered best about it was the music. "Exodus" was my very first soundtrack LP. That grew into a passion/obsession that has not abated these MANY years later.

 

[Dick]

That's an interesting take, Dick, on the approach to the film that Trumbo and Preminger took. I know that Newman and Saint were the "star power" to draw in audiences, and in 1960, that was what was needed. I've read people are critical of the lack of chemistry between the two. I've always felt that each of the characters were more dedicated to their personal agendas than to the prospect of an emotional commitment. I remember seeing this in a theater with my mom. What I remembered best about it was the music. "Exodus" was my very first soundtrack LP. That grew into a passion/obsession that has not abated these MANY years later.

Well, the music is extraordinary (but then, so was Tiomkin's for SPARTACUS...nobody writes music like this anymore) and certainly was instrumental (forgive the pun) in making the film seem better than it probably is. In my case, I had an instant crush on Jill Haworth, who was a dead ringer for my secret (unrequited) sweetheart the year prior in my fifth grade class. And I mean dead ringer, pony tail and all. That is why the final ten minutes of the film have such an emotional resonance for me. If for no other reason, EXODUS will remain close to my heart.

 

[Paul Rossen]

That's an interesting take, Dick, on the approach to the film that Trumbo and Preminger took. I know that Newman and Saint were the "star power" to draw in audiences, and in 1960, that was what was needed. I've read people are critical of the lack of chemistry between the two. I've always felt that each of the characters were more dedicated to their personal agendas than to the prospect of an emotional commitment. I remember seeing this in a theater with my mom. What I remembered best about it was the music. "Exodus" was my very first soundtrack LP. That grew into a passion/obsession that has not abated these MANY years later.

Well, the music is extraordinary (but then, so was Tiomkin's for SPARTACUS...nobody writes music like this anymore) and certainly was instrumental (forgive the pun) in making the film seem better than it probably is. In my case, I had an instant crush on Jill Haworth, who was a dead ringer for my secret (unrequited) sweetheart the year prior in my fifth grade class. And I mean dead ringer, pony tail and all. That is why the final ten minutes of the film have such an emotional resonance for me. If for no other reason, EXODUS will remain close to my heart.

Tiomkin composed The Alamo. Alex North composed Spartacus. All great scores but I would have given the Oscar to North.

 

[trajan007]

North should of won an oscar for CLEOPATRA also.

 

[bujaki]

Yes, North should have won for Spartacus and Cleopatra and for many others.

 

[trajan007]

WILLARD and CHEYENNE AUTUMN we can safely pass on.

 

[OliverK]

Tiomkin composed The Alamo. Alex North composed Spartacus. All great scores but I would have given the Oscar to North.

I liked these scores, too but only Exodus made me go out and buy the soundtrack on CD after watching the movie so I guess I am happy with Exodus winning it.

 

[Paul Rossen]

In my case I rushed out to order the Spartacus soundtrack after seeing it in it's original roadshow presentation in NY. After seeing Exodus roadshow I did the same. That said Spartacus was imho the better score.

 

[Dick]

Tiomkin composed The Alamo. Alex North composed Spartacus. All great scores but I would have given the Oscar to North.

Holy crap! That was a bad error. I knew that. Thanks for the catch.

 

[rjsdvd]

I have the German blu-ray of "Exodus." Can anyone tell me if the Twilight Time release is substantially better?

 

[Dr Griffin]

I know they worked on the audio and give us all lossless 5.1, 4.0 and 2.0 DTS, plus the isolated score track. I am not sure if there is a difference with the video.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I have the German blu-ray of "Exodus." Can anyone tell me if the Twilight Time release is substantially better?

I haven't seen the German, but my understanding is that the video transfer is the same, with the exception of the opening credits. Apparently on the German disc (and other international pressings) the credits are weirdly and unnecessarily windowboxed within the 2.35:1 frame, whereas on the Twilight Time disc, the credits fill the entire 2.35:1 as they would have in theaters originally. The discs were authored in different places, so the compression might be slightly different, but I think what's actually onscreen should appear to be about the same.

The big upgrade on the TT version is the audio - more information about the audio restoration from the TT website:
http://www.twilighttimemovies.com/n...toration-of-exodus-part-1-the-source-element/

http://www.twilighttimemovies.com/n...on-of-exodus-part-2-recovery-and-reclamation/

 

[john a hunter]

I have both and would definitely recommend the TT.
Not only were the titles windowboxed they were scratched and riddled with splices. Apart from the much superior sound(save the somewhat periodically low dialogue), the PQ looks marginally sharper to my eyes.

 

[rjsdvd]

Thank you Dr. Griffin, Josh Steinberg and John A. Hunter for your comments - I will take them all under advisement.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The Museum of Modern Art in NYC will be showing Exodus in May - no word on their webpage if it'll be a DCP, 35mm or 70mm.

 

[haineshisway]

Well, it's doubtful it would be 70mm unless someone thinks showing a completely faded print is fun.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

The Museum of Modern Art in NYC will be showing Exodus in May - no word on their webpage if it'll be a DCP, 35mm or 70mm.

It's showing in the Bartos Theater, which doesn't have 70mm.