By Fred Topel | Image property of respective holders
The Ladykillers
The distribution monolith of Lionsgate seems to have acquired a collection of foreign and arthouse titles under Studio Canal. I was certainly interested in seeing how Ran, Contempt and The Ladykillers looked on Blu Ray under any arrangement.
Studio Canal Titles on Blu-Ray
Ran looks like a respectable transfer. You’re going to see grain and it’s certainly being blown up beyond the old exhibitors would have imagined. You won’t see super gritty detail but it’s a clean print and the colors pop.
Contempt holds up a little better. There are a few shots that do look like Blu Ray clarity and detail. Even when it grains up, it works for the French New Wave aesthetic and it still has bright colors.
The Ladykillers actually looks a bit faded, color-wise. However, it is the smoothest grain-wise. You might actually see a bit of detail, but at the very least the transfer holds up solidly on an HDTV.
Well, that’s three very distinct effects for a single collection. At least it made it easy to write about each one’s distinguished features.
Add to Heffee!
