DVD Talk Review of Ganja & Hess
10-27-06, 10:37 AM
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DVD Talk Review of Ganja & Hess
Stuart,
Thank you for the wonderful review.
From what you say about the Video/Audio aspects of the release,
it looks like this disc is not worth of an upgrade.
Although I believe the previous release was letterboxed
and not 16:9 widescreen.
I think I'll stick with my old copy.
Great Film!
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=24684
Video & Audio
Ganja & Hess's transfer is problematic. Though 16:9 widescreen, the image is very soft, the colors are blah, and there's a fair amount of digital artifacting. This can be attributed to three things: First, the transfer is mostly derived from a 35mm archival print (at least one restored scene utilizes a 16mm print), which can't compete with transfers sourcing original negatives. Secondly, the grungy visual style and inferior film stock so common in '70s American cinema adds to its overall unattractiveness, despite the otherwise superb cinematography by the late James E. Hinton (to whom this DVD is dedicated); and finally the transfer, most of which was mastered back in '98, has problems of its own, notably digital artifacting apparent in some shots of rapid movement (George's scuffle with Hess, hand-held camera shots, etc.) and details the mastering software has trouble reading (eyelids, blades of grass, etc.). In his defense Kalet argues that, given the quality of available elements, that this is about "as good as it possibly can be," which is a fair assessment. The mono soundtrack is fine; there are no subtitle options.
Thank you for the wonderful review.
From what you say about the Video/Audio aspects of the release,
it looks like this disc is not worth of an upgrade.
Although I believe the previous release was letterboxed
and not 16:9 widescreen.
I think I'll stick with my old copy.
Great Film!
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=24684
Video & Audio
Ganja & Hess's transfer is problematic. Though 16:9 widescreen, the image is very soft, the colors are blah, and there's a fair amount of digital artifacting. This can be attributed to three things: First, the transfer is mostly derived from a 35mm archival print (at least one restored scene utilizes a 16mm print), which can't compete with transfers sourcing original negatives. Secondly, the grungy visual style and inferior film stock so common in '70s American cinema adds to its overall unattractiveness, despite the otherwise superb cinematography by the late James E. Hinton (to whom this DVD is dedicated); and finally the transfer, most of which was mastered back in '98, has problems of its own, notably digital artifacting apparent in some shots of rapid movement (George's scuffle with Hess, hand-held camera shots, etc.) and details the mastering software has trouble reading (eyelids, blades of grass, etc.). In his defense Kalet argues that, given the quality of available elements, that this is about "as good as it possibly can be," which is a fair assessment. The mono soundtrack is fine; there are no subtitle options.
