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***October 2015 Update***
Universal's 2010 release of this film on Blu-Ray was a piece of garbage. My review below was made on a 52" screen.I've since created a projection room in my home and watch on a 100" screen. The flaws of that 2010 disc are so glaringly obvious now that it defies belief that Universal even released it.
Well, Universal has gone back and restored Spartacus from a fresh 6k scan of the 35mm Technirama color separates. They've cleaned up the print of dirt and scratches and color corrected the whole film. They've created new 5.1 and 7.1 channel HD audio mixes.
In short, the results speak for themselves. Detail is superb. Individual grains of sand, facial pores (which were almost entirely absent in the 2010 craporama), skin creases, very light film grain, it's all here. And it's blissfully free of any evident DNR or edge enhancement. Colors pop but not unnaturally so. Black levels are strong and stable but not crushed. In a word, superlative. In more than one word, ravishing, transporting, reminds the viewer of how magical watching a movie can be.
I am bumping my rating up to 4 stars. But I can't in good conscience go with 5, because of the history. Universal owes its customers an apology, if not a refund for the travesty they foisted upon them in 2010. I doubt we'll see any of it (they have not replied to my customer service query about a refund or disc exchange). But this disc is at least a good start.
NOTE TO CUSTOMERS:
Do not under any circumstances buy the 2010 edition of this movie. The 2010 edition is easily distinguished by the cover art - it is marked on the top with "50th Anniversary Edition" (I can't imagine a worse insult) and at the bottom with the words "The Perfect HI-DEF Movie Experience" (HAHAHAHAHAHAAAA...). The edition you want is marked on the top by the words "Restored Edition." Amazon should stop selling the 2010 edition altogether, but as of today, there is still a link at the top of this page to choose it, for a few dollars less than this one. DON'T!
***2010 Edition***
The Movie:
I've been letting this one sit in my collection for a few months before I let loose on it. This is one of my personal favorite movies. In the "swords and sandals" genre I think it is among the finest - it has a stirring story, a wonderful sense of scope, a great soundtrack, and a set of truly exceptional performances, including screen greats such as Laurence Olivier, Peter Ustinov, and Kirk Douglas. Although it doesn't display the sort of technical mastery that Kubrick would assert on his later films, there is still a certain Kubrickian something to the direction, as well. Certain camera moves, certain lingering shots, certain compositions. All told, it's a great movie and a great representation of the 1950-60s "epic" motion picture tradition. At 3-plus hours, it always remains brisk and entertaining, and it's a movie I frequently revisit because of its richness and replay value.
The Blu-Ray:
But then we get to this transfer. Having owned the Criterion DVD edition of this film, I was well acquainted with its look and feel.
This Blu-Ray transfer has been stripped of all natural film grain. As such, a level of fine detail is missing from the image, one which has been compensated for by the application of edge enhancement (quite noticeable on the tall iron bars frequently visible in the gladiator school) and an artificially boosted contrast.
On the plus side, the image *is* more detailed than the Criterion DVD. Interested viewers ought to search "spartacus dvdbeaver" in order to see that site's comparison between the Criterion DVD and the Universal Blu-Ray. You should be able to note that several of the comparison shots show that mid-sized details are much sharper. But fine details such as film grain are gone. It should also be rather apparent that colors have been juiced up for this release as well - Kirk Douglas was always a bronzed sort of guy, but he looks like he spent a few too many hours in the tanning salon for this release. The most revealing comparison is the shot of Douglas being painted to show "kill zones" by his instructor. Details on the instructor's uniform like his metal buckles are clearer. But check out the high contrast areas such as the metal bars in the lower left - there is practically a double image made of edge enhancement halos. The flesh tones also are hot and unrealistic. Facial details at this distance look waxy.
The irritating aspect of Universal's thought process is that there was apparently a fresh, restored celluloid interpositive from 1991 that could have been re-transferred at only nominal cost. Instead, the studio went with the cheaper option of using the inferior early-90's HD transfer of that interpositive, a transfer that Richard Harris (who oversaw the 1991 restoration) has called flawed in the extreme, riddled with noise. This noise was washed away with DNR, and then compensated for with edge enhancement.
So in the end, this is sort of a textbook case for a poor Blu-Ray transfer. Sure, it looks slightly better than a DVD. But it is obvious that we're missing so much more that we could have seen. I'd call this comparable to decent cable television HD. Smooth, compressed, pleasing to the uncritical eye, but unsatisfying to those who wish their movies to look like they were shot on film, not on a computer.
The audio is quite nice. The DTS soundtrack presents the booming music score quite well, and the voice acting always comes through well. Extras of course fall short compared to the Criterion release, which had an entire extra disc to its credit. But we do get deleted scenes, some classic interviews and newsreels, some behind the scenes footage, and a trailer. Had we not known of the Criterion DVD, I think most would be pleased. But the lack of commentary and the lack of a comprehensive making-of documentary are glaring. A movie like this cries out for a discussion of writer Dalton Trumbo, Kubrick's tension with actor-producer Douglas, the Hollywood blacklist, and the many elements that slipped past censors of the day.
Conclusion:
As it stands, I can't go above three stars, here. The movie is undeniably great. Those who enjoy historical epics will find a lot to love. But the video transfer is significantly flawed (though perhaps not fatally so). That makes this an "average" home video purchase at best.
This is a stopgap. I think it's worth buying at a low price, in order to have a version of this film in high definition. But we can only hope that either Criterion gets the rights back from Universal and does their usual respectful job, or the powers that be at Universal pull their heads from their rears and decide to treat this classic the way it deserves to be: with a fresh, modern HD transfer from film elements that will give us a truly filmic presentation of a great flick.
| Additional Multi-Format options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
|
Multi-Format
May 25, 2010 "Please retry" | 50th Anniversary Edition | 1 | $6.57 | $3.99 |
|
Multi-Format
October 6, 2015 "Please retry" | Restored Edition Blu-ray + Digital | 1 |
—
| $17.95 | $2.93 |
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Customer reviews
This Criterion is amazing just off the two commentary tracks alone, loads of information. The image is good but a bit grainy. The sound is crystal clear. I really hope Criterion gets the rights to release their BR version. Overall a solid release. Great for Kubrick fans and criterion collectors.
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