Dr. No Blu-ray

Dr. No

 (1962)

Action | Adventure | Thriller



In the film that launched the James Bond saga, Agent 007 (Sean Connery) battles the mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying the U.S. space program. As the countdown to disaster begins, Bond must travel to Jamaica where he encounters the beautiful Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) and confronts the megalomaniacal villain in his massive island headquarters.

For more details about Dr. No on Blu-ray, see the Dr. No Blu-ray Review

Starring: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Bernard Lee
Director: Terence Young

Dr. No Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Dr. No arrives on Blu-ray in full 1080p looking pretty darn stunning. MGM has given the movie the full AVC Mpeg-4 treatment and has preserved the film’s original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1. It should be noted that the black bars on the sides of the picture are normal and represent the correct “pillarbox” configuration for films that are presented in this aspect ratio. So, there’s no need to adjust your set. Dr. No is, at this point, a 46 year old film, so I wasn’t expecting its visual presentation to resemble anything even close to some of Bond’s more recent screen adventures. Surprisingly, the film has held up quite well and, despite its age, Dr. No looks refreshingly clean and pristine. MGM utilized the Lowry process to restore the film and the results speak for themselves.

This remarkable Blu-ray presentation is satisfyingly free of any annoying digital picture anomalies like edge enhancement, macroblocking or noise. There is a slight amount of natural film grain present, but it is consistent with what should be present in films from the same era. Black levels and contrast are also surprisingly strong if not quite as deep and refined as those of newer films. Detail is also better than expected with individual grains of sand visible in the film’s many beach shots. Perhaps the best part of Dr. No’s video presentation lies in the disc’s amazing color reproduction. This is a much more colorful film that I remembered and the wide color palette of the Jamaican locations just about leaps off of the screen. All told, I’m thrilled with Dr. No on Blu-ray. I can’t imagine the film looking any better!

Dr. No Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Much like the video portion of the film, Dr. No has been given a major overhaul in the audio department as well. Presented in 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, the movie sounds amazing while simultaneously showing the limits of early sixties sound recording techniques. Much of the dialogue in Dr. No has a decidedly tinny sound to it. In fact, much of the movie has that same effect. Conversely, the film’s musical score sounds like it might have been recorded yesterday and often leaps out of the speakers with a fidelity far outpacing that of what was recorded on location.

The sound remix on this Blu-ray edition does a fine job of working with the movie’s limited source material. There is a surprisingly large amount of directional surround activity in the mix and the aforementioned musical score is well placed. Dialogue is also well presented while still retaining the tinny nature of its original format. In the end, the craftsmen who have created this high definition surround mix have done a masterful job of taking extremely limited source material and breathing new life into it. Even the most surround-happy sound fanatic will doubtlessly be pleased.

Dr. No Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - October 21st - October 21, 2008


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• Bond is Officially Blu - June 18, 2008