First Knight Blu-ray

First Knight

 (1995)

Adventure | Drama | Romance



With no ties, no enemies and no fear, Lancelot is the perfect warrior. He comes to Camelot not for glory or knighthood, although he finds both, but for the love of the one woman he cannot have, the beautiful and honorable Lady Guinevere of Leonesse. Guinevere has promised to marry King Arthur not only because his army will protect her country, but because she truly loves him for his wise and gentle ways. As she prepares to enter Camelot as its new queen, a chance encounter with Lancelot awakens conflicting and powerful emotions within her. For Arthur, she represents a once-in-a-lifetime chance at true love and a beloved queen for his kingdom. Likewise, the king comes to see Lancelot as possessing the honor and bravery of a true Knight. He welcomes them both into his city and into his heart, never foreseeing how his great capacity for love and trust opens the doors for his betrayal.

For more details about First Knight on Blu-ray, see the First Knight Blu-ray Review

Starring: Sean Connery, Richard Gere, Julia Ormond, Ben Cross, Liam Cunningham
Director: Jerry Zucker

First Knight Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


Mostly impressive is the 1080p, 1.85:1 transfer Sony has produced for this Blu-ray edition of First Knight. The overall quality is quite good; certainly no great shakes next to the latest and greatest Blu-ray releases, this transfer nevertheless holds up very well. Detail is impressive, as is depth, the result a sometimes breathtaking, cinematic, big-feeling image that suits the subject material very well. There is quite a bit of grain to be seen throughout, and it gets downright heavy in some long distance shots, but that's all part of the natural charm of the look of the movie. Colors are impressive, the blues of Camelot and the greens of the locales both vibrant and alive, starkly contrasting to the dank, lifeless abandoned castle/dungeon where Malagant and his men hold Guinevere captive. The more vibrant hues are often dramatic and exciting to look at; they can be, however, somewhat muted in appearance in some shots, losing some luster but for the most part, they remain both bold and pleasing. A scene near the beginning of the movie showing a primitive version of soccer looks especially good and is demonstrative of how this disc looks at its very best, showcasing excellent color reproduction, tremendous depth, fine detail, and excellent clarity, though only a bit soft. The print does demonstrate a few flaws now and again, notably a long, black vertical line in one spot, but for a 13+ year old film, the results are about as good as can be expected. Black levels are excellent; a nighttime battle scene near the end of the movie standing out as the best example. Overall, the image is definitely not pristine or 5-star material, but gosh darn it if I didn't adore the look of the movie. Before the age of crystal-clear digital cinema, IMAX, or DLP projection, I saw many a film projected onto the big screen, replete with a few flaws on the print and consistent grain, and I love that look. It takes me back to my childhood, and this film, perhaps more than any other I've seen on Blu-ray, perfectly represents the typical look of a theatrical movie I so vividly remember from that time.

First Knight Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Presented in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless surround, First Knight sounds good on Blu-ray, but this track ultimately finds itself a bit lacking. The first thing I noticed was that dialogue sounded a bit off, as if it increases and decreases in volume, ever so slightly, in certain scenes, noted first at the beginning of the movie as Lancelot fights for money. Jerry Goldsmith's (Hollow Man) score is both engaging and loud, providing an excellent theatrical reproduction quality, similar to the sound you would expect to hear in a high-end movie house with a quality sound system. It does get a bit too loud at times, and I had to resist the urge to turn the volume down on occasion from my normal reviewing volume. The music does emanate from every speaker and is wholly engaging and fun to listen to. Ambience is present, with just as much, if not more, coming from the front channels that the rears. Bass is often utilized but never wears out its welcome or leaves your eardrums bleeding. The combat scenes, some replete with the pounding hooves of charging horses, bring out the lows. The .1 channel is well-represented here, but as an older mix, it's just not as thorough and deep as we're used to experiencing on newer mixes. Nevertheless, this is a fine effort from Sony, and I have no doubt that fans of the movie, those most familiar with the nuances of the First Knight sonic experience, will be more than pleased with the end result of this lossless offering.

First Knight Blu-ray, News and Updates

• First Knight Announced for Blu-ray - February 18, 2008

First Knight Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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