Gigi Blu-ray

Warner Bros. | 1958 | 116 mins | Rated G | Mar 31, 2009

Large: Front Back Add to collection Set price tracking

Video Video codec: VC-1 Video resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 2.40:1 Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Audio English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Spanish: Dolby Digital 1.0... (more) English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Spanish: Dolby Digital 1.0 German: Dolby Digital 1.0 Italian: Dolby Digital 1.0 (less) Subtitles English, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese... (more) English, French, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish (less) Disc 50GB Blu-ray Disc

Price List price: $28.99  Amazon: $17.49 (Save 40%) Third party: $15.04 (Save 48%) Usually ships in 24 hours Blu-ray rating Users 4.3 Reviewer 3.5 Overall 3.7 Based on 2 user ratings Playback Region free

Gigi

While it just falls short of Warner's concurrently released, near-perfect Blu-ray presentation of Minnelli's An American in Paris, Gigi's 1080p/VC-1 transfer is still a sight to behold. Faithful to its source, meticulously remastered, and treated with the utmost care, the film looks better than it ever has; more than likely as good as it ever will. Colors are healthy and warm (just look at those reds!), blacks are incredibly inky (at times to the picture's detriment), and contrast is fairly stable (especially for a fifty-year-old flick). Detail is also far more impressive than I expected, delivering crisp textures and refined clarity without the help of any noticeable edge enhancement or artificial sharpening. In fact, the image is wonderfully representative of the original film, boasting moderate but consistent grain fields while never resorting to any pesky noise reduction to trick the viewer into thinking they're watching a proper restoration.

Complaints? Delineation is often problematic and oppressive, faint artifacts pop up in a few shots, and skintones occasionally look flushed, pasty, or a tad orange. I should also mention that grain sometimes undermines the transfer's fine detail (even though I'd much rather deal with inherent disruptions like grain than sludge through another heavy-handed, post-processing application of DNR). Nitpicks aside, Gigi looks great in spite of its age, settling in nicely alongside Warner Brothers' ever-growing collection of eye-appealing classics available in high definition.

Gigi Blu-ray, Audio Quality

Unlike An American in Paris (which featured a decently restored mono track), Gigi arrives on Blu-ray with an above average Dolby TrueHD 5.1 remix and an underwhelming Dolby stereo track. While purists like myself will probably prefer the original presentation, the lossless audio track serves up some minor LFE support, naturally distributes ambient elements into the rear speakers, and increases the heft and clarity of the cast's speaking and singing voices. Likewise, the film's music receives a notable boost as well, offering fuller and more robust orchestration and more dynamically swelling crescendos.

Unfortunately, I've heard better catalog remixes and original audio restorations, leaving both tracks on this release wavering somewhere just above average. Treble tones are intermittently shrill and tinny, hushed lines are somewhat muddled, and channel pans are slightly inconsistent. Moreover, directionality on the 5.1 remix errs so much on the side of the front speakers that I began to wonder why Warner created a surround track in the first place. All things considered, enthusiasts will be satisfied with the results no matter which option they choose, but audiophiles will recognize that both tracks miss their ideal marks.

Gigi Blu-ray, News and Updates

Gigi Blu-ray, Forum Discussions