JFK Blu-ray

JFK

 (1991)

Crime | Drama | History | Mystery | Thriller



Oliver Stone’s powerful film about the shots heard round the world and the mystery enshrouding them is one of the most provocative movies of our time. Aside from its box-office success, critical acclaim and awards, it played a major role in the national debate leading to passage of the 1992 Assassination Materials Disclosure Act. Nominated for 8 Academy Awards and winner of two.

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

Starring: Kevin Costner, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Oldman
Director: Oliver Stone

JFK Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


With at least some elements of JFK shot on 35 mm, 16 mm and 8 mm, in black and white and color with live action and newsreel footage, the movie becomes a hodgepodge of chopped-up scenes and sources, different film-stock and various camera styles. After the initial round of montages and manipulations are over, however, the film settles into quite a lush groove in its 2.4:1 aspect ratio. With convincing earth tones and skin color and far more definition than seen previously on home video, Warner's BD delivers a remarkably good transfer that far surpasses any NTSC version, including the most recent DVD. There are problems with black level, where gradation detail is lost. Occasionally, other anomalies pop up. But overall, the transfer is no worse than another Stone film that Warner produced for digibook via VC-1 encode: Natural Born Killers. In both films, Stone clearly sacrificed picture quality for emotional impact, and that comes across in 1080p.

The magical level of detail and definition associated with the best BDs just isn't there in JFK. While this is more the fault of the original production than the transfer for Blu-ray release, overall the quality can best be described as average. Watch the scene where Donald Southerland who plays a "deep throat" type of character dubbed "Mr. X" in the movie, sits with Garrison on a park bench looking out over the mall of the nation's capital. From the lush green grass and fabric of the mens' suits to the reflecting pool and monument in the background--it all appears with good color and detail but lacks any real wow factor or extraordinary dynamics.

JFK Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


While Warner is to be commended for including a high definition track, the audio has its share of problems. Though rare, audible distortion can be heard at points throughout the film, not unlike an analog-to-digital transfer in the early days of CD. This type of anomaly from the advent of digital audio is not what one wants to hear in a newly remastered Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. Often, lugubrious violins or a mournful trumpet rises in the mix, but mostly it's dominated by crisp dialogue. Considering that little action occurs, the surround field is surprisingly immersive with ample use of rear channels during a downpour for example, and heavy use of LFE. Dialog, solidly anchored in the center channel, often sounds thin and does not show the treble extension characteristic of the very best audio content available on Blu-ray disc. Neither does the soundtrack music. The weak midrange appears dead, muddled and stuck to the speaker. The bass, too, is poorly defined and perhaps over-aggressive for car engines. But for most people, the 5.1 TrueHD content is perfectly sufficient, sounding better than the average DVD.

JFK Blu-ray, News and Updates

• Today on Blu-ray - November 11th - November 11, 2008


• Warner Brings JFK to Blu-ray - July 21, 2008

JFK Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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