Those of you who, like me, had been anxiously awaiting the disc release of Mel Gibson's spectacular epic, 'Braveheart', since its theatrical run should be well pleased with the new disc from Paramount and Pioneer.
The marvelous THX approved transfer is all one could reasonably expect. The image is crystal clear and as sharp and detailed as they get. Color accuracy and saturation is virtually perfect. Contrast and brightness are also excellent, though some may find some scenes a bit dark, but I can assure you that this transfer beautifully evokes the look I saw (twice) in the theatre. If anything, it may even be better. 'Braveheart' was shot in anamorphic Panavision and the framing here is just a fraction less than 2.35:1 (about 2.30:1).
The audio easily matches the video. This soundtrack contains much layering and subtlety, all reproduced here with digital precision. The disc also contains AC-3 audio for those with the hardware.
The film runs 177 minutes and is spread to 4 sides in CLV. Though some may have preferred a CAV side, the choice to format all in CLV is obviously a conscious one as the side and platter breaks are exceptionally well placed (sides 1 and 2 are only 35 and 33 minutes, respectively). Unfortunately, beyond the terrific transfer, this disc has nothing in the way of special features or any of the little niceties that some other labels are getting so good at. Chapter encoding is sparse at best with only 22 markers for the 3 hour film. The inner spread of the gate-fold jacket contains only the meager chapter listing. No trailer, no extended liner notes, no nothing. And the disc carries the premium price of $49.95. For $50 bucks, they could have thrown in a lousy trailer.
Despite the relatively high price and lack of supplemental material, this disc still carries my highest recommendation. It has been many years since filmgoers have experienced a historical epic of the grandeur and spectacle achieved in this film. Even in bygone years when "epic" filmmaking was more commonplace, few were as good as 'Braveheart'.
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