Many fans of the film 'City Slickers' have never been very happy with the laser disc released by RCA/Columbia and New Line Home Video. It wasn't letterboxed and the transfer was not that great. New Line is now distributed by Image and they have reissued this very entertaining film with a THX approved transfer that is sure to please.
Before composing this review I got out my old copy of CITY SLICKERS for comparison. Well, there isn't any comparison. This new disc exceeds the old one in every way. The most noticable difference is the clarity of the image. The old transfer, by comparison, seems soft and almost unfocused. The new disc has an overall look that certainly befits the THX moniker. Colors are excellent. Bright reds, deep blues and accurate fleshtones without a trace of chroma noise. The sharpness and detail of the image are nearly perfect, as are the contrast and brightness. Video artifacts are nearly non-existent. All this adds up to a very watchable picture. The term "film-like" is often overused when describing video, but that is indeed the best decription for this transfer. The disc is, of course, letterboxed, with the image framed at about 1.85:1. The letterboxing, in this case, adds only a small amount of image to the sides while matting the top and bottom, however, I find this framing appears more balanced.
The audio has also benefitted from this remaster. Clean, solid bass and clear, undistorted mids and highs gives the soundtrack more depth and impact than I ever remember from either the theatrical presentation or the earlier disc. Even that irratating Image intro sounded better.
'City Slickers' runs 114 minutes and this disc contains 41 chapters, which is 41 more than the previous version. List price is $39.95. I should note that this is the standard price for single disc titles from Image. Image has taken a lot of heat in the past for their pricing policies, a lot of it from this reviewer, but the quality of this disc without an increase in price should be commended. This film with this transfer for $40 is, in my view, good value. Highly recommended, even if you have the old disc.
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