The Bible has long been one of Hollywood's favorite sources for material, and why not. The big historical epics use themes like the life of Christ or Moses leading the Israelites out of bondage. On the other side, Satan or the Anti-Christ make the ultimate boogey-men for the horror crowd. Somewhere in between lies what I consider one of the more underrated films of it's kind, 'The Seventh Sign'. This story deals with the second coming of Christ and the seven portents signaling Armageddon as described in the book of Revelations. Set in modern day California, the central character is a young woman named Abby, played by Demi Moore, who after a previously unsuccessful pregnancy and subsequent suicide attempt, is now pregnant again. A mysterious stranger, Jurgen Prochnow (in a walk-through role), shows up to rent a garage apartment from Abby and her husband, Michael Biehn. Abby soon learns that a series of strange, unexplained events are in fact portents described in prophesy signaling the Apocalypse and that she and her unborn baby are the key to the seventh and final sign.
In what appears to be Columbia/Tristar's attempt to win the hearts and minds of laser collectors (and make a few bucks), 'The Seventh Sign' is the latest in a string of new letterboxed laser discs. A title that few would have expected to be reissued, 'The Seventh Sign' has been given an excellent transfer. Filmed in Panavision and letterboxed at about 2.30:1, this is one of the best looking of Columbia's most recent string of remasters. Colors are very accurate with virtually no smearing or chroma noise. Sharpness and contrast are excellent yielding a crisp, detailed image remarkably free from grain. The smoothness and clear, film-like quality of this transfer makes this an easy disc to watch.
The audio is every bit as good as the video. The soundtrack is suprisingly dynamic with numerous directional and surround effects as well as a very effective score by Jack Nitzsche. Through all the effects and music, the dialog is always clear and well balanced. As with any good soundtrack, this one has both subtlety and impact. Very nice.
The film runs 97 minutes and the disc has been copiously chapter encoded with a total of 50 markers. As with most of the previous reissues from Columbia, no trailer or other extras is included. But, for $34.95, a transfer of this quality is reward enough.
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