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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    From Russia With Love

    Featured In Issue 137, December 2008

    Picture4.5
    Sound4
    WSR Score4
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    MGM Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    M111673
    (MPAA Rating):
    PG
    (Rating Reason):
    NA
    (Retail Price):
    $34.98
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    111
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    A
    (Theatrical Year):
    1963
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    10/21/08
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Terence Young
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    DTS HD Lossless 5.1
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    Sean Connery is once again Agent 007 in From Russia With Love. 007 finds himself pitted against the corrupt SPECTRE organization in a rousing chase to stop a sinister plan to steal a decoder that will access Russian state secrets and irrevocably alter the world order. To seize the prized device, 007 must confront some of the most remarkable villains yet, including voluptuous Rosa Klebb (the marvelous Lenya, wife of Kurt Weill), a Soviet double agent with lethal high heels, and Red Grant (Shaw), a sadistic Colonel. Based on the book by Ian Fleming. (Stacey Pendry)

    Special features include a commentary track by the cast and crew; an eight-minute interview with Fleming; a five-minute conversation between Ian Fleming And Raymond Chandler; a five-minute interview with Ian Fleming On Desert Island Discs; an animated storyboard sequence; two featurettes: Inside From Russia With Love (34 minutes) and Harry Saltzman: Showman (27 minutes); three theatrical trailers; three TV spots; two minutes of radio spots; 007 Mission Control, which is an interactive guide to your favorite scenes in the movie displayed by character or theme; and a photo gallery.

    The H.264 1.78:1 AVC-encoded Blu-ray Disc shows very good resolution. Compression artifacts are rare and edge enhancement is not a distraction. Black levels are elevated some, but they are consistent throughout. Shadows are delineated well, helping create an enjoyable sense of dimension in the picture. Colors are bright and defined well, and fleshtones appear natural. Contrast is balanced nicely as well, and source element artifacts are not a distraction. For the age, this is an impressive picture. (Danny Richelieu)

    The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel re-purposed soundtrack has a narrow front stage with rarely used surrounds. The LFE channel is also rarely used, and deep bass is not a big part of the sound design. Phantom imaging is limited throughout the room. Dialogue occasionally sounds forward, but considering the age, fidelity is pristine. Background noise is audible throughout, but it is not a big distraction. There is an adequate sense of depth in the front stage, but the soundtrack is generally limited in this regard. Dynamic range is impressive for the age. The soundtrack is not superb, but for the age, it is quite good. The original mono soundtrack is also included on the disc. (Danny Richelieu)

    Reason #105 Why Readers Love Widescreen Review:

    Since Issue 5 (my first), I focused on reviews of Laser Discs and now DVDs, and From The Editor's Couch. Also, WSR has a lot of punch in the new equipment features. The technical essays have been superb! My home theatre setup depended (and still depends) on knowledge gained from WSR. WSR has become the media reference for me with regard to picture and sound quality assurance in display equipment and widescreen entertainment (movies, music events, and documentaries). I still do not have Issues 1 through 4 or the Premiere Special Edition of WSR and hope you put them on the subscribers' site eventually, so that I can giggle at some of the early typos and slips (if you leave them in). However, I'm sure that the early editions make for interesting historical reading as well, because I believe WSR has moved the display industry forward through the pushing the envelope attitude of Gary Reber. Carry on.

    Jerry Daca
    26864 Mandelieu Drive, Murrieta, CA 92562 • Phone: 951 676 4914 • Fax: 951 693 2960
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