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| Betsy, The |
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Genre:Drama
Reviewed In Issue 32 Of Widescreen Review®
Stars:
Laurence Olivier, Robert Duvall, Katharine Ross, Tommy Lee Jones, Jane Alexander, Lesley-Anne Down |
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 DVD General Information |
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| (Studio/Distributor): |
Warner Home Video |
| (Catalog Number): |
864 |
| (MPAA Rating): |
R |
| (Retail Price): |
$39.98 |
| (Running Time In Minutes): |
125 |
| (Color Type): |
Color |
| (Chaptered/Scene Access): |
Yes |
| (Closed Captioned): |
Yes |
| (Theatrical Release): |
1978 |
| (LD Release Date): |
4/98 |
| (THX® Digitally Mastered): |
No |
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| Credits Information |
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| (Director): |
Daniel Petrie |
| (Screenplay/Written By): |
William Bast & Walter Bernstein |
| (Story): |
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| (Music): |
John Barry |
| (Director Of Photography): |
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| (Production Designer): |
Herman A. Blumenthal |
| (Visual Effects): |
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| (Costume Designer): |
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| (Editor): |
Rita Roland, ACE |
| (Supervising Sound Editors): |
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| (Re-Recording Mixers): |
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| (Executive Producers): |
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| (Co-Producers): |
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| (Producers): |
Robert R. Weston |
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| DVD Picture Information |
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| (Principal Photography): |
Academy Standard Flat |
| (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): |
1.85:1 |
| (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): |
1.80:1 |
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| DVD Sound Information |
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| (DVD Soundtrack): |
Mono Sound |
| (Theatrical Sound): |
Optical Mono |
| (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack): |
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| (Remastered Dolby Digital): |
No |
| (Remastered DTS Digital Surround): |
No |
| (Additional Languages): |
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| WSR Narrative Review |
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Story Synopsis:
Greed, lust, deception and glitz abound in The Betsy—the automotive industry “epic” based on the best-selling novel by Harold Robbins. Loren Hardeman, Sr. (Laurence Olivier) is the head of Bethlehem Automotive and has a vision for an innovative car. When he hires hot-shot racecar driver Angelo Perino (Tommy Lee Jones) to oversee the production, Angelo’s power-hungry actions turn this already dysfunctional family even more on its axle.
LaserDisc Picture:
The picture exhibits some inconsistencies. While some scenes are hazy and wanting in sharpness, others are sharp and detailed with good definition, especially in the car racing scenes. Colors are naturally rendered with accurate fleshtones, rich and warm colors and deep, solid blacks. Sometimes the picture looks dated. Contrast and shadow delineation are mediocre throughout, with some scenes appearing too contrasted. Noise and artifacts are apparent for a visual experience that is mediocre overall. The windowboxed picture has an aspect ratio of 1.80:1.
LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is undistinguished monaural that sounds compressed and overall distorted.
| (Surround Bass Below 50Hz): |
No |
| (Aggressive System Surround): |
No |
| (Intense 25Hz Bass): |
No |
| (Deep Bass Challenging): |
No |
| (Aggressive 0.1 LFE): |
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| (Holosonic Soundfield): |
No |
| (Aggressive Split Surround): |
No |
| (Center Back Surround Imaging): |
No |
| (Directionalized Dialogue): |
No |
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality: |
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Superb Music Score Recording Quality: |
No |
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality: |
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Superb Color Fidelity: |
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Superb Cinematography: |
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Reference LaserDisc: |
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Collector Edition: |
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DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
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