| Chapters |
32 |
| Release Date |
3/30/2004 |
| Packaging |
Keep Case |
| Screen Ratio |
2.20:1 |
| Subtitles |
French; Spanish |
| Audio Tracks |
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
FRENCH: Dolby Digital Stereo
SPANISH: Dolby Digital Mono
|
| Layers |
Single Side, Dual Layer |
| No. of Disks/Tapes |
1 |
|
| Purchase Date |
4/20/2004 |
| Owner |
Thomas Eisenmann |
| Store |
Best Buy |
| Purchase Price |
$7.50 |
| Condition |
Excellent |
| Reviewed |
Widescreen Review
|
| Bit Rate |
448 KB |
| Anamophic |
Yes |
| Links |
IMDB
|
|
Anamophic
|
Includes an excellent 40-minute documentary, “John Wayne’s The Alamo,” the theatrical trailer, and a production notes booklet. |
|
Special Notes:
The movie is the 162-minute general release version, NOT the 192-minute roadshow edition previously available on LaserDisc.
Story Synopsis:
An Academy Award® winner for best Sound, The Alamo is a courageous epic about the 185 brave and determined men who banded together in a crumbling adobe mission for thirteen days to hold off the siege of an army of 7,000 Mexican troops in an attempt to ensure the region’s independence. Don’t Mess With Texas! Filmed entirely in the Lone Star state, it was said that initial plans involved filming the movie in Mexico, but director, producer, and star John Wayne was told that if he did so, the movie would never be shown in Texas. This is not the 192-minute roadshow version previously offered on LaserDisc. Includes the 40-minute documentary John Wayne’s The Alamo and a production notes booklet. (Gary Reber & Laurie Sevano)
DVD Picture:
Compared to the LaserDiscs reviewed in Issues 2 and 26, the anamorphically enhanced 2.20:1 DVD exhibits a picture with improvements in contrast and definition. Viewed alone, the picture looks great for its age! Images are sharp, with good clarity and background detail. Colors, though slightly dated, are well balanced. Edge enhancement can’t be ignored, but it is not always a distraction. There are a few occasions in which minor aliasing and shimmering is noticed. Minor source element artifacts and scratches are apparent, as well as film grain, but overall the picture should surely please. (Suzanne Hodges)
Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel soundtrack on this DVD, as is the case for the previous LaserDisc collector’s set, is a nice remastering effort that brings back much of the glory of the original 70mm magnetic stereophonic audio. Except for a preponderance of background hiss, the restoration of the original audio is remarkable. The fidelity, though aged is surprisingly clean, and distortion isn’t a distracting problem. Voices are delivered with clarity and spatial integration is fair-the dialogue is also highly directional. The stereophonic imaging of the music across the screen is impressive, and with some ambient spread into the surrounds. Sound effects are also placed across the screen with ample depth, though only sparsely into the surrounds at best. Deep bass output is appropriately limited with the .1 LFE barely a factor. Nonetheless, this is a respectable re-purposing effort that allows one to experience the nuances of the vintage soundtrack. (Perry Sun)
This Disc Contains The Following WSR-Rated Superb Qualities:
Collector Edition
