Le Pacte des Loups

[Kynch]

Originally Posted by Hugh K. David

Just wanted to say that the lead customer review on Amazon France talks about a dreadful HD transfer - blacks aren't, whites are reddish. The OP clearly feels this is not the case - can any of the other posters here comment as to PQ & AQ?

I will try to watch the movie real soon and give it an opinion.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Hugh K. David

Just wanted to say that the lead customer review on Amazon France talks about a dreadful HD transfer - blacks aren't, whites are reddish. The OP clearly feels this is not the case - can any of the other posters here comment as to PQ & AQ?

Hello Hugh (good to see you here again ),

I did review this release awhile ago:
https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movie...99&show=review

...and while it is certainly not the definitive presentation some might have hoped it would be, it is without a shadow of a doubt better than every single DVD release I have seen (and I have seen about 6 different discs). Still, as I noted in the review, I do expect to see some sort of a SE in the future.

This being said, however, the Canal transfer is hardly the type of disaster some have made it out to be. The biggest issue with it is video noise. Now, depending on the size of the screen you will be viewing it on, you may not be bothered by it at all. But, the blacks are certainly pleasing enough and so are the greens, blues, and whites. All in all, given how highly unlikely it is that Universal (or TVA, who have had a very questionable record thus far) would spend the necessary amount of time to produce a fresh new transfer, I feel very confident in recommending the Canal disc to those who liked Brotherhood of the Wolf.

To sum it all up, I always grade my reviews based on how much of an improvement the BD release of a certain film offers over previous SDVD release(s) of the same film -- and in this specific case, the upgrade(s) is/are unquestionable, both in the audio and video departments. However, if one is looking for the definitive version of Brotherhood of the Wolf on Blu-ray, where there are absolutely no issues to be reported, then one is more than likely going to be disappointed with the Canal disc. Unfortunately, this very slippery criterion, the elusive reference quality - which has been promoted by those who seem to have forgotten how DVD matured - has been promoted by quite a few people as of late who have all of a sudden become unforgiving experts with surprisingly big egos. Which, as far as I am concerned, makes it impossible to appreciate how much better a film could look even on a flawed HD transfer.

I hope this helps

Pro-B

[OrlandoEastwood]

I've only seen the Canadian 3 Disc Director's Cut and I own, well soon to be owned, the US 1 Disc Theatrical cut by Universal.

Judging by these screenshots, https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movie...ow=screenshots , I think it looks great.

[xradman]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Hello,

Kynch's info is correct - it is a HOH track.

Pro-B

That's funny. I don't remember anything like [Rain Howling] or [Music playing] with the subtitles.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by xradman

That's funny. I don't remember anything like [Rain Howling] or [Music playing] with the subtitles.

Here's a review for the French DVD release.
http://www.dvdrama.com/fiche.php?5139

The same HOH track was ported to the BD - Anglais pour malentendants.

Pro-B

[OrlandoEastwood]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Here's a review for the French DVD release.
http://www.dvdrama.com/fiche.php?5139

The same HOH track was ported to the BD - Anglais pour malentendants.

Pro-B

Pro, that's for House of Flying Daggers.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by OrlandoEastwood

Pro, that's for House of Flying Daggers.

Well, isn't that what we were discussing? This is what you said (below), so I assumed that info was needed on House of Flying Dragons and the subbing options on it.

Originally Posted by OrlandoEastwood

Thanks, I might buy House of Flying Daggers while I am at it when I get around to replacing my DVDs.

If everyone was still talking about Brotherhood of the Wolf, please disregard my comment -- because, I surely wasn't (I was browsing an Italian forum at the time, reading this thread, and looking up the French database; really lost track of what was happening here then ).

Pro-B

[OrlandoEastwood]

Dubstar was talking about the subs for Brotherhood of the Wolf.

It's okay, Pro, nice to know how good the quality is on the French Blu-Ray for House of Flying Daggers. I saw that the US release is edited and the French release has the scenes that are cut.

[xradman]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Well, isn't that what we were discussing? This is what you said (below), so I assumed that info was needed on House of Flying Dragons and the subbing options on it.



If everyone was still talking about Brotherhood of the Wolf, please disregard my comment -- because, I surely wasn't (I was browsing an Italian forum at the time, reading this thread, and looking up the French database; really lost track of what was happening here then ).

Pro-B

I thought I was losing my mind. So le Pacte des loups does have normal English subtitles, not HOH type.

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by xradman

I thought I was losing my mind. So le Pacte des loups does have normal English subtitles, not HOH type.

Give me a few minutes and I will let you know.

Pro-B

[pro-bassoonist]

Brotherhood of the Wolf arrives with regular English subtitles (imposed).

More than likely, Klynch was misled because the back cover of the BD states - Anglais sourds et malentendants.

Pro-B

[HD 335]

Here's a review on HD DVD which uses the same VC-1 transfer and French 5.1 DTS HD MA track as the Blu-ray disc. Excellent reviews here and at HDD. Originally I had the region B Blu-ray but ended up selling it after I got ahold of the HD DVD version.
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/971/b...hewolf_uk.html

[Dubstar]

okay, so NOW I'm confused, is 'Brotherhood' HoH subtitled? is that a definate?

[snoman_99]

Nope its not...

J :-)

[Kynch]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Brotherhood of the Wolf arrives with regular English subtitles (imposed).

More than likely, Kynch was misled because the back cover of the BD states - Anglais sourds et malentendants.

Pro-B

[Sky_Captain]

Originally Posted by Dubstar

okay, so NOW I'm confused, is 'Brotherhood' HoH subtitled? is that a definate?

No, it has proper English subs and also has a mighty fine transfer.

[Dubstar]

^ good! I'm gonna order it along with a copy of 'Dune'

[Hugh K. David]

Thanks to Kynch and Pro-B for the PQ comments. I apologise, Pro-B, I only thought to search for your review AFTER posting. I have never yet been led wrong yet by your reviews, as, like myself, you take a pragmatic stance towards current technology and the interaction & appreciation of cinema itself separate from that. Your extra comments in this thread are VERY much appreciated.

However, I already have the French 2-disc and Canadian 3-disc SD DVD sets, and have been perfectly happy with those now for years. It is, however, one of my favourite films, and those screenshots you posted look simply mouth-watering. I may have to get this...

BTW - as a fellow Belluci fan, as well as a fan of writer/director Bertrand Blier, I whole-heartedly agree with your recommendation of Combien tu m'aimes? I would also add to that the uncut version of Malena

[TheTenth]

the HD DVD review gives 4.5/5 for PQ, I can only say that my TV is a good Samsung HD Ready 1080i/720p TV ; I read lots of reviews where the movie is reviewed in 1080p and got bad scores for PQ, but they're awesome in 720p/1080i