Dark of the Sun (1968) coming from WAC

[Geoff D]

And it's chuffin' beautiful. Tight, fine grain, nice dense blacks, solid encode. Probably from an IP but there's nowt wrong with that, not for 1080p anyways. There's some oddness at the 42m-ish mark where the image has these weird vertical artefacts for a minute or two but I'm guessing that it's a crude attempt at painting over a bunch of scratches, I recall seeing the same thing in Warners' newer transfer of Enter the Dragon.

[jimqk]

Received this as a Christmas present today. Watching it now and it is great! Beautiful, solid image.

[wikkidsmyle]

Watched my copy last night. Wow! Beautiful transfer typical of Warner Archive - and Region Free too. I wager this is the most complete version of the film; there were rumours of a "director's cut" but I think this was the cut before submission to the censors (who then asked for a few more edits). The violence is complete enough for the majority of fans (like Scorsese and Tarantino - and me).

[ditcin]

I watched mine just after Christmas and was extremely pleased. I listened to the audio commentary and was displeased. Idiots all. I don't care if they were screenwriters they have that snobbish approach of knowing films seen in college and have very little deep knowing. Their constant comparisons in mentioning Quentin Tarantino and how the man used scenes or music from other films is sickening - he stole other people's ideas and work period.

Still, very pleased that WB got this film released and looking great. THANKS!

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by ditcin

I listened to the audio commentary and was displeased. Idiots all. I don't care if they were screenwriters they have that snobbish approach of knowing films seen in college and have very little deep knowing. Their constant comparisons in mentioning Quentin Tarantino and how the man used scenes or music from other films is sickening - he stole other people's ideas and work period.

I hate those type of commentaries. Whenever I do listen to a commentary I much prefer it being a crew or a creditable historian commentary.

[Deke Rivers]

I didnt think the WAC DVD of this was all that bad. To those that have the DVD..
Is the Blu ray that much of a step up to double dip?

[babybreese]

Grabbed a cap off DVD Beaver and roughly matched from the Blu.
Compressed and not perfect but it helps give you a general idea,
the Blu is a pretty big upgrade.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Deke Rivers

I didnt think the WAC DVD of this was all that bad. To those that have the DVD..
Is the Blu ray that much of a step up to double dip?

I thought the DVD was terrible. Covered in dirt and scratches, and the downscale from 1080p (as that was also presumably an HD master) was bloody awful, any diagonal details looked badly aliased (jagged).

Yeah, the DVD filled a gap because it was that or nothing, but make no mistake: the Blu-ray wrecks the DVD.

[Aclea]

RIP composer Jacques Loussier, who died earlier this week.

[CineSicko]

Originally Posted by wikkidsmyle

I wager this is the most complete version of the film; there were rumours of a "director's cut" but I think this was the cut before submission to the censors (who then asked for a few more edits). The violence is complete enough for the majority of fans (like Scorsese and Tarantino - and me).

I'm eager to see the image upgrade, but I'm waiting for a sale if it's the same cut as the DVD-R. I guess I'll knew when I see

[Show spoiler]Jim Brown's murder, and the glaringly awful chop job on the heart-eating.

[kristoffer]

Did anyone receive this yet?

[gpn]

Originally Posted by kristoffer

Did anyone receive this yet?

Several weeks ago. Looks great!

[grahams76]

Originally Posted by gpn

Several weeks ago. Looks great!

Ditto.

[Richard--W]

I'm impressed. By the scan and the grading. It looks terrific. It's like seeing the film for
the first time and recognizing how well-made it really is. I like the bump cutting and
shock sounds. I wish Cardiff had directed more films like Dark of the Sun.

[Aclea]

If you look at the action scenes in The Dogs of War, which Cardiff shot, even though John Irvin had shot documentary footage of combat in Vietnam they feel much closer to Cardiff's directorial style than Irvin's, especially in light of how pedestrian the action scenes are in so many of Irvin's subsequent films. Considering it was his first feature film, I'm guessing he leant heavily on Cardiff's experience and that producer Norman Jewison specically hired Cardiff for that reason.

[Richard--W]

Thanks for those details. I haven't watched The Dogs of War in quite awhile but I will take another
look soon. First I want to watch Dark of the Sun again. The third act is totally hellacious.

Cardiff was an amazing talent. I have most of the films he photographed that are available. I kept
the UK DVD of The African Queen because it's the only edition that has his commentary. It's kinda
strange he choose a project like Dark of the Sun to direct, usually photographers choose more
sedate material.

[CineSicko]

The WA BD of DARK OF THE SUN is a revelation. I showed it to a few friends who hadn't seen it and they lost their minds. It's one of the best action films ever made, and the A/V of the BD is exceptional. It's a shame that the film wasn't a huge hit, because it would've been great if Cardiff had directed a slew of violence-themed action thrillers. He was a master.

[Richard--W]

I've seen 120 movies that were released in 1968. It was a great year for cinema, with
many outstanding films. My short list of favorites are

2001: A Space Odyssey -- the best film ever made.
Bullitt
Hell In the Pacific
Night of the Living Dead
The Odd Couple
Once Upon a Time In the West
The Party
Petulia
Planet of the Apes
Romeo & Juliet
Rosemary's Baby
The Stalking Moon

and now I've added a new one to my list of favorites from that year:

Dark of the Sun

[Aclea]

Originally Posted by Richard--W

It's kinda
strange he choose a project like Dark of the Sun to direct, usually photographers choose more
sedate material.

Not really - it's far more common for them to end up directing action or genre pieces, largely because they're often regarded as craftsmen who can get the job done on time and on budget rather than auteurs. For every Nicolas Roeg, Zhang Yimou or Haskell Wexler there are probably a dozen of the following:

Dean Semler - Firestorm, The Patriot (Steven Seagal)
Jan de Bont - Speed, Twister
Andrzej Bartkowiak - Romeo Must Die, Exit Wounds
Freddie Francis - every other low budget British horror film of the 60s and 70s
Ernest Dickerson - Surviving the Game, Bulletproof, Demon Knight
Mikael Salomon - Hard Rain
Michael Chapman - The Clan of the Cave Bear
Janusz Kaminski - Lost Souls
William A. Fraker - Monte Walsh, Legend of the Lone Ranger
James Wong Howe - Invisible Avenger, Go Man Go
Rudolph Mate - whatever genre was in vogue at the time, from noir to scifi to costume adventures
Mario Bava - let's face it, not much sedate in that filmography...

Even Ronald Neame got pegged for the odd action/adventure film like Escape from Zahrain, Mister Moses and The Poseidon Adventure. Since the 60s it's pretty rare for studios or producers to trust cinematographers with character pieces or sensitive dramas.

[ravenus]

Badass movie with a rousing score, just ordered off WowHD can't wait for it to arrive!