haineshisway
Senior HTF Member
There seems to be no reviews or even threads about this title, so here we go.
A little history: When this film came out I saw it and absolutely loved it. I thought it was campy and hilarious, droll, fun, loved the score, loved Dirk Bogarde's villain, and loved the entire cast. I also loved the art direction and Joseph Losey's direction. I saw it many times during its two-week run and then followed it to all the second and third run houses - I probably saw it over twenty times.
Then I didn't see it again until the DVD was released (I don't think it was shown on TV much) and I don't recall it being on laserdisc. Imagine my surprise to find a film I found almost singularly unfunny and totally incoherent. Everything I'd loved about now seemed so tired and the whole film was trying so hard. How perceptions change. But part of my disappointment was certainly the DVD presentation, clearly taken from an internegative of some sort, and one that was fading - it looked nothing like the gleaming, colorful pop-art film I knew and had loved. And the look of Modesty Blaise is just about everything.
When Kino announced the Blu-ray I was nervous, because I was pretty sure Fox hadn't done a new transfer. Well, that nervousness was well-founded and I'm afraid this is simply one of the worst Blu-ray transfers I've ever seen - it's the DVD master (or from the same source - but it actually has so many problems that I can't imagine it's not the DVD master) - same lousy color. For me, a severe disappointment - I was hoping for a new transfer, one that would restore at least the sparkle and correct color to a film that really needs it. Alas and alack. And before someone feels the need to point this out, yes, this is one person's opinion, although the handful of reviews that have surfaced are of similar thought, at least the ones I've seen. At some point, a company has the obligation to say to the licensing company, no, this transfer isn't good enough so we'll pass.
A little history: When this film came out I saw it and absolutely loved it. I thought it was campy and hilarious, droll, fun, loved the score, loved Dirk Bogarde's villain, and loved the entire cast. I also loved the art direction and Joseph Losey's direction. I saw it many times during its two-week run and then followed it to all the second and third run houses - I probably saw it over twenty times.
Then I didn't see it again until the DVD was released (I don't think it was shown on TV much) and I don't recall it being on laserdisc. Imagine my surprise to find a film I found almost singularly unfunny and totally incoherent. Everything I'd loved about now seemed so tired and the whole film was trying so hard. How perceptions change. But part of my disappointment was certainly the DVD presentation, clearly taken from an internegative of some sort, and one that was fading - it looked nothing like the gleaming, colorful pop-art film I knew and had loved. And the look of Modesty Blaise is just about everything.
When Kino announced the Blu-ray I was nervous, because I was pretty sure Fox hadn't done a new transfer. Well, that nervousness was well-founded and I'm afraid this is simply one of the worst Blu-ray transfers I've ever seen - it's the DVD master (or from the same source - but it actually has so many problems that I can't imagine it's not the DVD master) - same lousy color. For me, a severe disappointment - I was hoping for a new transfer, one that would restore at least the sparkle and correct color to a film that really needs it. Alas and alack. And before someone feels the need to point this out, yes, this is one person's opinion, although the handful of reviews that have surfaced are of similar thought, at least the ones I've seen. At some point, a company has the obligation to say to the licensing company, no, this transfer isn't good enough so we'll pass.