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You mean, it's in stereo? But how is the performance?

The original was a bone-chiller; I've heard this one is dull.

clark

Reviewer: Anthony Clarke (see more about me) from Sydney, NSW Australia

The Image transfers to DVD of Eisenstein's 'Ivan the Terrible' parts One and Two are sensational -- gleaming blacks, crisp whites; tonal values as exciting as full colour. And the sound is rich and strong. This transfer of 'Nevsky' though gives us a palette of greys instead of the crisp black and whites it deserves. And the sound is too muted; there's been little attempt to get the best out of the 1930s soundtrack. That soundtrack doesn't sound the greatest on any version, but it is still preferable to the better sounding but artistically mechanical and drab re-recording done in the 1990s by BMG. Until there's a better DVD on the market, this one will have to do. Put up with the flaws, because this is one of the greatest films of the fondly remembered 20th Century. There is a rumour that Criterion is going to remaster both 'Alexander Nevsky' and the two 'Ivan' movies. The Image 'Ivan' is already good enough, but I'll be ordering the Criterion 'Nevsky' the day it appears. But Criterion, make sure you use the original soundtrack, with all its faults, not the BMG technological update. Or, to satisfy everyone, and if BMG agrees, why not a dual music track to let everyone choose between the better sounding but dull modern re-recording, or the poorly recorded but exciting original!


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