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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Criterion laserdiscs used to be top of the line. Their transfers were solid and their commitment to extra features was very commendable. One didn't mind shelling out upwards of a hundred dollars (or perhaps did, but simply reasoned the issue internally) because what you got for your money was far above what other studios were offering at that time. However, in an age where every major Hollywood studio is putting together deluxe DVD's with oodles of extras, Criterion's DVD transfers have faired less well. Often Criterion is using the same tired print from their laserdiscs, (ditto for the extras) and this has yielded less than stellar results on the DVD viewing format with its higher resolution.
Lawrence Olivier's "Hamlet" is no exception. By now it seems a mute point to have to explain the tale of the Danish prince who would be king, if only he could figure out how to avenge his father's death and kill his uncle. Royalty does have its problems! This Academy Award winning Best Picture -- produced, directed and starring Sir Lawrence Olivier is still considered by many (present company excluded) to be the definitive version of Shakespeare's master work. I prefer the Kenneth Branagh version to this one.)
The gray scale for Criterion's transfer is good but the print lack fine detail and suffers from low contrast in many of the darkest scenes. Age related artifacts are everywhere. Edge enhancement and shimmering of fine details crop up now. The audio is mono and well balanced, though there is a considerable amount of background hiss throughout.
Extras include an audio commentary and some junket stuff that really does not warrant the price tag of this disc. The bottom line with Criterion is that it ought to reconsider the DVD market. With every studio offering special editions there's really nothing to support paying the extra cash for something you could get just as easily elsewhere for less. |
