'From Russia With Love' - High-Def Digest Review

[Attebery]

Josh has reviewed 'From Russia with Love.' He says this is classic Bond. This Blu-ray has great restored picture, good sound, and lots of extra features. Highly recommended.

Full review here:
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/1582...awithlove.html

[MSX2]

Spot in. Lowery did a marvelous job with the movies.

[ack_bak]

I agree with Josh's review wholeheartedly. It is a terrific transfer. I have run out of Bond movies to watch on Blu-Ray now and I hope more are released of the same fine quality and caliber. Watching this on DVD now would be painful next to the Blu-Ray.

[Duncan]

I think Monty Norman might take exception to the line in the review claiming that John Barry was behind the James Bond theme...

[ben1080p]

Excellent Film. Will def get more of the bonds when they go for under 15.

[Josh Z]

Originally Posted by Duncan

I think Monty Norman might take exception to the line in the review claiming that John Barry was behind the James Bond theme...

There is a controversy over who should be credited as composer on the "James Bond Theme". After a lengthy court battle, Norman retained the credit. However, it is undeniable that Barry had a tremendous influence on the final product (which sounds much more like John Barry's previous work than it does Monty Norman's).

I didn't want to waste a lot of space on that topic in the review. What the review states is, "John Barry had previously contributed to the famed 'James Bond Theme'," which is accurate to say.

[gravis_from_fort_Worth]

I posted my review on Monday, and I disagree. I was not at all impressed with the video restoration - thought it looked horrible. Unnatual skin tones, really bad grain, details just not there. My review is at

www dot williamhenley dot com slash highdefreviews slash 007FromRussiaWithLove <- It will not let me make URLs until I post more posts, my appologies

[davcole]

I was extremely impressed with this disc. Colors are amazing and I noticed no film anomolies and sharpness was dead on. Some modern-day films wish they could look this good!

I thought the 5.1 remix was rather nice too.

I've seen this, DAD and THUNDERBALL and FRWL is my favorite transfer.

[benricci]

Originally Posted by gravis_from_fort_Worth

I posted my review on Monday, and I disagree. I was not at all impressed with the video restoration - thought it looked horrible. Unnatual skin tones, really bad grain, details just not there.

You honestly thought this looked horrible? Either your system is messed up, or you have unrealistic expectations. The early Bonds feature some of the most striking picture quality for films of this era. From Russia looks better than it ever has, an absolutely gorgeous restoration.

Especially when you consider what previous home video releases have looked like for the Bond films. I guess there's just no pleasing you...

[bfellow]

I thought the review was dead on. The only issues I saw was in the boat scene but that's just nitpicking how well this film has been restored.

[gravis_from_fort_Worth]

Originally Posted by benricci

You honestly thought this looked horrible? Either your system is messed up, or you have unrealistic expectations. The early Bonds feature some of the most striking picture quality for films of this era. From Russia looks better than it ever has, an absolutely gorgeous restoration.

Especially when you consider what previous home video releases have looked like for the Bond films. I guess there's just no pleasing you...

You said it yourself, for this era. From my review:

Video quality
Apparently many people are thrilled with the restoration on these movies, and gave them really high ratings. I am meaner, and compare them to current films, and when you do that, the video quality just does not hold up. Some scenes are deffinately more grainy than others, there is a flatness to the picture (whether from film stock, or over-filtering during the restoration process, I am unsure of), colors seem strange and unnatual in some scenes(although the fact that this was shot in Technicolor may attribute to that) and fine and others. I will say that for a 45-year-old movie, From Russia With Love looks pretty darn good, but I just cannot bring myself to give it a better score than a 7, and I think that is being nice. Six probably would have been more appropriate.

[Super-VHS]

^^^^^ Bad. Comparing a 45 year old films with those of today is a terrible idea.

Not just based on the fact that entirely different stocks and filming techniques vary for decade to decade but do you really expect something from "long ago" to hold up against something was made years and years later.

Especially when you base you critisims on something like the muted colors. There are a lot of films that have the same look from that era.... but not so much today. To throw out the way it was filmed and the techniques of the era it was produced in is just not a good idea at all.

[Josh Z]

Originally Posted by Super-VHS

^^^^^ Bad. Comparing a 45 year old films with those of today is a terrible idea.

Not just based on the fact that entirely different stocks and filming techniques vary for decade to decade but do you really expect something from "long ago" to hold up against something was made years and years later.

Frankly, the From Russia with Love transfer does hold up to movies made today. I don't know what the hell Gravis is talking about. Probably a hardware or calibration issue on his end.

[project-blu]

Gravis, i dunno why you're pushing, i've not heard a bad word about this title's video before you. i too posted a review (holy internet connection, batman!!), and let me say, the fact that you're calling this classic, tense film a 6/10 movie score, and that you stated that you were LAUGHING through it, and what you're saying here in this thread, you're coming off as someone who either has no appreciation of classic film, or someone who has serious snob sensibilities. either way, you're the lone person talking smack about the video, and i'd bet you're nitpicking since you're trashing the film itself by what you said, AND not to mention, you talk more about yourself than you do the video in that paragraph. ego, much?

just from your mainpage of your site, and that review, you seem more interested in talking about your specs than the films itself. FRWL is a great transfer, and if you disagree, then you're only hurting your own credibility.

/my personal views, not to be confused by anyone else's, or the site's

look, i can post from my portion too:

After being blown away by the very recent Die Another Day, which was concurrently released, I was worried at first that this film may not have the amazing level of polish and detail due to it’s age (which is currently approaching 45 years old!). I am very thankful to say that such was never an issue. From Russia With Love is a top notch transfer, and is one of the best classic color films yet released on Blu-ray. From the start of the film, detail runs high, with wonderful emphasis on Lenya’s wrinkly face. Skin textures are wonderful, with the pores and stubble on Bond’s face being very pronounced, especially in contrast to the beautifully smooth skin of Bianchi. Thread patterns in classic suits and single strands of stray hair stand out, and the detail isn’t limited to the forefront of the screen, as even backgrounds can be extremely detailed at times. The grain level stays very low throughout the film, and the print is remarkably clean as well...I simply do not have any unkind words for this wonderful transfer!

[Onslaught X]

I'm really tempted to buy this one since this is one of my fav's, but I gotta wait for a bit.