BLU-RAY REVIEW

All The King's Men

Featured In Issue 117, February 2007

Picture4
SoundNR
WSR Score4
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
17381
(MPAA Rating):
PG13
(Rating Reason):
(Retail Price):
$38.95
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
128
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2006
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
12/19/06
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Steven Zaillian
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Sean Penn stars in Director Steven Zaillian's account of All The King's Men as Willie Stark, a politician in the race for Governor of Louisiana during the early 1950s. Going in with his eyes wide open, it isn't long before Stark finds out the meaning of corruption and greed. Based on a novel that earned a Pulitzer Prize for author Robert Penn Warren. (Tricia Spears)

There are no supplements.

Colors are slightly desaturated in the anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 DVD, almost giving it a monochromatic feel that fits the story's time frame nicely. Images are sharp and detailed, and good shadow delineation brings out this detail even in the darkest scenes. Fleshtones look pallid indoors, but liven up slightly in outdoor scenes. Colors are slightly more natural on the Blu-ray Disc version, although fleshtones are still slightly on the sickly side. The well-captured details, as seen on the DVD, are naturally improved upon in the BD version, but fine details seem to be slightly soft. Still, the high-definition version does look good, and highly dimensional. (Danny Richelieu)

While the DVD's Dolby® Digital 5.1-channel encoding is exciting and well mixed, fidelity isn't quite up to par with the best DVD soundtracks. Atmospheric effects are mixed well around the room, although there are holes in the mix on the sides of the room; luckily, the broad front stage does make up for it slightly. Fidelity is cleaned up significantly in the Blu-ray Disc's uncompressed linear PCM 5.1-channel encoding, with much more smooth, natural dialogue, and tighter, more impactful bass. (Danny Richelieu)