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    • WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

    Incognito
    Genre:Thriller

    Reviewed In Issue 31 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
    Jason Patric, Iréne Jacob, Thomas Lockyer, Ian Richardson, Simon Chandler, Rod Steiger

    WSR Review Scores
    Picture Rating: 5
    Sound Rating: 4.5
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    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score:
    Internet Links

    Supplementals

    DVD General Information
    (Studio/Distributor): Warner Home Video
    (Catalog Number): 14538
    (MPAA Rating): R
    (Retail Price): $29.98
    (Running Time In Minutes): 107
    (Color Type): Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): Yes
    (Theatrical Release): 1997
    (LD Release Date): 9/98
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

    Credits Information
    (Director): John Badham
    (Screenplay/Written By): John Badham
    (Story): NA
    (Music): John Ottoman
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer): Jaime Leonard
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor): Frank Morriss
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers): Bill Todman, Jr. & Gary Barber
    (Co-Producers): William P. Cartlidge
    (Producers): James G. Robinson

    DVD Picture Information
    (Principal Photography): Panavision
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 2.40:1
    (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 2.35:1

    DVD Sound Information
    (DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Surround
    (Theatrical Sound): Dolby Digital
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (Remastered Dolby Digital): No
    (Remastered DTS Digital Surround): No
    (Additional Languages):

    WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    Incognito is a classy thriller that features Jason Patric as Harry Donovan, a talented, but struggling artist who is so skillful at forging artwork, even museum experts and art dealers cannot tell the difference. But when Donovan decides to take on one last shady deal, he is framed for the murder of one of his crooked colleagues.

    LaserDisc Picture:
    The LaserDisc exhibits rich and warm colors with natural fleshtones and deep, solid blacks. Images are sharp and detailed with good shadow delineation and contrast, though some scenes are softly focused. Otherwise, the 2.35:1 picture is generally solid, with no distracting artifacts.

    LaserDisc Soundtrack:
    The sound design is nicely enveloping on the LaserDisc’s matrix PCM soundtrack. The matrix version presents an expansive soundfield, and dialogue sounds perfectly natural and is generally spatially integrated. The orchestral music score is lovely and beautifully recorded. The discrete soundstage images wider with better delineation of the instrumentals. Surround is often aggressive and bass extension sounds natural.
    (Surround Bass Below 50Hz): Yes
    (Aggressive System Surround): Yes
    (Intense 25Hz Bass): No
    (Deep Bass Challenging): No
    (Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
    (Holosonic Soundfield): No
    (Aggressive Split Surround): No
    (Center Back Surround Imaging): No
    (Directionalized Dialogue): No
    Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
    Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
    		 Yes
    Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
    		 No
    Superb Color Fidelity:
    		 No
    Superb Cinematography:
    		 -
    Reference LaserDisc:
    		 No
    Collector Edition:
    		 No
    DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
    The non-anamorphic DVD exhibits similar quality when compared to the LaserDisc. Both versions exhibit rich and warm colors with natural fleshtones and deep, solid blacks. Images are sharp and detailed with good shadow delineation and contrast, though some scenes are softly focused. Colors are more refined on the DVD, with nicely rendered fine detail and texture. The DVD appears to be created from composite source due to occasionally apparent NTSC artifacts and inter-field jitter. Otherwise, both versions—framed precisely at 2.35:1—are generally solid, with no distracting artifacts. The sound design is nicely enveloping with the DVD’s discrete 5.1 Dolby® Digital preferred to the LaserDisc’s matrix PCM soundtrack. While the matrix version sounds at times to better resolve low level ambience and present a more expansive soundfield, the discrete mix is better articulated dimensionally with effective split surround envelopment. Dialogue sounds perfectly natural and is generally spatially integrated, except in outdoor scenes. The orchestral music score is lovely and beautifully recorded. The discrete soundstage images wider with better delineation of the instrumentals. Surround is often aggressive and bass extension sounds natural. In the discrete version, .1 LFE enhancement is occasionally used to good effect. Both versions of the soundtrack are nicely presented, but the Dolby Digital discrete soundfield delineation is preferred.