Seven (Two-Disc Special Edition)

 

 

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I was excited to be able to purchase this fine film on blu-ray and viewed it right away when it arrived. I was upset to see that the origional aspect radio was no intact. As a true movie buff I want to see any movie in the correct aspect ratio how it was meant to be seen. The PQ is far superior to the old school two sided non-anamorphic ws dvd I have owned for years. I must say though that the adjusted aspect ratio is a most unwelcomed change. I will likley purchase a blu-ray copy of this film again when the correct aspect ratio becomes available.

In 1995, Director David Fincher joined Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt in
the years most disgusting, tense and talked about films. Seven is a
look into a persons liking for gore and blood, all done through the
theme of the 7 deadly sins. Unlike Fight Club, another Fincher film,
Seven was made right before the DVD format was introduced. The
initial release of Seven on DVD was less then spectacular. The New
Line Platinum series is visually one of the most stunning releases to
come along in a while. Sonically, this release will surround you with
sound elements of such clarity and depth, it may seem too real at
times. The 2 disc package is similar to the Fight Club package. It
has two nicely designed discs in an attractive package. The menu
design on the discs are very impressive. What may seem confusing at
first becomes quickly understandable and easy to navigate throughout.
Disc 1 has the movie along with commentary by David Fincher, Morgan
Freeman and Brad Pitt. It also has commentary by the Screenwriter,
the Editor, a Professor of Film Studies and the new Line President of
Production. These commentaries are very insightful, informative and
entertaining to listen to. The scene selections are nice, shown with
still pictures and a title of each sequence. Disc 1 also has a simple
'color bars' setup. Picture quality of this movie is outstanding to
say the least, especially if you compare this release with the
previous DVD release. The original negative was used this time, and
the darkness of this film has never looked so incredibly clear.
Contrast and colors are beautiful...not too saturated for this type of
film, but quite stunning. Sharpness is well executed throughout the
film and I found it hard to see any grain or dirt on the picture.
This is obviously a first class transfer and the anamorphic widescreen
picture is superb. Sound quality is even more amazing. When you go
to your setup in the menu, you have a choice of English or French
subtitles. You also have a choice of stereo Surround Sound, Dolby EX
Surround Sound or DTS ES Surround Sound. Whatever type of system you
have, this film shines. If you have a surround system with a great
subwoofer, you will not believe your ears. This film has been rebuilt
from the ground up and remixed for DVD. Effects elements and
atmospheric sound effects will simply blow your mind. Dialogue is
clean and clear. The sound department responsible for this soundtrack
should be applauded. They did a superb job. Disc 2 has a bunch of
extras that will keep you busy for quite a while. The first extra on
the disc is an "exploration of the opening title sequence."
You get to choose from different angles and different audio options
while watching this sequence. You can watch an early storyboard
drawing of the title sequence, a rough version of the opening and the
final version of the opening title sequence. You can choose from a
surround mix, a Dolby EX mix that was made just for this DVD, or a
high quality 24bit/96Khz stereo mix. It's amazing how many options
you get to pick from just to watch something about the opening title
sequence! You can also listen to commentary by designer Kyle Cooper
or the Sound Engineers Brent Biles and Robert Margouleff. Wow! The
next pick on Disc 2 is where you get to see "Deleted Scenes"
and "Extended Takes" from the film, all with or without
David Finchers commentary. There are seven scenes to choose from and
are all fascinating to watch while listening to the commentary. The
next pick on Disc 2 are the "Alternate Endings." You have
your choice of the original "test" ending with or without
David Finchers commentary. You also can look at an animated
storyboard of an unshot ending. This was done really well and both
offer subtle differences and insight into the ending that is in the
film. Next, you can look at a bunch of Production Design stills with
commentary. This was also done very well, considering how amazing the
Production Design really is for this film. You next have choices of a
bunch of other still photographs from the film, including John Doe's
photographs, Victor's decomposition, police crime scene photographs
and production photographs. These come all with commentary, and this
is the first disc where I actually enjoyed still photos on a
DVD....very well done. Another choice you have on Disc 2 is called
'The Notebooks." This is a very informative sequence of stills
with commentary on how those infamous notebooks were created. When
you choose "Promotional Materials," you can watch the
theatrical EPK or the movie trailer. As with most DVD's, you can
choose "Filmographies" where you can see the resume's of all
the actors and many crew members. Finally, for all you technical
people out there, you can choose "Mastering for the Home
Theatre." This is a fantastic look into the film to video
transfer of Seven, as well as the color correcting, telecine, audio
mastering and mixing of Seven for the theatre as well as the remixing
for the DVD. All are played with scenes from the film comparing the
last release and this release of Seven. The commentary is both
educational and entertaining to listen to. In conclusion, Seven is a
must have DVD. Picture quality is outstanding. Audio quality is
fantastic, and the extras are wonderful. If you loved Seven in the
movies, or want to replace your old DVD release with this one, buy
Seven and prepare yourself for 2 hours of amazement. If you are a
lover of crime thrillers then get this disc. If you enjoy Morgan
Freeman, Brad Pitt or David Fincher then get this disc. It would be a
sin NOT to get this DVD! Enjoy!

This Blu-Ray disc of "Seven" is a bare bones imported release of the film only, with no menus or extras, that features only DTS English, Dolby 5.1 English, and Dolby 2.0 French audio tracks, and no subtitles. It is framed at 1:78, cropped in from the original 2:35 aspect ratio, and is in 1080i/60 not 1080p/24 with an AVC codec.

It appears to be a release, in the Canadian market, of a transfer originally made, one might guess, for HDTV pay per view, or some such thing. That said, contrary to what some disgruntled reviewers have written, the image is outstanding, within the limits mentioned above, with good luminance, which is very superior to the DVD version, excellent color and very sharp detail. The text of the opening credits have been repositioned to appear correctly in the reduced aspect ratio, which supports the idea that the transfer was originally made by the studio for HDTV.

Obviously, the are some compromises here. But considering that this is a fantastic film, that is currently unavailable in the US market, and which has not been announced for the US market any time soon, this is a great Blu-Ray disc to have of this film. Obviously, some overseas distributors are interpreting their contracts with the US studios to mean that if they can issue a DVD of a title in their territory then they can issue a Blu-Ray too. I would imagine there may have been some lively conversations about this implied right between the parties involved. Nevertheless, I would recommend this edition of "Seven" until an authorized US version comes along with menus, the complete extras, and all the audio/subtitle tracks.

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2.0 out of 5 stars WHY BUY?
The price was right,that's the reason I justify buying this Blu-ray....No special features,no subtitles and the incorrect aspect ratio. Read more

Published 12 months ago by Ian G. Mcgillivray

1.0 out of 5 stars Wrong aspect ratio!!?!?!?
Funny how everyone is up in arms over the 1080i misprint. More importantly, the aspect ratio is WRONG. Alliance has decided to present Seven in an aspect ratio of 1. Read more

Published on Mar 21 2009 by Christian Burgess

4.0 out of 5 stars 1080i is NOT a typo...
As stated, my LCD tele is putting out 1080i, just like the back of the DVD case says. i had to do a double take, but oh well. Read more

Published on Mar 11 2009 by Leighton Gingrich

1.0 out of 5 stars Very poor quality
Very poor video quality no menu no extra, I think Alliance upscale dvd and tranfer direct to blu ray!!! The picture like zoomed very grainy and have bad black level.

Published on Mar 6 2009 by Carl Touchette

1.0 out of 5 stars 1080i? Gimme a break!
You all know how great the movie is, right? And we're getting used to Alliance and their bare bones blu-ray releases, which is fine since their price points are very low and... Read more

Published on Mar 4 2009 by Nathan Poitras

5.0 out of 5 stars Enter the mind of a serial killer
warning:if you choose to watch this movie,know that you will enter on a
dark and twisted journey. Read more

Published on Aug 18 2007 by falcon

5.0 out of 5 stars Fincher at his best
After Legends of the Fall, Brad Pitt has been rumoured to have thrown a bit of a wobbler, wanting to be taken seriously as an actor and not just be seen as a teenage heart-throb... Read more

Published on Aug 17 2007 by Nolene-Patricia Dougan

4.0 out of 5 stars A psychological thriller with a shocking ending ...
This is one of those movies that makes you cower in your seat as you cover your eyes repeatedly while viewing it. Read more

Published on May 24 2007 by Betty L. Dravis

5.0 out of 5 stars Septenary of Horror.
"At first sin is a stranger in the soul; then it becomes a guest; and when we are habituated to it, it becomes as if the master of the house." - Tolstoy. Read more

Published on Jan 21 2007 by Themis-Athena

5.0 out of 5 stars Morgan Freeman Is A Genius....
Robin Williams...Russell Crowe...Marisa Tomei...Angelina Jolie...Cher...How come these "actors"(& I use the term lightly)have an Oscar & Freeman doesn't? Read more

Published on July 19 2004 by M. DALTON

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