 |
| |
MI6 reviews the new James Bond Ultimate Edition
DVD of the 1971 outing "Diamonds Are Forever"... |
|
DVD Review - Diamonds Are Forever
16th September 2007
The James Bond movies have been brought into the 21st century
with special 5.1 surround sound remastering, new film transfers
and extra special features in the "Ultimate Editions"
series. MI6 reviews reviews the films and each of these features
along with all the special new content.
| Official Blurb
While investigating mysterious activities
in the world diamond market, 007 (Sean Connery) discovers
that his evil nemesis Blofeld (Charles Gray) is stockpiling
the gems to use in his deadly laser satellite. With
the
help of beautiful smuggler Tiffany Case, (Jill St.John),
Bond sets out to stop the madman - as the fate of the
world
hangs in the balance!
Data Stream
Region: 2
Release Date: 17th July 2006
Running Time: 120 minutes
Screen Format: 2.35:1 Anamorphic PAL
Soundtracks: English DD5.1, English DTS
Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Greek, Hindi,
Norwegian and Swedish
Audio Specs
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English DTS 5.1 (768Kb/s)
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
|
|
|
Video
Lowry have once again restored this film to its best ever state,
but it is not as perfect a transfer as the previous outing
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service". The picture is still excellent,
but it not quite the cream of the Ultimate Edition crop. This
transfer is back to 2.35:1 complete with 16x9 enhancement.
As usual, black levels and shadow details are very good. There
are no visible compression artifacts or grain, but some of
the skin tones do look too red - perhaps the sign of slightly
overzealous color correction during the remastering process.
Audio
Featuring a new DTS 5.1 mix, this track is so similar to the
complimentary Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that the average listener
may not notice the difference. Both
mixes
boast faultless sync and no noise or clicks. The surround and
sub woofer are used conservatively. Unfortunately, as with
other discs in this series, the original mono soundtrack was
not included.
- DECLASSIFIED: MI6
VAULT
- Deleted Scenes
- Sean Connery 1971: The BBC Interview
- Lesson # 007: Close Quarter
Combat
- Deleted Footage - Oil Rig Attack
- Satellite & Explosions Test
Reel
- Alternate & Expanded Angles
- 007 MISSION CONTROL
- Interactive Guide Into the World
of Diamonds Are Forever
- THE COMPLETE SPECIAL FEATURES
LIBRARY - MISSION DOSSIER
- Audio Commentary Featuring Director
Guy Hamilton and Members of the Cast and Crew
- Inside Diamonds Are Forever
- Cubby Broccoli - The Man Behind
Bond
- MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA, Original
Trailers, TV Spots, Photo Gallery & Radio
Communications
|
|
|
New Bonus Features
Deleted Scenes - Straight from the archives
are deleted sequences with Sammy Davis Jr, the killing
of Shady
Tree, Bond having dinner with Plenty at the casino,
Plenty sneaking in Tiffany's room, the two wheel car
switch, and a longer version of the water bed scene
with Bond and Case.
Sean Connery 1971: The BBC Interview -
Connery explains why he came back to Bond, his career
away from the role,
and his thoughts on the character.
Lesson #007: Close Quarter Combat - Director Guy Hamilton
explains how the elevator fight came to be in Diamonds
Are Forever, and each participant's role in the fight,
from actors Connery and Robinson to stunt coordinator Bob
Simmons.
Deleted Footage - Oil Rig Attack - Michael G. Wilson narrates
this feature containing footage covering the full scope
of the climactic oil rig attack at the end of the movie.
|
Satellite & Explosions Tests - Michael
G. Wilson introduces this feature containing archived footage
of storyboards, test footage and final footage created by special
effects expert Wally Veevers.
Alternate & Expanded Angles - A feature
containing alternate and expanded views of the elevator
fight, Las Vegas car chase, Moonbuggy chase, fight with
Bambi & Thumper, and the oil rig ending.
All other features were previously released
on the Special Edition DVD.
One Last Thing...
Almost all of the known deleted scenes are now included on
this release - except one. When Wint & Kidd kill the doctor,
an alternative
take was shot where Mr Wint puts the scorpion in the doctor's
mouth, rather than down the back of his shirt. Too sadistic
for censors
at the
time, the cinematic cut opted for the shirt. The alternative
death can be briefly seen in the "Inside..." documentary, so
the footage still exists...
MI6 Rating
| Video |
 |
| Audio |
|
| Special Features |
 |
| Overall |
|
Related Articles
"Diamonds Are Forever"
Ultimate Edition DVD
"Diamonds Are Forever"
MI6 Movie Coverage
Image courtesy Amazon Associates
