WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Last Embrace, The
Genre:Thriller

Reviewed In Issue 28 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Roy Scheider, Janet Margolin, John Glover, Same Levene, Charles Napier, Christopher Walken, Jacqueline Brookes, Andrew Duncan, David Margulies & Marcia Rodd

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 2
Sound Rating: 2
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
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Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): MGM
(Catalog Number): ML 103069
(MPAA Rating): R
(Retail Price): $39.98
(Running Time In Minutes): 101
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): No
(Theatrical Release): 1979
(LD Release Date):
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

Credits Information
(Director): Jonathan Demme
(Screenplay/Written By):
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DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Academy Standard Flat
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.80:1

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

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Based on the novel “The 13th Man” by Murray Teigh Bloom, Last Embrace stars Roy Scheider as Harry Hannan, a government agent who witnesses his wife’s murder and believes that he is next. Upon his release from a sanitarium, Harry is constantly threatened—a push into the path of a moving train, a letter written in Aramaic, signed “Avenger of Blood” and an amorous graduate student (Janet Margolin) living in his apartment—leaving him desperate to find the men who want him dead. Featuring a fine supporting cast including Christopher Walken, Charles Napier, John Glover and even Mandy Patinkin, Last Embrace is a taut thriller from the director of Silence Of The Lambs.

LaserDisc Picture:
The 1.80:1 picture exhibits images that are wanting in sharpness and detail, often appearing out of focus. Color fidelity is oversaturated and, in the darker scenes, is completely undefined and “muddy.” Fleshtones are reddish throughout with deep undefined blacks. Shadow detail and contrast are poor. Noise and artifacts are apparent throughout.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is undistinguished monaural that sounds compressed and sometimes distorted.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz): No
(Aggressive System Surround): No
(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:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
Superb Color Fidelity:
Superb Cinematography:
Reference LaserDisc:
Collector Edition: