WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Wanderers, The
Genre:Drama

Reviewed In Issue 32 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Ken Wahl, John Friedrich, Karen Allen, Toni Kalem

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 2.5
Sound Rating: 2
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
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Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): Warner Home Video
(Catalog Number): 22009
(MPAA Rating): R
(Retail Price): $34.98
(Running Time In Minutes): 117
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): No
(Theatrical Release): 1979
(LD Release Date): 10/98
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

Credits Information
(Director): Philip Kaufman
(Screenplay/Written By): Rose Kaufman & Philip Kaufman
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): Jay Moore
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor): Ronald Roose &Stuart H. Pappé
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers): Richard R. St. Johns
(Co-Producers):
(Producers): Martin Ransohoff

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Academy Standard Flat
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1

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:
The Wanderers is about living life as a teenager in The Bronx of the early ‘60s. The daily responsibilities consisted of showing up to class, making out with your sweetheart and running with your gang. For Richie (Ken Wahl), his gang is the Wanderers—Italian-American boys always ready to rumble rival gangs like the Fordham Baldies or the Ducky Boys for honor or turf. Life was pretty simple until the assassination of President Kennedy forced them to face the changing world around them. Of all the ‘50s and ‘60s coming-of-age movies made since those decades, this is one of the best.

LaserDisc Picture:
While the film looks dated and subdued in exteriors, color fidelity is generally natural with accurate fleshtones. Interior scenes sometimes appear plugged-up and wanting in natural clarity. Images are wanting in sharpness and detail, and often appear hazy. Shadow delineation is extremely poor and undefined, while contrast is mediocre. Noise is apparent and distracting in the darker scenes, but artifacts are minimal. The 1.85:1 picture exhibits inconsistencies throughout, with some scenes appearing quite natural.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is undistinguished monaural that sounds compressed.
(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:
No
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
No
Superb Color Fidelity:
No
Superb Cinematography:
-
Reference LaserDisc:
No
Collector Edition:
No
DVD To LaserDisc Comparison: