WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Jackie Brown
Genre:Comedy

Reviewed In Issue 30 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Michael Bowen, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Tommy “Tiny” Lister, Jr., Hattie Winston, Sid Haig, Aimee Graham, Chris Tucker

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 4.5
Sound Rating: 3
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
Internet Links

Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): Miramax Home Video
(Catalog Number): 15056 AS
(MPAA Rating): R
(Retail Price): $59.98
(Running Time In Minutes): 154
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Theatrical Release): 1997
(LD Release Date):
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

Credits Information
(Director): Quentin Tarantino
(Screenplay/Written By): Quentin Tarantino
(Story): NA
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): David Wasco
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor): Sally Menke
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers): Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Richard N. Gladstein & Elmore Leonard
(Co-Producers): Paul Hellerman
(Producers): Lawrence Bender

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): DTS Digital Surround
(Theatrical Sound): SDDS & Dolby Digital
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital):
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround):
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Based on Elmore Leonard’s book Rum Punch, Jackie Brown features Pam Grier as the title character of Quentin Tarantino’s most recent action-crime caper. Brown is a stewardess who supplements her meager income by smuggling cash into the U.S. for gunrunner Ordell Robbie (Samuel L. Jackson), until the day she is busted and asked to help bring Ordell in.

LaserDisc Picture:


LaserDisc Soundtrack:
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz):
(Aggressive System Surround):
(Intense 25Hz Bass):
(Deep Bass Challenging):
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield):
(Aggressive Split Surround):
(Center Back Surround Imaging):
(Directionalized Dialogue):
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
Superb Color Fidelity:
Superb Cinematography:
Reference LaserDisc:
Collector Edition:
DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
The LaserDiscs, matted at 1.85:1, are sharp and detailed with good shadow detail and contrast. Clarity and texture are nicely rendered, though some interior scenes appear slightly plugged-up. Color fidelity is naturally pictured and fully saturated, with accurate fleshtones, rich and warm colors and deep, true blacks. Some scenes utilize vibrant and appealing stylized colors. The picture is completely solid throughout, with only minor, occasional artifacts. The Dolby® Digital and DTS® Digital Surround 5.0 discrete and matrix PCM soundtracks are quite similar in sonic character with no particularly distinguishing spatial qualities. The sound is largely monaural directed with lots of dialogue—a writer’s dream. Interior dialogue scenes are not well supported with spatially dimensional soundstage ambience in stereo, though the matrix PCM version better resolves extremely low level soundstage and surround ambience. The discrete versions are often lacking a surround signal, though a signal is barely present in the matrix version. That is not to say that spatial dimension is not present at all. There are scenes that deliver soundstage presence and surround energy, even aggressive surround but that is limited to the nicely presented music.