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| Rob Roy |
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Genre:Action Adventure
Reviewed In Issue 17 Of Widescreen Review®
Stars:
Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, Brian Cox, Andrew Keir |
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 DVD General Information |
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| (Studio/Distributor): |
MGM Home Entertainment |
| (Catalog Number): |
105410 |
| (MPAA Rating): |
R |
| (Retail Price): |
$44.98 |
| (Running Time In Minutes): |
139 |
| (Color Type): |
Color |
| (Chaptered/Scene Access): |
Yes |
| (Closed Captioned): |
Yes |
| (Theatrical Release): |
1995 |
| (LD Release Date): |
10/95 |
| (THX® Digitally Mastered): |
No |
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| Credits Information |
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| (Director): |
Michael Caton-Jones |
| (Screenplay/Written By): |
Alan Sharp |
| (Story): |
NA |
| (Music): |
Carter Burwell |
| (Director Of Photography): |
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| (Production Designer): |
Asheton Gorton |
| (Visual Effects): |
NA |
| (Costume Designer): |
Sandy Powell |
| (Editor): |
Peter Honess, ACE |
| (Supervising Sound Editors): |
Richard King |
| (Re-Recording Mixers): |
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| (Executive Producers): |
Michael Caton-Jones |
| (Co-Producers): |
Larry De Waay |
| (Producers): |
Peter Broughan & Richard Jackson |
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| DVD Picture Information |
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| (Principal Photography): |
J-D-C Scope |
| (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): |
2.35:1 |
| (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): |
2.35:1 |
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| DVD Sound Information |
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| (DVD Soundtrack): |
Dolby Digital Surround |
| (Theatrical Sound): |
DTS Digital Sound |
| (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack): |
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| (Remastered Dolby Digital): |
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| (Remastered DTS Digital Surround): |
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| (Additional Languages): |
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| WSR Narrative Review |
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Story Synopsis:
Set in the Scottish Highlands during the 18th Century, Rob Roy is the rousing true story of Robert Roy MacGregor (Neeson), a clan leader who prizes honor above all else. When the man he entrusted with money borrowed from the sinister Marquis (Hurt), disappears, MacGregor is falsely accused of stealing it by the Marquis’ duplicitous henchman (Roth). The ensuing manhunt escalates into a full-fledged military campaign against the clans, making Rob Roy a true epic filled with sword fights, romance and mystery.
LaserDisc Picture:
With respect to the picture quality aspects of the production and transfer, the 2.35:1 frame has been respected. Color fidelity is excellent with natural fleshtones and deep, solid blacks. Images are sharp and detailed. Virtually without noise or artifacts, the picture is wonderfully natural looking.
LaserDisc Soundtrack:
But, aside from the obvious opportunity to complement the action and support the visual setting with aural mapping, the filmmakers have failed to utilize the discrete 5.1 palette, and instead they have produced an unimpressive conventional soundtrack. As such, the subtle surround presence on both the matrix PCM digital and the Dolby AC-3 encoded versions is limited to the music score, which, by the way, is well recorded. Both versions appear to be identical in spatial quality, which throughout is essentially mono driven with the rare directional effect, then directed at the frontal soundstage. The surrounds are virtually silent throughout. Contrast this sheepish experience to that of Dolby’s new opening discrete AC-3 credit sequence which is spatial enveloping and dynamic.
| (Surround Bass Below 50Hz): |
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| (Aggressive System Surround): |
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| (Intense 25Hz Bass): |
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| (Deep Bass Challenging): |
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| (Aggressive 0.1 LFE): |
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| (Holosonic Soundfield): |
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| (Aggressive Split Surround): |
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| (Center Back Surround Imaging): |
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| (Directionalized Dialogue): |
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Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality: |
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Superb Music Score Recording Quality: |
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Superb Special Visual Effects Quality: |
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Superb Color Fidelity: |
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Superb Cinematography: |
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Reference LaserDisc: |
No |
Collector Edition: |
No |
DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
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