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10 (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

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10 blu ray
7K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  Georgeb 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )

72






Studio and Year: Warner Bros. - 1979
MPAA Rating: R
Feature running time: 122 minutes
Genre: Comedy

Disc Format: BD-25
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio, French/Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: Dudley Moore, Julie Andrews, Bo Derek, Robert Webber, Brian Dennehy, Dee Wallace
Written & Directed by:Blake Edwards
Music by: Henry Mancini
Region Code: A,B,C

Blu-ray Disc release Date: February 1, 2011







"The funniest, sexiest midlife crisis in movie history"



Film Synopsis:


George Webber is a successful Hollywood songwriter going through a mid-life crisis. His world is turned upside down when he becomes infatuated with a sexy blonde newlywed.



My Take:


Blake Edwards' 10, a spicy comedy of manners, morals and midlife crises, captures many moods, sometimes sexy, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes slapstick - but always on target. That target is 42-year-old composer George (Dudley Moore), a man who has everything (including patient singer girlfriend Julie Andrews) - and who may just chuck it all on an obsessive quest for a beautiful woman (Bo Derek) he glimpses en route to her wedding. An iconic crowd-pleaser, 10 propelled the movie careers of Moore and Derek and gave Ravel's Bolero a fiery new romantic context. It stands as one of its director's richest, most fully realized works.

I haven't seen this film in years but I have fond memories of watching it over and over again on cable TV back in the early eighties. I loved Dudley Moore. His perfect comedic timing, quick wit and physical slapstick instantly won me over. His drunk persona is a hoot and few can do it as well. I remember how Bo Derek became all the rage after this film. She isn't much of an actress but that of course wasn't what caused such a stir. Her drop dead good looks and sex appeal made her a star although she has really never portrayed any meaningful characters. It is interesting to see this movie now versus watching it back in the day. Considered a contemporary comedy at the time it feels somewhat dated now and definitely reflective of its time period. That certainly isn't a short coming and in fact adds to its charm and appealing level of nostalgia. All these years later 10 is still funny, relevant and resonating. In addition to Dudley Moore I enjoy the performances of Julie Andrews, Robert Webber and the smaller roles filled by the always credible Brian Dennehy and future scream queen Dee Wallace. Surprisingly I have never gotten around to buying it on DVD. When I received a press notice of its impending release on Blu-ray I jumped at the chance to review it and I am glad that I did. Watching it was like getting reacquainted with an old friend. I had a great time.



Parental Guide:


This film contains language, nudity, drug use, sexual content and thematic material.





AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)


Audio: 76


  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency extension:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:





Video: 68


(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:

10 comes to Blu-ray from Warner Home Video featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 17 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 1.1 Mbps.

This presentation features below average high definition imagery that is exacerbated by an uneven and grainy aesthetic that in many instances leaves it looking dull and devoid of lucid clarity. There are times where the video exhibits improved depth/dimension however they are too few and far between which tends to be distracting. I believe that the image's softer elements are predominantly related to the photography however the scene to scene variance tends to call fidelity into question. Blacks are deep but noticeably crushed and darker scenes are flat and lacking in discernible gradational detail. Colors and fleshtones generally look natural although reds are slightly oversaturated. Contrast is stable and well balanced over the course of the presentation. I noticed some minor digital noise in a few backgrounds but otherwise didn't note any egregious signs of compression or video related artifacts. This is my first experience with this film on digital home video so I have no comparative frame of reference but overall I found this to be a lackluster high definition presentation.

The lossless DTS-HD Master Audio mono soundtrack is a one dimensional affair with all of the recorded elements emanating from the center channel. With a dialogue driven film such as this good vocal reproduction is essential. I was impressed with the quality of what I heard as the higher resolution rendered the sounds and voices with defining detail, notable separation, and open expression which provided excellent intelligibility and smooth tonal character. While this soundtrack is clearly dated I never found myself wanting more and thought it sounded quite natural.



Bonus Features:

  • A dream..a fantasty..a Ten!: Vintage making of featurette - 4 minutes

  • Theatrical trailer



Final Thoughts:


Blake Edwards' 10, is a spicy comedy of manners, morals and midlife crises, that captures many moods, sometimes sexy, sometimes thoughtful, sometimes slapstick - but always on target. It feels a bit dated but hasn't lost its charming appeal and is still laugh out loud funny, relevant and resonating. It debuts in high definition on Blu-ray Disc featuring a lackluster video presentation, good lossless sound quality and the same vintage featurette found on the DVD release. As someone who enjoys this film I am pleased to own it on Blu-ray and suspect that this offering from Warner presents it in its finest light. If you don't already own it on home video this is the version I would recommend. If you've never seen it do yourself a favor and give it a rent. You'll be all the better for it!















Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





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#2 ·
Warner here using AVC again, possibly to make old masters look a bit sharper which the codec does. http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-r...10_blu-ray.htm The bitrate is 16.13 mbps and 19 GB's are used for the 122 minute film? I am not trying to be too anal here, but couldn't Warner at least use all 25 gb's of a single sided disc. Most studios from what I have seen try to do this. Bottom line is the higher the bitrate the lower the amount of compression artifacts. The screenshots look decent, but this reminds me of Hamlet with a 4 hour film taking up 37gb's on a BD-50.
 
#5 ·
John Hawker as Covington, the bathroom scene with Dudley. Faithful manservant with honesty and attitude....
 
#9 ·
pffffffffffffff more tea vicar? Classic.
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the review Ralph. Pretty spot on. "10" and "Arthur" are two of my faves.
 
#14 ·
Just got it, great movie, loved it, laughed, and all of you will as well.....if you can get past the transfer quality.....unfortunately the rating on video quality is....well........too accurate


Maybe they up-rezzed the old master that they used to make the LD and VHS tapes with....tossed in a couple of digital enhancements and bingo.


After all, why go to all that trouble to make a new master, when you got a perfectly fine master from 1980 that just needs a little touch up to be a blu-ray?
 
#15 ·
It hurts me to say, but I'm going to have to skip buying this until it winds up in the $5 remaindered bin (which is surely its destiny.) A real shame, this is one of my all time favorite films, but I refuse to support a studio which shows such disregard towards their customers. I'm voting with my wallet.
 
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