The Sting
09 June 2012 06:52 PM
The Sting was released Tuesday on blu-ray/DVD/digital copy in a collector’s edition and a standard edition. The standard edition is currently $11.99 and the collector’s edition, with the same content and an additional digibook, is twice that. I got the standard edition, because I liked the cover art (similar to the original theatrical movie poster):
The Sting is the story of a small-time grifter in 1936 whose partner is killed after both unknowingly scam a courier for a numbers runner, a big New York boss. The grifter, Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) flees to Chicago, where he joins with has-been big-con expert Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman). The two work together to scam the New York boss, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw).
The con is on, with twists and turns that no good person can give away. If you have not seen The Sting, you are in for a treat. If you have seen The Sting, seeing it again is like visiting an old friend. The Sting is the first movie I ever saw twice as a child, once with my father, and the second time with both my mother and father. I’ve owned the laserdisc, two different DVD’s, and the HD-DVD.
The new transfer is a mixed bag. It looks fine on my 57-inch DLP set, but reports on Home Theater Forum complain about artificial softness present on large, projected displays. If your set is not too large, you won’t notice it.
Sound is DTS-HD MA 5.1. The original mono track is absent. Marvin Hamlish’s Scott Joplin ragtime music sounds great in 5.1. Dialogue is centered, as it should be.
Supplements were ported over from the 2005 DVD release in 4x3 480p, including a 3-part hour-long documentary called The Art of The Sting, and the post-Oscar theatrical trailer. New supplements in 16x9 1080p include 100 Years Of Universal: Restoring The Classics, 100 Years Of Universal: The ’70’s, and 100 Years of Universal: The Lot.
The DVD includes the movie and the 480p supplements. The digital copy can be redeemed with iTunes or Vudu, but not both.
The Sting is an all-time favorite movie. It’s a shame that Universal did not improve the picture quality, but for $12, I’ll live with it.
The Sting is the story of a small-time grifter in 1936 whose partner is killed after both unknowingly scam a courier for a numbers runner, a big New York boss. The grifter, Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) flees to Chicago, where he joins with has-been big-con expert Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman). The two work together to scam the New York boss, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw).
The con is on, with twists and turns that no good person can give away. If you have not seen The Sting, you are in for a treat. If you have seen The Sting, seeing it again is like visiting an old friend. The Sting is the first movie I ever saw twice as a child, once with my father, and the second time with both my mother and father. I’ve owned the laserdisc, two different DVD’s, and the HD-DVD.
The new transfer is a mixed bag. It looks fine on my 57-inch DLP set, but reports on Home Theater Forum complain about artificial softness present on large, projected displays. If your set is not too large, you won’t notice it.
Sound is DTS-HD MA 5.1. The original mono track is absent. Marvin Hamlish’s Scott Joplin ragtime music sounds great in 5.1. Dialogue is centered, as it should be.
Supplements were ported over from the 2005 DVD release in 4x3 480p, including a 3-part hour-long documentary called The Art of The Sting, and the post-Oscar theatrical trailer. New supplements in 16x9 1080p include 100 Years Of Universal: Restoring The Classics, 100 Years Of Universal: The ’70’s, and 100 Years of Universal: The Lot.
The DVD includes the movie and the 480p supplements. The digital copy can be redeemed with iTunes or Vudu, but not both.
The Sting is an all-time favorite movie. It’s a shame that Universal did not improve the picture quality, but for $12, I’ll live with it.