The Sting [Blu-ray]

I rewatch this movie every decade or so. Always a great movie! Newman and Redford (RIP) are a great team!

It was really no surprise when "The Sting" won the Academy Award for best picture of 1973. A great story with a wonderful twist ending and an unbeatable cast: Charles During, Ray Walton, Eileen Brennan, Harold Gould and headed by Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw. Most of all we have a film that accurately reproduces the atmosphere of the times in which it is set -- the Depression of the 1930s. This is certainly one of the great films to come out of Hollywood. Now we have this classic movie available in the Blu-ray format with great picture and sound. Being an audiophile of many years, I tend to notice the improvements in the audio first. Here, the title music has been remixed in stereo to provide a great improvement. The piano introduces the original Joplin theme and then the small orchestra comes in with great presence and power. The rhythmic nature of the music is notably enhanced by the power of the tuba, traditionally used in popular music of that time, although it is necessary to point out that ragtime music used exclusively in this film had long gone out of style by the 1930s. No matter -- it works perfectly here. The film uses sound stage interiors and sets, and beautiful sets they are depicting the Chicago Loop and buildings true to the time of the film and beautifully reproduced in Blu-ray clarity. For the sake of the one or two people in the world who haven't seen this movie, I won't go into the finish. My favorite scene in this, and probably any other movie, is the conclusion of the poker game between Newman and Shaw on board the train to Chicago. Shaw has managed to sneak in a stacked deck ultimately dealing himself four nines and Newman four treys. He raises Newman's bet by $10,000 and, a little hesitant and slightly frowning, Newman sees the raise. Smiling, Shaw lays down his nines certain that he has won. Newman pauses for a second or two and then lays down his hand smiling and saying, "Four Jacks. You own me $10,000, pal." When I first saw this film in a theater, the audience was quiet for a few seconds until they realized what had happened. Then they began to howl with laughter. It's still the best played scene I've ever seen in a film. The expression on Shaw's face as he looks down at Newman's cards is unforgettable. I doesn't matter how many times I've bought this movie in various formats, the Blu-ray is worth it -- I know I'll be watching it again.

Great 4k transfer and several bonus features

A very good Sting.

At the time of its release in 1973, THE STING was considered the inferior of the two Newman/Redford buddy pictures (the other being BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID released in 1969), but that general consensus has reversed today. THE STING is one of those movies that if you haven't seen yet, you should experience on your own without reading a single review. There is a reason why this movie won the Oscar for best screenplay and it would spoil the fun to have the plot synopsis in your head before you actually experience the film on your own. So, what to review here? The DVD itself and the film has been lovely restored. The picture is quite sharp and the colors have never looked better as can be seen when compared to the theatrical trailer included in this set. As another reviewer noted, there is a slight frame jump just after the opening credits end, but that's about it. Having just the film on disc 1 shows the care with which Universal did the transfer, there are no compression tricks needed to put just a single 2hr 10 min movie on a dual-layer disc. Moreover the sound quality is excellent with even the gunfire showing the subtle dynamics of recoil and not the typical flat "bang" (again, compare with the trailer). The framing is 1.85:1, the same as in the release shown in theaters. The "extras" on this set are a bit paltry and this is where it missed a 5-star review. The second disc contains a trailer (which unfortunately is from the re-release, where is the original?), some production notes, and a 1 hour "making of" feature. This feature includes interviews with Newman and Redford, as well as Eileen Brennan, Charles Durning, Dimitra Arliss (who plays the minor character Loretta), and Ray Walston (who died in 2001). The supporting actors recollections are just as, if not more, insightful than the leads. The writer, David Ward, and the music adapter, Marvin Hamlisch, also are included. Hamlisch doesn't offer much more than the usual comments about the ragtime music not being from the period of the film, but it is fascinating to hear that it was George Roy Hill's (the director) idea to go in this direction. Ward wanted the music to be bluesy! While the recollections are nice, it's a shame that David Ward did not do an audio commentary to the film. His screenplay drives everything and so, despite not having George Roy Hill around for a commentary track (he died in 2002), it would have been fascinating to hear Ward's thoughts on every plot point. Some of these topics are raised in his interview but I would have liked even more. As a two-disc set, this is a bit pricey, but with a fantastic transfer worth it. Just don't expect much from the second disc. Finally, if you enjoyed this picture, you might want to consider checking out HOUSE OF GAMES, which is also about conmen but with a far more brooding tone.

Entertaining and well-written film with a great plot. Super performances from the two leads, wonderful period costumes and sets. Holds up over time and is one of those movies you can always enjoy watching again.

Good movie

Excelente calidad de audio y video de una película clásica.

extraordinaria pelicula

perfect

IMPERDIBILE PER COLLEZIONISTI-CONFEZIONE BELLISSIMA CON IMMAGINI INEDITE NEL BOOKLET-CONSIGLIATO

Super film de 1973 qui nous plonge dans les rouages d'une ARNAQUE rondement menée et intelligemment ficelée. À Chicago en 1936, un ambitieux jeune aigrefin (Robert REDFORD) s'associe à un vétéran de l'escroquerie (Paul NEWMAN) afin de se venger d'un vicieux forban (Robert SHAW) qui a assassiné son mentor. La manière dont ce duo de filous conçoit une ARNAQUE à son ennemi relève de la plus grande entourloupe de l'histoire du cinéma, le tout couronné par une fin incroyable et surprenante. Le tandem REDFORD-NEWMAN fonctionne merveilleusement bien pour la seconde fois (la première fois étant dans le film "Butch Cassidy et le Kid" en 1969 !) et l'on retrouve deux excellents acteurs hélas décédés depuis : Robert SHAW (" Les Dents de la mer ") et Dana ELCAR (série " MacGyver " de 1985).