Set in Nebraska in the 1920’s this story is based around the lives of barnstorming pilots trying to eke out a living after world war I
by performing to crowds and giving joy rides. Dwindling crowds leads to a rivalry between
Waldo Pepper (Robert Redford) and Alex Olsson (Svensson) that out of financial necessity
grows into a partnership and friendship. They tour around the country with a flying circus
and Waldo Pepper continually tries to bignote himself by telling tall stories about his
imaginary dogfight in World War I with Kessler (Brundin), a German ace flyer
Desperate to come up with new and more daring acts like
wing walking to attract the crowds Waldo and Alex embark on some wild plans and a
performance that has its successes but also its share of disastrous moments. Kessler is
now also performing in the US and the stakes grow even higher as Waldo tries to outdo the
one flyer he thinks is better than him. Eventually they cross paths which climaxes in a
rather spectacular aerial scene. |
So how does this DVD Scrub Up?
The feature is not presented in a widescreen anamorphic format, but appears in a 4:3
letter box (2.35:1 aspect ratio) format. As would be expected of an older movie
dating to the 1970’s the video is not of the same clarity expected of more recent
releases. There are several flecks on the original film but not too many to be annoying.
There are also some problems with the transfer. There are numerous minor artefacts,
especially in the flying scenes where parts of the plane (eg cables, wings) appear to
break up. There is also grain present throughout the movie and the images appear to be
just slightly enough out of focus to leave a blurry impression.
In general there is a wide selection of colours utilised
although several of the exterior scenes appear to be lacking intensity and depth to the
colour palette. There is good cinematography regarding the aerial footage. Stunts are not
of today’s standard but overall these scenes are still quite effective.
The layer change occurs at 55:45 which is mid scene but it
is very well executed as it was barely detectable with no noticeable pause in either audio
or visual. |
Presented only as a Dolby Digital 2.0 track the audio is
serviceable although a surround encoded track would obviously have been more effective,
particularly for the aerial and stunt scenes. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand and
is clearly audible over the sound of the plane engines.
The music responsibility is that of Henry Mancini and in
general it is unobtrusive but provides the necessary ambience and atmosphere to the flying
and more dramatic scenes. The musical score is also used very appropriately in that during
some of the complex aerial manoeuvres it is left to the engine sounds to provide the
dramatic backdrop rather than distracting the viewer with unnecessary music. |
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