‘Cinematographer’ Blu-Ray Review – Filmmaking Documentary Unlocks A Deeper Level Of Humanity

A fascinating look at the art of filmmaking, including stories and clips from the making of some of the greatest films of the 70’s and 80’s. Focuses on several men who made a huge impact on a craft that’s vital to the making of any film.

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[youtube https://youtu.be/yORNQl9GAEo?t=2992]

Video Quality

Cinematographer comes to Blu-Ray from Lightyear Entertainment with a very pleasing high definition master that suits the material immensely well. This is a documentary about capturing a visual medium in an aesthetically pleasing manner, and it practices what it preaches. This is a film that features a good deal of different material in varying degrees of quality. Newer interview segments look incredibly crisp and clear with natural skin tones and some detailed facial features. There are some distinct textures that are captured on their skin and clothes that stand out. The colors on display have a lovely sense of vibrancy to them. The transfer does not succumb to any compression artifacts or digital nuisances of the sort. Lightyear Entertainment has delivered a quality presentation that should please any fan. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track and a LPCM 2.0 track that translates this material with the accuracy and fidelity you expect from a modern production. This primarily acts as an interview showcase with talking heads throughout, meaning you are not going to encounter much of anything that will push the limits of your system. The surround sound presentation does not open up things too forcefully, but it adds some space to the material. Dialogue is a focus in the center channel as you get stories from a variety of different participants. The archival clips do not feature much in the way of age-related wear, but not every moment utilized is from a pristine source. Overall, most should not have any complaints with this presentation. There are optional English subtitles provided.  

Special Features

There are no special features provided on this disc. 

Final Thoughts

Cinematographer is a terrifically enjoyable documentary that not only gives you juicy background details around one of the most important cinematic crafts, but it pushes beyond this simple conceit. We could listen to tales of old Hollywood all day, but these subjects are given a deeper humanity thanks to the lives they have lived and those they have impacted. Most of these stories are a bit bumpy, but the honesty that is brought to the proceedings makes the good they have done with their experiences all the more impactful. Lightyear & MVD Entertainment have released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features. If you are a film fan, this is a fascinating watch. Recommended 

Cinematographer is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Lightyear & MVD Entertainment have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.