Hell In The Pacific

Hell In The Pacific

DVD Rating: *

Reviewed by: Keith Hennessey Brown

Read Keith Hennessey Brown's film review of Hell In The Pacific

The transfer of Hell in the Pacific is clean with few scratches or artefacts given the films vintage, and the sound is clear.

Inexcusably, however, the film settles into 4:3 pan and scan mode after the widescreen credits. Consequently one doesn't get a full sense of Boorman's compositions and claustrophobic close-ups come to dominate at the expense of agorophobic panoramas and tracking shots.

Copy picture

As one would expect, the disc has little in the way of extras. There are brief biographies of the two stars and a tiny stills gallery.

The extras also include some "original production notes" dating from 1968. In fact, the genesis of this Japanese-American co-production was rather more interesting than these let on, with different endings being shot and shown in the two territories.

The pan and scan presentation, coupled with the lack of the alternative ending, makes it hard to recommend this region 2 DVD over the US region-free release available on import.

The pan and scan presentation, coupled with the lack of the alternative ending, makes it hard to recommend this region 2 DVD over the US region-free release available on import.

Reviewed on: 31 Aug 2001
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Hell In The Pacific packshot
Two soldiers on opposite sides bury differences and work together to escape desert island.
Amazon link

Region: 2

Ratio: 4:3 full frame

Sound: 2.0 Dolby Digital

Extras: scene access, production notes, Lee Marvin biography and quotes, Toshiro Mifune biography and quotes, still gallery.


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