Dom Robinson reviews
Michael Jackson
HIS tory On Film Vol.II
Distributed by
Cat.no: 501389
Cert: E
Running time: 107 minutes
Year: 1997
Pressing: 1998
Region(s): 2, PAL
Chapters: 16 plus extras
Sound: Dolby Surround (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Languages: English
Subtitles: English lyrics available
Promo videos presented in different, respective ratios
16:9-enhanced: No
Macrovision: No
Disc Format: DVD 10
Price: £19.99
Extras : Scene index
Michael Jackson: History On Film Volume II Smooth Criminal,
Beat It, Stranger In Moscow, Earth Song and Thriller , the latter
of which has appeared in its own 15-certificate video before so it's interesting
that the overall package is exempt from certification, although a number of
music titles with strong language or adult content have also done the same.
The picture quality is the best I've ever seen for a UK DVD with not a hint
of artifacts on display and a superb transfer given the age of some of these
clips. The average bitrate is an extremely high 9.7Mb/s on side one and 8.91Mb/s
on side two. Given that most of the promos are 4:3, the disc is obviously not
anamorphic - a process used for prints with a ratio of 16:9 or wider which
allows extra resolution on widescreen televisions.
The sound is also reproduced brilliantly and options for Stereo and Dolby
Digital 2.0 (Dolby Surround) are available.
Extras :
Chapters :
There are 16 chapters, one for each song as well as the intro and the outro
sequences. The track listing is as follows :
Side One
1. Programme Start
Side Two
1. Scream
Languages/Subtitles :
As you'd expect all the songs are sung in English, or their native language
depending on the song such as part of Liberian Girl . What I didn't expect,
is that lyrics are an option. As expected, they're in English, but unexpectedly
they also include any extra dialogue from characters onscreen.
The lyrics are great for working out what Wacko Jacko's on about and I'm sure
that They Don't Really Care About Us was once used for the 'Guess The
Lyrics' round in BBC2's Never Mind The Buzzcocks .
Menu :
The menu is static and functional. Navigation between the different sub-menus
is easy.
Overall, this DVD is of course going to be mainly of interest to big fans
of Michael Jackson's work, but it's also worth a purchase for anyone who wants
an exceptional demo disc with which to show off their system - not to mention
anyone who wants the full-length promo for Thriller on the best format
possible.
If I had any complaints, the first would be to ask why programme is split over
two sides but given the high bitrate and excellent quality, I'm more than happy
to overlook that. Some notes on MJ's career would be of interest too,
considering that he's had plenty of "HIStory".
Now that this has been released, I'd like to see a DVD released to mirror the
VHS Volume I compilation which includes the promo for Billie Jean as
well as Black Or White, The Way You Make Me Feel and Bad .
FILM : *****
PICTURE QUALITY : *****
SOUND QUALITY : *****
EXTRAS : 0
-------------------------------
OVERALL : ****
Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1999.
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