DVD Only Review:Nixon

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The DVD:

VIDEO: A pretty good 2.35:1 transfer from Disney. The image is a little on the soft side and occasionally, there are some slight artifacts visible. There's a lot of different styles going on, from black and white to low-light and shadows, to bright daylight and the list goes on, but throughout, I was pleased with the image quality on this disc. Even the image during some of the smoke-filled rooms look smooth, with nice shadow detail. The only thing that I really disliked here was I wish the image was a little less soft. In terms of the colors, this disc does a nice job capturing the wide range of tones that this film tries for and blacks in the image look solid and deep. Flesh tones are natural as well. It's not perfect and unfortunately, it's non-anamorphic, but those who really want to see this film no matter what on DVD should be fairly pleased with the quality.

SOUND: A really fantastic sound mix. There are frequent, effective use of the surrounds and some really cool effects, such as during some of Nixon's speeches, where the sound echos through the speakers in wonderful detail. There are also a few scenes that involve large crowds and the crowd noise is completely enveloping, making you feel as if you're in the middle of it all. There's also some deep, rich rumbles of bass, such as the scene at the horse race. Even when the film is simply dialogue, the dialogue sounds natural and clear. What's really great is the John Williams score, which sounds fierce, clear and stunning throughout.

MENUS: Basic film-themed menus. The usual Disney menus, in other words.

EXTRAS:Nothing. I thought that there was extra footage and an interview included on the video edition. If so, it didn't end up on this DVD.

GRADES:
The Film: 93/A = (465/500 possible points)
Video: 85/B = (340/400 possible points)
Audio: 94/A = (376/400 possible points)
Extras: 0/F = (0/300 possible points)
Menus: 75/C = (150/200 possible points)
Value: 68/D = (204/300 possible points)
Presentation:63.5/D = (63.5/100 possible points)

TOTAL POINTS:1598.5/2200
Overall:72.65%/C
Final Thoughts: Great film, good video and fantastic audio, but yet another Disney disc that's non-anamorphic, doesn't even have a trailer and still costs $29.95. This isn't bad- it's certainly better than some of the other older Disney titles that I reviewed a couple months ago, but I just wish that Disney would present their films better- for instance, it would have been nice to have the extra footage included.

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DVD Information

Nixon
Hollywood Pictures Home Video
2.35:1/ Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:English
191 Minutes
Dual Layer:Yes
Rated:R
Release Date:6/15/99
Anamorphic:No
Region:1