Robert A. Harris:
I've always enjoyed (and respected) Kenneth Branagh's work, and that continues with his (first?) three loose adaptations of the work of Agatha Christie.
A Haunting in Venice is viscerally quite different from the previous two - Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022), in that the earlier two were photographed using 65mm film, or a combination of 65mm and high resolution digital.
All three were shot by Harris Zambarloukos, and for the third he chose to go digital.
For those who may be unaware of Ms Christie, she was a writer of mysteries - who-done-its - and her most famous is probably And Then There Were None. One might presume that Mr. Branagh will eventually cover her entire output, which would be a good thing.
A Haunting in Venice, even though it was released as a 4k DCP, has arrived via Fox/Disney as "only" a Blu-ray, but that Blu-ray is of the first order. Colors, densities, all beautifully rendered, and nice blacks besides.
An intelligent, high-end piece of work, and great fun, in the mode of Knives Out - again for those who are unaware of Christie.
And now for the facts that everyone is awaiting. There's no mystery that Disney has created a wonderful slipcover for the First Edition.
Designed elegantly, with a matte finish, and inks set over a reflective background, creating an overall iridescent appearance, especially within the skyline of the upper quadrant of the obverse.
On top of that, the image is embossed on five or six levels, with the title logo set off higher than other areas, in pearlescent gold. I've requested that my corporate subsidiary, which sells rare home video packaging on eBay and other areas order five hundred copies. This could be part of the slipcover gold rush of 2023-24.
Image – 5
Audio – 5 (DTS-HD MA 7.1)
Pass / Fail – Pass
Plays nicely with projectors - Yes
Worth your attention - 7.5
Slipcover rating - 5
Highly Recommended