One of the most exciting mid ‘70s thrillers, the all-star Robert Evans production of William Goldman’s novel MARATHON MAN (125 mins., 1976, R) became a box-office hit in the Fall of ‘76 and remains a suspenseful, superbly helmed ride from director John Schlesinger. One of many classics hitting 4K UHD this year, Kino Lorber’s new 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative results in a marvelous transfer with Dolby Vision HDR, adding fresh layers to Conrad Hall’s cinematography, including enhanced depth and shading absent from previous home video releases, even Paramount’s earlier Blu-Ray.
Mostly shot on-location in New York City, “Marathon Man”’s authentic “you are there” surroundings add immeasurably to its story of a grad student (Dustin Hoffman) becoming involved with his brother’s (Roy Scheider) secretive government work. This involves being a courier for diamonds being sold by an infamous Nazi (Laurence Olivier) living in seclusion in the South American jungle; however, after his brother’s death in NYC, Olivier’s Szell decides to come to America to access his diamond cache, taking out government agents he’s aligned with and Hoffman himself, even though he doesn’t have a good answer when Olivier asks “is it safe?”
Co-starring William Devane as Scheider’s untrustworthy fellow agent and Marthe Keller as a Swiss student (or is she?) Hoffman becomes involved with, “Marathon Man” was based on Goldman’s 1974 novel, one that was immediately snapped up by Paramount and Evans, who put film into production with an A-grade cast across the board. The resulting film is creepy, fast-moving and top-rate in every facet, from its performances to Michael Small’s dramatic score and Hall’s cinematography.
We’ve seen numerous catalog UHD releases already this year and Kino Lorber’s Dolby Vision HDR presentation of “Marathon Man” is unquestionably one of the best. Colors are a little more intense but it’s the difference in contrast that marks this as a truly superior image to previous editions of “Marathon Man,” which appeared flat and fairly ordinary in previous home video transfers. The off-kilter mood of the film and Hall’s work are enriched by this outstanding release (1.85), which also includes a Blu-Ray derived from the same 4K OCN scan and both 5.1/2.0 stereo mixes. Note the film was originally released in mono but this Paramount DVD-era remix is superb in its imaging and sound stage, with Small’s score a beneficiary of the enhanced stereo surround field.
Kino Lorber has included an enjoyable new commentary from one of my favorite disc duos, Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson, that offers insight into the film and especially its NYC location shooting (with a little L.A. thrown into the mix). Other extras have been carried over from the DVD release including a vintage Making Of hosted by Evans, rehearsal footage, the trailer, and a 2001 retrospective Making Of sporting interviews with Hoffman, Scheider, Keller and Goldman. A highly recommended package for an exciting film that manages to maintain its suspense even on repeat viewing.
