There are no problems with either chroma noise or color bleeding anywhere during the presentation. Blacks are accurately reproduced, although there are one or two moments where the blacks do appear a shade below the reference level. Shadow detail is quite good, although it is not outstanding. Dual layer authoring eliminates all perceivable traces of digital compression artifacts. The Dolby Digital 5.1 channel soundtrack has a simple, naturalistic mix, which I found to be very pleasant.
Dialogue is the main component of the mix and it flawlessly recorded and reproduced.
Directional effects aren t used aggressively, and those that do exist, seem to be localized primarily in the forward soundstage. Ambient sounds are subtlety placed in the rear channels, giving the mix an effortless, transparent quality. Original fifties music plays an important part in the movie, as well as on the soundtrack, and the songs are well integrated into the mix. Also, the musical score by Andrea Morricone is beautifully recorded and mixed into the soundtrack. There is very little call for bass reproduction in the sound design, although on the few occasions it is required, the bass channel more than admirably meets the task.