PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Maradona

Maradona

If you create a user account, you can add your own review of this DVD

Released 23-Aug-2004

Cover Art

This review is sponsored by
BUY IT

Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Sports Additional Footage-The Best Of Maradona
Rating Rated E
Year Of Production ?
Running Time 56:55 (Case: 104)
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Ads Then Menu
Region Coding 1,2,3,4,5,6 Directed By None Given
Studio
Distributor
Visual Entertainment Group Starring None Given
Case Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI $29.95 Music None Given


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio None
16x9 Enhancement No
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    What an eccentric DVD production! Before discussing the actual content I should mention a few little 'features' of this disc:

    If none of this deters you then there is some worthwhile material here about the great soccer player, Diego Maradona. The main feature is a documentary which seems to have been produced for Italian television. The documentary is split into sections on the basis of the country where Maradona was resident at the time, rather than strictly chronologically, which is a little bizarre. In order these sections are:

    Most of the footage consists of game highlights but there are also some interview snippets with the man himself, which are illuminating in terms of his personality. The footage is accompanied by a voiceover (either in the original Italian or in English). The language used is quite flowery and does not contain any great insights into his technical ability. There are burned-in English subtitles for the interviews, however, all on-screen information such as team names and dates for matches are in Italian. Also every minute of the film is accompanied by a logo, presumably for the company which took the original footage. The logo changes for different pieces of footage.

    Basically, this is a highlights reel of Maradona's career, however, it is comprehensive with footage from every major competition he played in and many of his goals. If you are a fan of the man's soccer skills, this is a good keepsake of his career.

Don't wish to see plot synopses in the future? Change your configuration.

Transfer Quality

Video

    The video quality is generally poor, although some of the footage was reasonable.

    The feature is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio which is most likely the original aspect ratio.

    The picture was quite blurry and grainy at times and the best material could only be described as fair, probably mostly due to the source material (Argentinean, Spanish and Italian television from the 1970s to 1990s). The Italian material from his days in Napoli was probably the best but certainly nothing special.

    The colour was fairly poor with some significant bleeding on display and generally the colour lacked vibrancy.

    Artefacts are plentiful including tape tracking, microphony, some minor aliasing and lots of specks, flecks and marks.

    There are no subtitles other than burned in English subtitles for interviews. These were quite clear and easy to read.

    

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio quality is reasonable but mono.

    This DVD contains two audio options, an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack (although this was in Italian for the extras) and the same in Italian.

    Dialogue & the voiceover were clear and easy to understand.

    The music used during this production is eclectic to say the least, lurching from classical to hip hop to vocal jazz. Frankly, it was rather distracting.

    The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Menu

    The menu included a still photo of Maradona and a chapter selection function. Text on subsequent menus was in Italian only.

Calci Piazzati (2:22)

    This is a short collection of free kicks and penalties taken by Maradona over his career accompanied by music. Worth watching.

Napoli - Juventus (5:52)

    Extended highlights of a Serie A game between Napoli and Juventus in 1990. Commentary is in Italian only.

Stoccarda - Napoli (12:36)

    Extended highlights of the 1989 UEFA Cup Final between Stuttgart and Napoli. This was Napoli's sole UEFA Cup triumph to date. Commentary is in Italian.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    This disc is coded for all regions, however, seems only to be available in Region 4.

Summary

    An extended highlights reel of Maradona's career.

    The video quality is poor.

    The audio quality is reasonable but mono.

    The disc has some worthwhile extras of interest to fans.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Review Equipment
DVDPioneer DV667A DVD-V DVD-A SACD, using Component output
DisplaySony FD Trinitron Wega KV-AR34M36 80cm. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 576i (PAL)/480i (NTSC).
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials.
AmplificationPioneer VSX-511
SpeakersBose 201 Direct Reflecting (Front), Phillips SB680V (Surround), Phillips MX731 (Center), Yamaha YST SW90 (Sub)

Other Reviews NONE