Review of Gol Maal

Introduction

One of my favourite comedies of all time, this film still has many influences on comedy films made by directors like David Dhawan, Kamal Hassan and Vimal Kumar. But Golmaal still continues to make new audiences laugh with its clever screenplay and situations. The technical values are still pretty good for a film well beyond 20 years old and it displays a bit of nostalgia as it`s based during the heavy set era of the seventies with its flowery wallpaper and extreme flairy trousers. It also helps enhance the films situation and complex plot, making it a timeless classic in the years to come.

The songs are memorable and acting from all the cast are brilliant, complementing both themselves and the script by not dumbing it down. The performance of the two actors, Utpal Dutt and Amol Palekar, provide fine comic timing and delivery with confrontations and dialogue which will have you in stitches! You won`t regret watching this movie.

Video

The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 (fullscreen 4:3). The print shows small signs of wear and tear in the form of small dust particles appearing on the transfer. But for a film that is 20 years old it sure is in good condition. Besides, the wear and tear doesn`t interrupt viewing. Only during intermission it becomes a little extreme but this can be forgiven as it`s seen during a reel change which is always the most affected part of the print on any aged film.

The picture shows no signs of artefact or grain. The overall image is quite sharp and clear, detailing neat picture information. Shimmering is at a minimum, only to be found on cross coded shirts giving an overall strobing effect. Colour fidelity is brilliant for a film this age, preserving the fine Eastman colour that the film was printed on.

Dark levels are fine and contrasts are spot on, displaying many shades of light that were lost on the VHS version. The movie was mastered from its original negative as the detail and quality show.

If any disturbances or nitpicking can be found then during some parts of the film the picture tends to lightly jump up and down due to the terrible state of the film negative.

Audio

The sound is presented in its original format, mono, doing its job in giving precise information that accompanies this film. However sometimes the sound does present some hissing and crackling and at times sounds a little lower then usual. But this can be forgiven for the films age. Also these minor defects are limited and don`t interrupt your viewing of the film.

Features

Menus are well animated and are easy to navigate. There are no extras on this DVD as the film has a lengthy running time and a high average bit rate transfer, which goes to a whooping 8Mbit/sec nearly half the time. This is a plus point as the much need space goes to the quality presentation of the film.

Conclusion

A classic that MUST be in your collection for the content of the film and quality of this fab DVD. On a side note this movie was also released by T-series on DVD, which displays more wear and tear on the print with nasty artefacts with plenty of grain and chrome noises. Indeed it was a poor DVD. So if you do decide to purchase this film on DVD then buy the DEI version.