The Swiss Conspiracy appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. While it didn’t excel, the image held up fairly well.
Overall delineation seemed positive. The movie didn’t often come across as razor sharp, but only minor signs of softness materialized, and the film usually exhibited more than reasonable accuracy.
No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects occurred, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain felt natural and I detected no print flaws.
Colors leaned a little toward a rusty brown, but the elements generally seemed fine. Although the hues never stood out as impactful, they felt more than acceptable.
Shadows brought fairly solid clarity, though blacks could feel somewhat crushed. This became a more than respectable image but not one that dazzled.
One also shouldn’t expect much from the ordinary DTS-HD MA monaural soundtrack of Swiss. Speech tended to seem a bit thick and dense, but the lines remained intelligible and without much edginess.
Neither effects nor music showed much range, and they could seem a bit shrill or rough at times. Nonetheless, they remained adequate given the age of the mix, so this ended up as a perfectly acceptable mix for a movie from the mid-1970s.
A few extras fill out the disc and we get an audio commentary from film historian Robert Kelly and podcaster Daniel Budnik. cast and crew, story/characters, the novelization, the film's reception, and their thoughts about it.
That last topic dominates, as we largely get the participants' take on the movie. It doesn't become MST3K treatment, as the guys seem to like the film, but they goof on it some.
Would I prefer more actual facts about the production? Sure, but this still becomes a pretty lively and fun chat, so I don't mind the semi-lack of actual filmmaking insights.
The Lost Years goes for 14 minutes, 37 seconds. It brings notes from film historian Ted Newsom and biographer Dana M. Reemes.
“Years” covers the career of director Jack Arnold, with an emphasis on his work after his stint at Universal. We get a good little overview.
A visual essay called A Three Dimensional Filmmaker spans 28 minutes, 26 seconds. It involves film historians Michael Shuman and Kristopher Woofter.
They deliver a broader take on Arnold’s work across his time in movies, with more of an emphasis on his style as a filmmaker. Expect another informative reel.
Two trailers appear, though we really get the same clip twice. We see the promo in faded form as well as a restored version.
Finally, we wrap with a booklet that provides art, photos and an essay from film historian Lee Pfeiffer. This completes the set in a positive manner.
A cynical thriller from arguably that genre’s golden age, The Swiss Conspiracy fails to live up to its peers. The movie lacks drama or real intrigue. The Blu-ray comes with fairly good picture, acceptable audio and a small mix of bonus materials. Chalk up Swiss as a forgettable flick.