Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

45 Years Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 5, 2017

Winner of Silver Berlin Bear Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, Andrew Haigh's "45 Years" (2015) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary with Andrew Haigh and Tristan Goligher; exclusive new video interview with author and poet David Constantine; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Ella Taylor. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You have a letter

From afar it seems like their relationship is as strong as it has ever been. They have grown older but have not stopped loving each other. They both look happy.

But a letter, written in German, reveals a weakness. The letter is addressed to Geoff (Tom Courtenay, Doctor Zhivago, Billy Liar) and confirms that someone has discovered the body of a woman in a glacier somewhere in the Swiss mountains. The woman has been dead for more than forty-five years, but her body is in perfect condition.

The letter upsets Kate (Charlotte Rampling, Night Train to Lisbon, Swimming Pool) but she tries to remain calm before Geoff. They never met but Kate knows the woman -- Geoff was madly in love with her before he married Kate. It took them a long time to remove her from their relationship, but the letter has brought her back in.

In a few days Geoff and Kate are supposed to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but the letter has killed their desire to be part of their own party and now all they want to do is be alone with their thoughts. They do not want to openly admit it, but the letter has also made them question their love. Was it as pure as they thought it was? Was it as strong as they assumed it was? And was it the love they wanted to experience while they could still choose a direction in their lives?

Andrew Haigh’s latest film, 45 Years, is deceivingly simple. Initially, it seems like it will chronicle a fairly predictable phase of a long relationship that has been tested many times over the years. As Geoff and Kate begin discussing the letter it becomes clear that they trust each other and know exactly how the other would react; after forty-five years of marriage they feel that nothing can surprise them anymore. But the honest answers do and they both begin reevaluating their relationship.

Then more surprises emerge that gradually force Geoff and Kate out of their comfort zones. Now they look quite awkward because people like them are already immune to the pain of love and loss -- or are they?

The final act is very fluid and gives the viewer the freedom to decide the future of Geoff and Kate’s relationship. There are three, possibly even four different scenarios that would make perfect sense. The best one will vary between viewers from different age groups.

Courtenay and Rampling are wonderful together. There is warmth and sincerity between them that will surely force some viewers to compare their characters to Erland Josephson and Liv Ullmann’s characters in Ingmar Bergman’s Saraband.

The film has an appropriately casual atmosphere, but there are a few sequences where some panoramic shots linger a bit too long. They don’t come as naturally as they were obviously intended and as a result the desired effect is lost.

The film does not have a prominent soundtrack, but music has an essential role in it. In one of the best sequences Rampling performs a beautiful piano piece by Liszt.

45 Years Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrew Haigh's 45 Years arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. The film features a fully digital soundtrack. The 5.1 surround audio for this release was mastered from the original digital audio master using Pro Tools HD.

Colorist: Jodie Davidson/Technicolor, London."

My guess is that there is only one digital master for this film -- which has been approved by director Andrew Haigh -- because I can't see any notable differences between this upcoming release and this release from Curzon Artificial Eye that we reviewed last year. In terms of detail, clarity and image depth the two appear to be virtually identical. There are no discrepancies in the color grading either -- the primaries, the nuances, and the brightness settings are the same. Obviously, this is very good news because when I viewed the Region-B release I thought that the film looked terrific in high-definition. I must mention, however, that the few artifacts that I spotted on the first release are not visible here. (The gamma levels are also properly encoded). (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

45 Years Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film has a fully digital soundtrack that is unlikely to impress folks that appreciate the active sound designs that big blockbusters have, but this is how the film was shot. The dialog is always clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. There are no mastering anomalies to report.

45 Years Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original Sundance Select theatrical trailer for 45 Years. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• The Making of 45 Years - this exclusive new documentary takes a closer look at the production history of 45 Years. Included in it are clips from new interviews with director Andrew Haigh, Tom Courtenay (Geoff), Charlotte Rampling (Kate), producer Tristan Goligher, and editor Jonathan Alberts, amongst others. The documentary was produced by Criterion in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (37 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, director Andrew Haigh and producer Tristan Goligher explain in detail detail where and how different sequences from 45 Years were shot, and discuss important editing choices, the different dilemmas the two characters face as their relationship evolves, the interesting finale, etc. The commentary was recorded in 2015.

• David Constantine - in this new video interview, author and poet David Constantine discusses Andrew Haigh's adaptation of his short story, In Another Country, and some of the changes that were made in 45 years. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Ella Taylor.

45 Years Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Andrew Haigh's new film will make you think what it means to be in love and question whether true love can last forever. If you are really honest with yourself, it is almost certain that you are going to come up with a few surprising answers, and then ponder a few of the dilemmas the two protagonists are presented with. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release features new bonus features that are not available on previous releases of the film. RECOMMENDED.