7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In fourth-century Roman Egypt, a time of religious division and conflict, the slave Davus turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hope of achieving freedom. He also falls deeply in love with his master, Hypatia of Alexandria, a famous female philosopher, mathematician, astronomer, and atheist.
Starring: Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Ashraf Barhom, Michael LonsdaleHistory | 100% |
Drama | 89% |
Romance | 46% |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
English: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
French
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy (as download)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of seven Goya awards, Alejandro Amenabar's "Agora" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers-France. The supplemental features on the disc include a gallery of deleted scenes, making of featurette, the film's original theatrical trailer, and cast and crew information. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Guarding the Agora
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.36:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alejandro Amenabar's Agora arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers-France.
This is an impressive high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is excellent, clarity pleasing and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme does not disappoint either - yellows, blues, greens, reds, browns, blacks and whites look lush and natural. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not an issue of concern. I also did not see any traces of heavy noise-filtering, aliasing and banding. Additionally, blown through a digital projector the high-definition transfer conveys outstanding depth and tightness. Finally, I did not see any flecks, scratches, marks, stains, or dirt to report in this review. All in all, this is a very strong, competent high-definition transfer. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are four different audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French Dolby TrueHD 2.0 and English Dolby TrueHD 2.0. For the record, Warner Brothers have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the image frame and the black bar below it.
The English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track is terrific. The bass is potent and punchy, the rear channels intelligently used and the high-frequencies not overdone. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable and exceptionally easy to follow. Dario Marianelli's fantastic music score also benefits tremendously from the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. In fact, some of the most memorable scenes in Agora are the ones where Marianelli's score comes alive.
I tested a few scenes with the English Dolby TrueHD 2.0 track to see how it compares with the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. Generally speaking, the Dolby TrueHD 2.0 track lacks the depth and fluidity of the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. The English Dolby TrueHD 2.0 definitely does not enhance Marianelli's score as well as the English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track does.
Note: Most of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray disc are encoded in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America, or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player capable of converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.
Making of - Director Alejandro Amenabar, cast and crew members, and various scholars discuss the fascinating history of the real Agora. The featurette also contains an abundance of raw footage from the shooting of the film in Malta. In Spanish, with optional French subtitles. (61 min).
Deleted scenes -
-- Prologue (3 min).
-- Discussion sur Hypatie (2 min).
-- Davus Prie (1 min).
-- Vie des parabalani (2 min).
-- Ammonius blesse (2 min).
-- Arrivee a la ceremonie (1 min).
-- Discours de synesios (2 min).
Bande-annonce - the original theatrical trailer for the film. In French. (1080p).
Fiche artistique - cast and characters information.
Fiche techniqie - technical crew information.
At least in the United States, Alejandro Amenabar's Agora will suffer the same fate Henry Bean's The Believer did. This is an extremely bold and uncompromising film that delivers a history lesson many people will conveniently disregard - and move on claiming that it is flawed. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Warner Brothers-France, looks and sounds terrific. It is, however, Region-B "locked". VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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