Angela's Ashes Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Angela's Ashes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 13, 2020

Note: Paramount is offering several older films which are being released on BD-R through Amazon, but which are reportedly (based on our Forum) available as pressed discs from other retailers. This review disc came from Amazon, and our link points to Amazon, so the spec states BD-R.

There have been many books and films documenting the immigrant experience, and in fact there have been many books and films documenting the Irish immigrant experience, but at least a couple of the films in that second subset, including this film and the much more recent Brooklyn, depict Irish characters who manage to get to the United States, only to find out that the so-called “American Dream” is for one reason or another out of reach, forcing them to return to their homeland (at least for a little while in some characters' instances). Angela’s Ashes is decidedly more dour and arguably a good deal more histrionic than the somewhat more reserved Brooklyn, perhaps due at least in part to the fact that Angela’s Ashes was (supposedly) based on author Frank McCourt’s own life, whereas Brooklyn was a (supposedly) fictional account written by Colm Tóibín. Both McCourt and cinematic co-adapter and director Alan Parker have subsequently gone on record as stating that some of Angela’s Ashes may include “dramatizations” or perhaps even outright fabrications, which may undercut the film’s emotional authenticity for some, but which may not completely curtail the rather visceral impact offered by the film’s delineation of almost Job level traumas suffered by the McCourt family.

While the film is told pretty resolutely from the viewpoint of Frank McCourt (played by Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens and Michael Legge at various ages), the film, as evidenced by its very title, can’t help but focus on the trials of Frank’s put upon mother Angela (Emily Watson). Angela is married to Malachy McCourt (Robert Carlyle), a basically well meaning but addled individual who has trouble keeping a job, due at least in part to his troubled “relationship” with alcohol. The film is almost relentlessly depressing as a result, with the adult McCourts struggling mightily to provide some reasonable sense of security to their growing family (despite their economic woes, and due no doubt in part to Angela's devout Catholic faith, Angela just keeps on having babies throughout the story).

Angela’s Ashes details the McCourts’ failure in making the American Dream a reality almost in passing, spending the bulk of its time in the rainy, downtrodden climes of Ireland, where unfortunately things aren’t much better, and in fact become probably demonstrably worse over the course of time. There’s a curious disconnect to this film, though, especially considering how sad so many of the events are. While some critics have assailed McCourt for “inventing” his history (or at least parts of it), what’s so odd about this film version is how distant it can seem from the events it’s offering, even when those events are often heartwrenching. To cite just one example, more than one of the McCourts’ children die during the film (as so often happened back in the days of increased infant mortality), but there’s a curious lack of emotionality to these deaths, even with scenes of distraught characters attending funerals.

What's kind of especially unusual about this is that there are several fine performances in the film, even if the unrelenting negativity often reduces them to reacting to the latest crisis, and some of the writing isn't always supportive. Robert Carlyle's strongest moment is arguably at the very beginning of the film, where he greets his first daughter after years of boys, but the character can seem almost churlish later in the film with an almost cavalier attitude about the havoc he's wreaking on his own family, and Carlyle perhaps can't overcome that deficit. Watson is stolid and un-selfconscious in detailing the tragic aspects of Angela, and the three kids playing Frank (especially the "bookends") do really fine work. But the film seems too mannered at times for such overheated passions, and it seems at times that it's almost as if production design is being substituted for a real connection to the characters. Still, the film builds to a reasonably effective catharsis, even though one fears that Frank may be jumping out of the fire and directly in an ostensibly "new and improved" frying pan.

Angela's Ashes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Angela's Ashes is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is another relatively recent Paramount release of an older film, joining On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Funeral in Berlin, which doesn't appear to have undergone much substantial if any restoration. This release resembles Funeral in Berlin in having a slightly processed, digital "electronic" look some of the time, and it also has a few of the same kinds of blemishes that are much more prevalent in the optical laden On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. The film is intentionally graded and lit toward cool tones quite a bit of the time, with whole swaths of the story playing out in teals and blues, and unfortunately fine detail can ebb in these scenes. There are bursts of warmth where the palette perks up considerably and fine detail is at least marginally improved, as in the resolution of the herringbone pattern on the jacket little Frank wears or even some later scenes with the somewhat older Frank. That said, densities are variable at times, and the opening of the film in particular almost looks desaturated at certain moments. Grain can look slightly processed at times as well, as can perhaps be made out in some of the screenshots accompanying this review.

Angela's Ashes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Angela's Ashes benefits from a nicely effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. From the opening scenes to several later moments, torrential rainfall often enters the fray, and ambient environmental sounds are often realistically placed around the soundstage. Even some of the more cloistered environments, like some of the downright hovels that the McCourt family finds itself ensconced in, can offer very smart discrete channelization of individual effects, as in noises from nearby spaces. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented, though some may want to avail themselves of the optional English subtitles to help decipher some of the heavier brogues. One of the undisputed glories of this film is its gorgeous, elegiac score by John Williams (which received the film's sole Academy Award nomination, perhaps surprisingly given the fact that this would seem to be an actor's showcase with the imprimatur of a Pulitzer Prize for its source), and it sounds burnished and full bodied throughout this problem free track.

Angela's Ashes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Alan Parker


• Audio Commentary with Author Frank McCourt

Angela's Ashes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think if Angela's Ashes had shorn itself of at least a half an hour (it clocks in at around two and half hours), and tried to contextualize Malachy's issues in particular a bit better, it may have paid off more in the long run. This is one of those misfires where you just kind of sense things aren't working even as you recognize some of the fine performances and other technical achievements the film offers. Video has some hurdles to overcome, but audio sounds great, and this release, unlike On a Clear Day You Can See Forever or Funeral in Berlin, offers at least some supplemental content, for those who are considering a purchase.