Arthur & George Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Arthur & George Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 17, 2015

“Arthur & George” presents a plateful of comfort food for the “Masterpiece Mystery” crowd, imagining a time when “Sherlock Holmes” author Arthur Conan Doyle (Martin Clunes), growing fatigued with his legacy as a mystery writer, elects to crack a real life case of murder to recharge his creative batteries and snap out of depression. “Arthur & George” (adapted from a 2005 novel by Julian Barnes) tracks his experience in the wild, joined by butler Alfred (Charles Edwards), with the pair venturing into the unknown to help George (Arsher Ali), a potentially innocent man, clear his name.

The ingredients of the show (spanning only three episodes) are simple, establishing a ghoulish crime of animal slaughter, with poor George the fall guy for the wicked deed. Doyle, grieving over the loss of wife and dealing with complications from his mistress, decides to turn real-world detective, embarking on an investigation that includes a series of charged interviews with hostile locals, and clue hunting in the shadows, giving the author a shot to prove his mettle with a complex case involving bigotry and the illusion of black magic.

Arthur & George Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation retains an intentional period softness and glow, with cinematographic choices registering accurately during the viewing experience. Sharpness is healthy, with excellent detail on thespian faces and interior decoration, delivering textures and a sense of the era, while costuming also retain fibrous particulars. Colors are satisfactory, with bold greenery and varied location hues, while skintones are natural. Delineation has a few challenging moments, but solidification is rare, making sense out of the show's habitual use of natural light. Mild banding is periodically detected.

Arthur & George Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries standard authority for a PBS release, with dialogue exchanges taking top priority during the series. Voices are deep and true, with ideal clarity on accents and crisp dramatic ranges -- nothing slips into distortive extremes. Scoring isn't remarkable, but it supports as intended, only stepping up to carry the moment when needed. Atmospherics are fresh, with echoed interiors and defined environmental changes.

Arthur & George Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this disc.

Arthur & George Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The charms of "Arthur & George" are predictable, with performances displaying customary dominance, finding Clunes sharp and aware as Doyle, leading a cast that seldom drops the ball when it comes to the dramatic rage of the series. While "Arthur & George" rarely escalates into a true nail-biter, it remains engaging with provocative plotting and helpings of intrigue, finding a reliable rhythm that typically carries these productions. There's little here that shocks, but the show isn't dull, understanding the value of brevity as it establishes Doyle's hunger for mystery and his quest to help George in less than three hours. For those with an insatiable appetite for such a distraction, the production achieves its creative goals without disruption.