6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ballad of the Little Soldier is a 1984 documentary film about children soldiers in Nicaragua, and focuses on a group of Miskito Indians who used children soldiers in their resistance against the Sandinistas.
Starring: Werner HerzogDocumentary | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.33:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This title is currently available as part of Herzog: The Collection.
Has there ever been a more fascinating figure in film than Werner Herzog? This much debated individual, one who elicits
both hyperbolic accolades and equally exaggerated derision, has been a seeming force of nature in film for decades,
helping to define the New German Cinema (a somewhat later analog to the French New Wave). Herzog’s filmography is
rather breathtakingly diverse, traversing both traditional fiction, quasi-biographies, and a large number of
documentaries.
Through it all, Herzog himself has become the subject of considerable controversy, at times seeming to be as
obsessively
motivated as some of his film subjects. The auteur’s off kilter blend of nihilism and often black humor has given
him and his films a decidedly unique place in contemporary media, to the point that a supposed note Herzog jotted off to his
cleaning lady became an internet sensation (it’s actually a brilliantly written parody by Dale Shaw). Shout! Factory, a
label
which repeatedly stubbed its corporate toe on its last big deluxe boxed set built around the talents of one person (Bruce Lee: The Legacy
Collection, the only time in my reviewing career I have had to start over from scratch due to a complete recall
and reissue) may seem to be throwing caution to the wind by upping the ante with this release. Here there are no
fewer than 16 films by Herzog, housed in a handsome hardback booklike case that also features a wealth of text and
information about each of the films. Fifteen of the films are new to Blu-ray (Shout's horror imprint Scream Factory
released Herzog's Nosferatu the
Vampyre as a standalone a few months ago), and the offerings here cover both iconic films in Herzog's
oeuvre as well as some oddities. The extremely handsome packaging offers a 7.5" x 7.5" x 1.5" hardback book
exterior casing which houses heavy cardstock pocket holders that contain the discs. Also included are The Werner
Herzog Condition by Stephen J. Smith, an appreciation of the director's work with essays about each of the films.
The films get even more text in write-ups by Chris Wahl and Brad Prager. Each of the pocket holder pages details the
film (or in some cases, films) on each disc, with audio options and special features listed.
Ballad of the Little Soldier was originally filmed for television and appears here in an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.35:1. Though there's nothing definitive (or at least what I'd call definitive) online, it appears that this was done originally in 16mm, for it has a suitably ragged, soft and often ultra-grainy look that can define that format. This does not have quite the sharpness and definition of Land of Silence and Darkness, another documentary sourced from 16mm that's in the new Herzog boxed set, and it similarly does not offer quite the vividly saturated color that that other documentary does. That said, occasionally there are neat little pops of color, including an orange hue that seems to be popular with the Miskito for their clothing. Contrast is okay, but not great, and shadow detail can be lacking quite a bit of the time. There are some slightly odd anomalies with grain resolution at around the 40 minute mark, but otherwise this looks authentic, if never very breathtaking.
Ballad of the Little Soldier features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mixes in both German and English (and even this is somewhat misleading, since much of the documentary is of course in Spanish). Those "advertised" languages actually refer to Herzog's narration, which sounds fine in both versions. That said, the German track is slightly more full bodied, especially in the midrange, something that helps the many musical moments have a bit more life.
There are no supplements associated with this film, which shares a disc with Where the Green Ants Dream.
This is a genuinely sad documentary that has a number of layers of frustration that Herzog just kind of lays out there in a simple, unobfuscated way. Herzog never exploits his subjects here, but it's easy to see he's simpatico with the general feeling of hopelessness that suffuses the Miskito lives on display in the film. Technical merits are good here (with a realization of limitations in the source elements). Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen
1984
Lektionen in Finsternis
1992
1997
Mein liebster Feind - Klaus Kinski
1999
Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen
1970
Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit
1971
Herz aus Glas
1976
1977
1971
1987
1979
Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle
1974
1982
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht
1979
Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes
1972
1956
2015
1973
2022
2016