7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 3.2 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
A woman arrives in Cairo to meet her husband only to be told he is unavoidably delayed in Gaza and has in turn sent his friend, a retired Egyptian U.N. security officer, to meet her at the airport. The brief love affair that follows catches them both completely off guard.
Starring: Patricia Clarkson, Alexander Siddig, Elena Anaya, Tom McCamus, Amina AnnabiRomance | 100% |
Drama | 50% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Bonus View (PiP)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of the Best Canadian Feature Film award at the Toronto International Film Festival, Ruba Nadda's "Cairo Time" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Canadian distributors Mongrel Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with director Ruba Nadda and cinematographer Luc Montpellier; making of featurette; conversation with director Ruba Nadda, Patricia Clarkson, and Alexander Siddig; and the film's original theatrical trailer. In English, without optional subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Alexander Siddig and Patricia Clarkson
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer,
Ruba Nadda's Cairo Time arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Canadian distributors Mongrel Media.
This is a strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is good, clarity pleasing and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme does not disappoint either; yellows, reds, blues, greens, browns and blacks are rich and well saturated; overall, the film has a distinctively warm look. There are a couple of scenes where I noticed mild edge-enhancement creeping in, but macroblocking is not a serious issue of concern. There are no serious stability issues. Generally speaking, excluding some light banding during a few of the desert scenes, the image looks notably healthy and fresh. Finally, while viewing Cairo Time I did not see any disturbing marks, stains, cuts, or large debris to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English Dolby Digital 5.1 and French Dolby Digital 5.1. For the record, Mongrel Media have not provided optional English or French subtitles for the main feature.
I am slightly disappointed that Mongrel Media have not included a loseless audio track of some sort on this Blu-ray disc. Cairo Time is complimented by a wonderful music score, courtesy of Niall Byrne, which certainly would have benefited from a strong loseless treatment.
The English Dolby Digital 5.1 track is satisfactory - the dialog is clean, crisp, stable and exceptionally easy to follow. The rear channels are active, and effective, but the dynamic amplitude of the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track is somewhat limited.
I tested only a few scenes with the French Dolby Digital 5.1 track. My impression of it is that it is quite dry - and ineffective. Though I did not detect any serious technical flaws to report in this review, I strongly recommend that you opt for the original English audio.
(Note: There are a few lines of Arabic in the film that are subbed in English. The subtitles appear inside the image frame and are imposed).
On Cairo Time - a wonderful conversation with director Ruba Nadda, Patricia Clarkson, and Alexander Siddig in which they discuss their work on the film, their impressions of Cairo, the characters they play, etc. In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 480/60i).
The Making of Cairo Time - in this featurette director Ruba Nadda explains how Cairo Time was shot, what are some of the challenges her team had to overcome while shooting on the streets of Cairo, etc. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 480/60i).
Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for the film. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).
Commentary - in this audio commentary director Ruba Nadda and cinematographer Luc Montpellier discuss the production history of Cairo Time, the story it tells, how specific scenes were shot, how the script for the film came to exist, etc. In English, not subtitled in French.
Canadian director Ruba Nadda's Cairo Time is a beautiful, old-fashioned romantic film with fantastic performances by Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Canadian distributors Mongrel Media, looks and sounds very good. My only minor complaint about it is that it does not offer a loseless audio track. Still, Cairo Time is a wonderful film and well worth owning. RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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