7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey - in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero - brings heartache and torment.
Starring: Eman Xor Oña, Limara Meneses, Mario GuerraForeign | 100% |
Animation | 61% |
Music | 33% |
Romance | 8% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Spanish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD, 1 CD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
There’s a seductive allure to a lot of Latin music which is almost genetic in nature: it insinuates itself into the bloodstream, becoming almost a life force, a sonic pulse which reverberates through the soul and makes holding still virtually impossible. I’ve had an almost life long love affair with all sorts of Latin music which was fostered at a very early age when my eldest sister, who is quite a bit older than I am, brought home some Sergio Mendes albums from college and I was instantly hooked by the cool jazz chords and incredible percussion. Though Mendes’ albums were obviously geared toward a mainstream audience, they almost always included some fantastic compositions from the likes of Edu Lobo or Milton Nascimento or (later) Ivan Lins, and being the inveterate credits reader that I am, that in turn opened up a whole new world of “south of the border” artists with whom I became unabashedly enamored. Slowly my interest in other Latin music grew, and one of my prime fascinations became Cuban music, especially the Afro-Cuban hybrids that started to inform American jazz shortly after World War II. Imagine my delight, then, in sitting down to watch Chico and Rita, an amazingly beautiful animated film which recounts this very period in Cuba’s musical history from the standpoint of two characters who are integrally involved. Chico and Rita received a 2012 Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Film (it lost to Rango), a nomination it most certainly deserved. This is an “adult” animated feature (replete with sexuality and some copious nudity) that is not just beautifully animated, but perhaps just as importantly beautifully told. The fact that it also includes one of the most gorgeous soundtracks in recent memory is simply icing on the virtual cake.
Chico and Rita is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of NewVideo with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. There's little more that you need to know about this transfer than it is practically perfect in every way. The animation is incredibly distinctive (as mentioned above in the main body of the review), with a lot of quasi-3D effects that seem to have come at least in part from elements of the image having been rotoscoped. (It's obvious that backgrounds were rendered in 3D some of the time, as well.) Line detail is incredibly sharp and well detailed, and colors are exceptionally vivid and lushly saturated. Character design is very distinctive and individually differentiated, but it's probably the settings that will most capture the viewer's interest, at least on first viewing. Everything from Havana's teeming harbors to the iconic Tropicana to New York and Las Vegas are rendered with incredible complexity and beauty. If you don't think an animated film can be a piece of Art, you really need to check out Chico and Rita.
Chico and Rita's original (mostly) Spanish language track is presented via an exceptionally effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. While surround activity is brilliant in the film's many unbelievably exciting musical sequences, it's also rather smartly used in a number of the urban settings which dot the film, as well as some of the crowded club scenes where Chico and Rita forge their careers. Dialogue is very cleanly and clearly presented. Perhaps surprisingly, the film has a blast or two of LFE (prepare yourself for the release of steam when Rita's boat is leaving Cuba), and dynamic range is extremely wide. Fidelity is absolutely spot on in both the spoken and musical elements of the film.
Chico and Rita is fabulous tour through some of the most exciting music of the mid-twentieth century, wrapped around two intriguing characters who live the sea changes that were happening not just in the Arts, but in society and, with regard to Cuba, politics as well. This is a one of a kind film that deserves huge recognition for its innovative design aesthetic as well as its invigorating soundtrack. This is not a "kiddie" cartoon, so parents should be aware there's overt sexuality and several scenes featuring nudity. But for adults who want a sobering story which includes some of the most exciting music to grace a film in many years, there's no beating Chico and Rita. This Blu-ray's supplements are a little on the slim side (though a soundtrack CD is also included), but the video and audio are simply reference quality. Highly recommended.
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