6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
'Divorce' is a dark comedy that follows a suburban couple as they navigate a tumultuous and painful end to their marriage after years of growing apart. Wife and mother Frances decides to end the union after her husband Robert has an 'emotional affair' with another woman. The show breaks down the pristine facade of the nice house and upper middle income lifestyle to show what happens when the walls crumble and the fairy tale falls apart.
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church, Molly Shannon, Talia Balsam, Tracy LettsDrama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 2.0
German: DTS 5.1
English SDH, French, German, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Though they’re little remembered now, a pair of made for television movies that debuted on two nights in 1973 received considerable press back in the day. Though the two are often listed as a single film entitled Divorce His - Divorce Hers, in America at least the (micro?) “miniseries” unfolded as Divorce His on one night and Divorce Hers on the next (a feature film for foreign markets was cobbled together from both “episodes”). The two entries sought to explore the breakup of a marriage from the different viewpoints of the spouses, and while the dramatics were pretty florid and the actual storyline kind of ultimately forgettable, the stars are what made this “event television”, at least back in the day. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, no strangers to divorce themselves, starred as (at least initially) married couple Martin and Jane Reynolds, whose union is (not to state the obvious, given the films’ titles) fractured and irreparable. The soap operatic tendencies of Divorce His - Divorce Hers are (thankfully) only fitfully explored in Divorce, an unexpectedly raucous new offering from HBO that posits Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Haden Church as a long married couple who suddenly confront the fact that whatever magic they once had together has long since dissipated. Divorce may not seem like a likely or perhaps suitable subject to wring humor out of, but Divorce regularly delivers substantial laughs while never straying too far from the inherent melancholy of the situation. Filled with winning performances not just by Parker and Church, who essay relatively believable characters, but also by a colorful supporting cast playing decidedly more whimsical characters, Divorce depicts some of the travails when the war between the sexes builds to a level when collateral damage, including trauma to any kids involved, starts accruing.
Divorce: The Complete First Season is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of HBO with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is another perfectly competent looking transfer of a digitally shot series which offers generally great detail levels, and a natural looking if somewhat tamped down palette. Fine detail is often exceptional on close-ups, revealing the textures of things like blankets on the kids' beds or the pill on the cloth jackets some characters wear in the winter climates. The series is surprisingly scenic at times, especially in some of the wintry opening episodes. There is a tendency on the part of some directors and DPs to shoot into light sources, and whites can occasionally bloom just slightly, bringing just the hint of banding in the very lightest gradients. Otherwise, though, this is a nice looking if kind of workmanlike presentation that has no horrible flaws, but which may not inspire much awe, either.
Similarly, Divorce: The Complete First Season's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix gets the job done without providing a glut of over the top sonics, as befits the series' generally naturalistic (if often kind of cartoonish) ambience. There are a ton of source cues scattered through virtually every episode this season, and those open up the soundfield and provide a bed of surround activity, however subtle it might be. Ambient environmental sounds in some outdoor scenes also offer occasional discrete channelization. Otherwise, though, this is a resolutely dialogue driven series, and as such, while surround activity may be limited, fidelity is always spot on and there are no issues with regard to damage or distortion.
Disc One
- Episode 6 Christmas with Sarah Jessica Parker (Frances) and Executive Producer Paul Simms and Writer Tom Scharpling
- Episode 7 Weekend Plans with Sarah Jessica Parker (Frances) and Executive Producer Paul Simms and Writer Adam Resnick
I was rather spectacularly surprised with Divorce: The Complete First Season, especially after some of my friends who have HBO had said it was kind of a "meh" enterprise. I found the show consistently quite funny, even guffaw worthy at various points, and the two main characters are accessible and natural feeling, at least for the most part. The series does tend to tip into cartoon territory a few times, probably unnecessarily, but the writing is generally very smart, and performances are top notch. Technical merits are strong if workmanlike, and even though there aren't many supplements, Divorce: The Complete First Season comes Highly recommended.
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