8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
One tumultuous year in the life of the Ekdahl family is viewed through the eyes of ten-year-old Alexander, whose imagination fuels the magical goings-on leading up to and following the death of his father. When his mother remarries a stern bishop, Alexander and his sister Fanny are banished to a gothic world.
Starring: Kristina Adolphson, Börje Ahlstedt, Pernilla Allwin, Kristian Almgren, Carl BillquistForeign | 100% |
Drama | 96% |
Imaginary | 5% |
Holiday | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.69:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Swedish: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Winner of four Oscar Awards, including Best Film and Best Cinematography, Ingmar Bergman's "Fanny and Alexander" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features included in this 3-disc set include original trailer; audio commentary with film scholar Peter Cowie; Ingmar Bergman's "The Making of "Fanny and Alexander"; the documentary "A Bergman Tapestry"; filmed conversation between Ingmar Bergman and Swedish film critic Nils Petter Sundgren; stills gallery; costume gallery; and more. The 3-disc set also arrives with a 34-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by Stig Bjorkman, Rick Moody, and Paul Arthur. In Swedish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
The Ekdahls
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.69:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this 3-disc set:
"The digital transfer of the television version was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the original 35mm camera negative and a 35mm interpositive to produce the complete film. The digital transfer of the theatrical version was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the original 35mm camera negative. The color grading was supervised by the original film timer, Nils Melander. With both versions, restoration and color grading was done using the following software systems: Image System's Phoenix and Nucoda, Quantel's iQ, Foundry's NUKE, and Autodesk's Flame. Further restoration involved the manual removal of thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean system, while Image System's DVNR system was used for small dirt, grain, and noise reduction.
Telecine supervisors: Peter Bengtsson, Nils Melander.
Telecine colorist: Mats Holmberg/Chimney Pot, Stockholm.
Image restoration supervisor: Mats Forsberg/Marsmotel, Stockholm.
Audio restoration supervisor: Leif Westerlund/Cinepost Studios, Stockholm."
The new high-definition transfer for the television version of Fanny and Alexander conveys sizable improvements in every single area of importance we address in our reviews. Detail is substantially better, particularly during the darker sequences, while contrast levels have been effectively stabilized. The most impressive improvements, however, are in the area of color reproduction. The entire color-scheme has been elevated and stabilized, giving the film a fresh and enormously vibrant new look. Indeed, these are not minor spot corrections, but massive improvements in color grading and color balance. Unsurprisingly, if one compares the Blu-ray release to the old R1 DVD release Criterion produced some time ago, it literally feels as if some sort of a giant filter has been removed from the film. Furthermore, some careful noise corrections have been applied, but the film's grain structure is intact. During close-ups, in particular, it is very easy to see that the grain is well resolved and unmanipulated. Compression is also handled well. The only time I noticed a few minor artifacts popping up was during the prologue. Lastly, the new high-definition transfer is free of the edge flicker which is present on the R1 DVD release of the film (compare the opening of Episode Three). There are no problematic scratches, debris, warps, or large cuts to report in this review either.
(Note: Screencaptures 1-19 are from the television version of the film, while screencaptures 20-29 are from the theatrical version of the film. Additionally, the three discs in this boxset are Region-A "locked". Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access their content).
The television version of Fanny and Alexander arrives with a Swedish DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track. The theatrical version of the film arrives with a Swedish LPCM 1.0 track and an English Dolby Digital 1.0 dub. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the two versions.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this 3BD set:
"The soundtracks for both versions of the film were remastered at 24-bit from the original 35mm magnetic tracks. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation."
The Swedish DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 track boasts a strong range of nuanced dynamics that enhance the fantasy sequences very well. Generally, the dialog and the spooky noises also sound a lot cleaner and crisper than they do on the DVD release. The Swedish LPCM 1.0 track shares similar characteristics. Both loseless tracks are also free of problematic pops, clicks, audio dropouts, or distortions. The English translation is excellent.
Theatrical version Blu-ray
Warm, colorful, witty and incredibly moving, Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander is undoubtedly one of the great films of our time. Criterion's 3-disc set contains the theatrical release and the original five-hour television version of the film. Both look wonderful on Blu-ray, the best they ever have. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Törst
1949
Scener ur ett äktenskap
1973
Tystnaden
1963
Såsom i en spegel
1961
Efter repetitionen
1984
En passion
1969
Riten / The Ritual
1969
Hamnstad
1948
Till glädje
1950
Nära livet
1958
Skepp till Indialand / A Ship Bound for India
1947
Kvinnodröm
1955
Gycklarnas afton
1953
Smultronstället
1957
Aus dem Leben der Marionetten
1980
Nattvardsgästerna
1963
Kvinnors väntan / Secrets of Women
1952
Kris
1946
2003
Viskningar och rop
1972