6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Schoolteacher Paul has one true passion - his beloved Arsenal. However, when he begins a relationship with Sarah, he has to confront the fact that there may be more to life than football - a revelation that risks remaining unheeded as the Gunners make a charge towards the 1989 League Championship.
Starring: Colin Firth, Ruth Gemmell, Mark Strong, Neil Pearson, Luke AikmanDrama | 100% |
Romance | 87% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Leave it to us Americans to insist on a literal interpretation of the title Fever Pitch. When this amiable if never totally moving British comedy was remade in 2005 as a domestic outing starring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore, the Farrelly Brothers and co-adapters Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz set the story of two mismatched lovers in the world of baseball fandom, rather than the original’s focus on soccer (or football, as it’s called across the pond). This was perhaps at least partially understandable, for part of the story’s conceit is that the guy in the tale has long nursed an almost obsessive affection for a team that seems genetically incapable of winning, and while there may indeed be American football teams who would fall into that category, what better sporting franchise (other than the Cubs perhaps) could there have been in 2005 than the Boston Red Sox and their improbable victory in the 2004 World Series? (Lost fans may recall that one of the series’ funniest moments was when Ben finally tried to catch Jack up on world events outside of the island and told Jack of the Sox winning the Series, information which Jack reacted to incredulously, insisting it had to be bogus.) This 1997 version stars Colin Firth as Paul Ashworth, a fictionalized version of the source book’s real life fan slash author, Nick Hornby. Paul is a decent guy who works as an English teacher at a somewhat rowdy North London school, but he nurses an all consuming passion for his local football team, Arsenal. Arsenal, unlike the Sox, actually had had spurts of wins throughout its long history, but was in a fallow period as the film opens. Paul has been a fan since his young boyhood, as is shown in a number of flashbacks which recount his introduction to the rambunctious world of British soccer aficionados courtesy of Paul’s often absent father. In fact Paul starts to think of other Arsenal fans as his extended family, something that remains as a subtext throughout his adult life, creating some obstacles when Paul becomes romantically involved with a new teacher at his school, a woman who is resolutely uninterested in anything and everything to do with soccer.
Fever Pitch is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Fans who tend to react almost reflexively when they see a Universal logo on a catalog title may be at least somewhat heartened by the look of this transfer. I'm not going to state that no denoising was applied here, for grain does seem minimal much of the time, but there is fine grain easily noticeable throughout this presentation, especially in more brightly lit outdoor sequences (not an easily met bar, considering this is set in a cloudy London). Contrast is generally strong, but occasionally seems just slightly blown out (see screenshot 17). Colors are generally accurate looking, though not overly vivid. The elements utilized for this transfer are in generally good shape, though there are some very minor flecks that show up on a few occasions.
Fever Pitch's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix is quite boisterous a lot of the time, nicely detailing the (in some cases literally) riotous ambience of a British soccer match. Dialogue and the film's nice use of source cues are also rendered with excellent fidelity. Dynamic range is surprisingly wide for this type of film, and the track has absolutely no damage or issues to report. It's worth noting that some of the British accents in the film are rather thick and therefore might be difficult for American ears to decipher, and this release has no subtitles.
Fever Pitch is an often sweet little film and it offers Firth in his evidently irresistible romantic comedy mode. The film doesn't quite connect the dots with regard to its supposed insight into why fans behave so inexplicably at times, but the chemistry between Firth and Gemmell is excellent and the film has a number of nicely nuanced small scale laughs along the way. This Blu-ray offers very good video and audio and comes Recommended.
2008
1931
2015
2011
Warner Archive Collection / Includes German-Language Alternate Version
1930
2018
2016
1985
2008
2009
1958
Filmmakers Signature Series
1995
50th Anniversary
1973
1930
50th Anniversary Edition
1967
1987
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
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2010
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+ 1931 The Front Page
1940