7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.3 |
A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life legend about the mysterious, 1930s Tennessee hermit who famously threw his own rollicking funeral party... while he was still alive.
Starring: Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Bill Murray, Lucas Black, Gerald McRaneyDrama | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
He has a way of making people do what he wants.
What does man know about death? It's the great mystery, the one single fact of life for which there are answers but none of them sure things.
What comes
after besides the known quantities of the biological processes of the cessation of bodily functions and the resultant decomposition of the physical
form? Anything else is
out of the realm of the scientific community and left to spiritual guides and individual beliefs. People may see death as the end, as a new beginning,
or as something in between, a changing of the guards, a transition of the soul to another plane of existence where what happened in this world may
or
may not matter in the next, if indeed there is a next. It's the ultimate question and one for which there may never be a firm answer that exists
outside of faith, for even those with the
most firm of religious guides and the most calming of spiritual peace can only trust in their faith, and the measure of faith is what sets apart the
various hypotheses as to what really happens in death. Of course, there is another way to look at death, and that is through the prism of life. What
does it mean for what man leaves behind? Not his body but his offspring, his family, his memories, and his legacy? Death is the ultimate "cutting
off" point; insofar as man understands death from both scientific and spiritual angles, it is the demarcation line where earthly proclamations of
love and
faith, forgiveness of past misdeeds, or the knowledge and certainty of what's being left behind cease to matter in the physical here-and-now.
Unfortunately, man's basic understanding of death is limited to the physical body, so death represents the end of the opportunity to make amends,
set the record straight, ease a burden, or cleanse a troubled soul while still in the world of human understanding and consciousness. Get
Low is a fantastic film of complex narratives and characters that focuses on a man who chooses to purge his mind and body of his darkest
secrets before he succumbs to death and loses the opportunity to deal with in life what may very well be that which allows him to rest more easily in
death. A serious picture occasionally in the guise of more lighthearted fare, Get Low proves to be a fascinating journey into the mind of a
man
who chooses to use death to ease a burden and earn a new lease on life, however short-lived as that lease and life may be.
Looking for redemption.
Get Low features a flawless 1080p transfer from Sony. There are a few soft backgrounds scattered around the movie that do stand out, but such is the film and not a fault of the Blu-ray. Detail is exemplary; whether fallen leaves and tree bark around Bush's secluded home or the texture of period costumes and human faces, Get Low will dazzle with its natural, film-like detailing. Colors are exquisite, too; the film isn't too terribly bright by its very nature; there's nothing flashy here, it's all very conservative, but the transfer handles the natural browns, grays, and greens like a champion. Better still, black levels are marvelous, yielding pristine shadow detail throughout the film. Flesh tones, too, never stray from a natural shade. The image is crystal clear with nary a speckle to be seen, and grain is present but incredibly light. That's all she wrote for this one; it's simply a masterpiece transfer and a perfect example of how a more laid back, less-is-more sort of image can look downright fantastic on Blu-ray.
Get Low's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack doesn't match its video transfer in terms of sheer perfection, but it's still a serviceable-to-solid listen that brings a few flaws to the table but generally delivers a clean and accurate listen. The film opens by combining fairly robust orchestral music that favors a slight low in conjunction with the subtle rumblings of a fire; the combination is fantastic with the bass working hard but not overexerting itself, instead delivering a serious, well-defined, and potent low end. Music is generally smooth and accurate; the downhome Bluegrass score is carried nicely by the front channels and plays with an airy, natural quality. Atmospherics are superb, too; the many outdoors scenes offer slight but critical nuanced ambience, such as rustling leaves and chirping birds, that tie together various scenes and help place the listener in the middle of the action. Heavier effects, such as the aforementioned fire, heavy falling rain, or various gunshots all play with a perfect amount of space, the latter nicely reverberating through the listening area with every pull of the trigger. Unfortunately, dialogue can be a little unbalanced or harsh at a few junctures; a scene featuring Felix Bush in a church in chapter two seems to favor an unnatural amount of heft at the low end, as does the scene that sees Frank and Buddy outside Bush's house for the first time. Otherwise, the track is fine all around; there are certainly a few moments when the track draws attention to itself, but this is generally a relaxed track that favors dialogue above all else.
Get Low arrives on Blu-ray with a good array of extra content, the collection headlined by a quality multiparticipant audio commentary
track.
Get Low is a wonderful character study, a movie that's a little odd at its center but one that is nevertheless genuinely moving, wonderfully played, smartly written, effortlessly directed, and completely gripping from beginning to end. The film plays with ideas and themes that might not be original -- death and redemption -- but it does approach them from a fresh and unique perspective, and a stellar screenplay and even better acting make this a positively wonderful film full of honest drama and a sprinkling of lighthearted levity to balance it into a modern masterpiece of a bygone era. Sony's Blu-ray release of Get Low is up to the task of presenting this great film in the finest way possible. A top-notch technical presentation and a good assortment of extra content along with a wonderful movie make adding Get Low to the Blu-ray collection a no-brainer. Highly recommended.
1980
2022
2015
2014
Warner Archive Collection
1948
Limited Edition
1960
Warner Archive Collection
1972
1942
1956
2017
1980
1983
1995
2021
1935
1967
2018
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1939
Limited Edition to 3000
1968
1992