Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Helvetica Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 25, 2008

Gary Hustwit's Helvetica (2007) is undoubtedly one of the most unique films to enter the Blu-ray market thus far. Informative, well researched, and expertly produced this terrific documentary should encourage other distribs to follow Plexifilm in their admirable efforts to popularize non-mainstream cinema amongst mainstream audiences.

A documentary about the history of typography on Blu-ray probably isn’t what many expected to see this early into the format’s life cycle but I certainly could not be any happier. In a sea of commercial blockbusters the majors have given us it is so refreshing to see that there are smaller distribs out there that aren’t afraid to experiment and carefully make a point that a Blu-ray treatment could be just as effective for a budget indi-film. And, yes, we do notice when such releases appear on the market.

Simple yet elegant

Helvetica was born at Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland in 1957. It was meant to be impressive yet simple, elegant yet catchy so that its usability could be as flexible as possible. Yet, no one, not even Helvetica’s creators, expected the mass success their product would achieve. Government, commercial, and industrial applications for Helvetica quickly made it clear that this was the typographic language everyone was waiting for.

As time went by the success of Helvetica forced many designers to further experiment and seek ways to alter the manner in which the masses perceived its functionality. Whether or not they fully succeeded is difficult to prove, what isn’t is the fact that Helvetica did indeed synchronize all sorts of different signs, logos, and letters allowing for a universal standardizing of ads, brochures, flyers, publications, and even religious writings.

So how does Gary Hustwit's documentary go about explaining to us the phenomenon Helvetica has become? Following the same scheme good documentaries favor – introducing different points of view while explaining in detail what is obvious to those who see what casual viewers unfamiliar with the topic don’t. It is important to also note that Gary Hustwit and team have done a tremendous job in dissecting Helvetica’s past in a manner that explains expertly what one should expect from it in the future. Indeed, the sense of continuity here is terrific.

The strongest asset of this curious documentary, however, is its ability to deconstruct the process in which simplicity, via Helvetica, is achieved (the American Airlines bit is outstanding). Seeing how signs, logos, and ads were conceived in a very specific manner meant to affect our decision making process, particularly as consumers, transforms this film into a fascinating experience. Put into a larger context Helvetica is about the power of imagination, the art of control, and those who know how to use both.

From a purely technical point of view Helvetica will hardly dazzle you with any groundbreaking visuals. This is a low-budget production whose primary function is to explain a phenomenon which graphic designers have been, rightfully, fascinated with for some time now. As such it is its message that is of crucial importance, not the manner in which it is delivered. Finally, even though the majority of the interviews in Helvetica may initially seem dry and unappealing once you begin seeing through some of the technical jargon everything else would fall into place quite nicely.

Helvetica Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-2, and granted a 1080p transfer Helvetica arrives on Blu-ray via Plexifilm. The presentation is solid. Shot with an HD camera the film reveals a well balanced look where sharpness, detail, and clarity are all well maintained. There are numerous interviews here with specific examples revealing the technical characteristics of Helvetica. During such detail is particularly impressive allowing the viewer to see a great deal of what a standard-definition release would omit (contour, nuanced bolding, paper grain, etc). Contrast on the other hand is at a consistently high level and I certainly did not notice anything that one should be concerned with. This being said, Helvetica does reveal some artifacting which becomes noticeable during selected scenes but given the technical limitations of the original stock (indeed, this is a low budget documentary) I must conclude that this is very much a byproduct that has little to do, if anything, with the manner in which the film has been transferred to Blu-ray.

Helvetica Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Helvetica arrives on Blu-ray with an English DD 2.0 track. As this is primarily a dialog-driven feature the inclusion of the above mentioned track should not surprise anyone. The documentary does not offer any elaborate sound effects and obviously the English DD 2.0 track compliments the basic dialog perfectly well. This being said, everything appears to be handled perfectly by thy producers of Helvetica as I did not detect any pop-ups, cracks, or hissings. Finally, I certainly understand that some may be rather unimpressed by the basic treatment but suffice to say this particular film does not necessitate more than what is already on the BD. Optional English and German subtitles are provided.

Helvetica Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The high-definition release of Helvetica offers the same supplemental materials found on the SDVD. There is a massive collage of interviews here addressing in depth a lot of the issues the main feature focuses on. Certainly a lot of these commentaries add substantially more to what different parties have already stated in the documentary while at the same time adding a bit more to a few selected sub-topics as well (consumerism, contemporary advertising, mass perception, etc). Indeed, all of the interviews provided in this section are an excellent opportunity for those who wish to delve even deeper into the main subject to do so.

Helvetica Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A terrific low-budget documentary has found its way to Blu-ray and those of us who look for variety in a sea of commercial releases are certainly pleased to see the direction Plexifilm have decided to explore with their presentation of Helvetica. I found this film to be incredibly well-done and informative. Its subject matter is unusual but treated with a deserving amount of attention I believe casual viewers will appreciate. The actual presentation is solid and without any issues that should prevent you from adding Helvetica to your collections.