5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A biography of Hank Williams.
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Bradley Whitford, David Krumholtz, Cherry JonesMusic | 100% |
Biography | 35% |
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
Portuguese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Thai
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
With the flood of music biopics saturating the movie marketplace, it would seem that precious few high profile entertainers have ever lived a mundane life not in some form or fashion worthy of retelling for the screen. Just recently artists such as James Brown and Miles Davis have been the subject of films, though many of the world's top musical artists, from Mozart to Jim Morrison, have had their lives dissected and depicted on the silver screen in absorbingly intimate portraits. Few have ventured into the Country Music scene, however, even considering its rich history and the incredible talent that has dominated the charts over the decades. I Saw the Light tells the story of the iconic Hank Williams, whose rise to stardom in the 1940s would influence countless artists across many genres and whose early death in 1953 remains one of the most notable all-too-early losses in music history.
Hank Sr.
I Saw the Light shines on Blu-ray with a commendably detailed and healthily colored 1080p transfer. The digitally sourced picture never suffers from excess flatness or glossiness, instead providing a fair film-like reproduction that exposes details with ease. Period clothing textures are particularly well defined; shirts, jackets, dresses, ties, hats, the entire ensemble presents with plenty of strong tactile texturing that allows viewers to explore them all with ease. Faces are likewise full of life and detail, including pores and sweat. Raw, rough edges around 40s bars, concert halls, studios, homes, and other locations always find plenty of quality supportive areas. Colors occasionally favor a deliberately, and mildly, beige/bronzed look, but the general palette reveals plenty if healthy yellows, reds, and natural exterior greens. The film, on the whole, however, feels more smoky and hazy and slightly dark than it does cheerful and punchy. Black levels hold true, as do flesh tones. No readily apparent or distracting artifacts are visible.
I Saw the Light's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack carries the film's music nicely. Vocals are clear and detailed; audiences will be able to hear all the range and nuance in Hiddleston's voice. Instrumentals are likewise exacting, with guitar strums and notes floating through the stage with lifelike detailing. Surrounds are not frequently engaged, but they do show up when necessary. Rainfall at the beginning moves from front heavy to more immersive with an angle change. Natural exterior insect ambience fills the stage in one scene. Crowd cheers satisfyingly ripple through the speakers. Dialogue delivery is clear and detailed with strong prioritization, save for a few moments early on when an offstage exchange is forced to compete with onstage music.
I Saw the Light contains a commentary track, deleted scenes, and several quality featurettes. A UV digital copy code is included with
purchase.
Hank Williams deserves a great biopic. I Saw the Light isn't it. While the film is terrific on the surface -- the lead performance and production values soar -- it lacks heart and rhythm, playing with a choppy, structurally inconsequential narrative that tells Williams' story but doesn't find its greater meaning. And even as Hank's impact and influence on the direction of Country music -- and the music scene in a much broader sense -- cannot be denied, it would seem that the life of Hanks' son, Hank Jr. (or "Bocephus"), would probably make for a richer biggish-budget film. Look up his story. It's rather incredible and has "movie" written all over it (and his story was told in the 1983 TV movie Living Proof, and Hank Sr.'s story was previously told in the 1964 film Your Cheatin' Heart). Sony's Blu-ray release of I Saw the Light does feature excellent video and audio as well as a healthy allotment of extras. The film is worth watching; it's just more disappointing than it is satisfying.
2014
2018
1987
1988
2015
2015
2015
2004
2018
2024
1989
with Bonus Disc
2012
2019
The Final Cut
1991
2017
2022
2016
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1978
2019
2013