7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
In Poland in 1962, Anna is a novice, an orphan raised by nuns in the convent. She has to see Wanda, her only living relative, before her vows. Anna is told she is Jewish by Wanda. Both women start a journey not only to uncover their tragic family story, but who they are and where they belong. They question their religions and the ideas they previously believed in.
Starring: Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Joanna KuligDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 84% |
Period | 11% |
Coming of age | 6% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Polish: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Selected to represent Poland in the Foreign Language Film Category at the 87th Academy Awards, Pawel Pawlikowski's "Ida" (2013), arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The only supplemental feature on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In Polish, with optional English subtitles for the man feature. Region-B "locked".
Anna
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.
Shot with the Arri Alexa Plus camera, the film looks exceptionally sharp and vibrant. Arguably the most impressive aspect of the technical presentation, however, is the terrific shadow definition. Indeed, light is captured in a variety of different ways, but shadow definition is consistently very impressive. (You can see how rich and nuanced the visuals can be if you compare different parts of the film with different light variations -- see screencaptures #3, 5, and 9). Image depth is excellent during close-ups as well as during larger panoramic shots. There are no stability issues. Lastly, there are no encoding or compression anomalies to report in this review. To sum it all up, this is a very beautiful presentation of an equally beautifully lensed film that has to be seen on Blu-ray in order to be experienced as intended. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Polish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The film does not have a prominent soundtrack. In fact, the only time music is heard is during a few sequences where a small band is heard performing. (One of the two main characters occasionally listens to some classical music as well). Naturally, the overall range of nuanced dynamics is rather limited. However, there are different sounds and noises that exceptionally well defined. The dialog is also very crisp, stable, and easy to follow. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.
The success of Pawel Pawlikowski's Ida at various prestigious film festivals around the world and its Oscar nomination are well deserved. This is an incredibly moving, superbly acted film directed by a true master. Artificial Eye's technical presentation of Ida is outstanding. I only wish there were a few supplemental features on the Blu-ray, possibly a video interview with the Polish director and the two leads. Regardless, I urge you to consider adding Ida to your collections. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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