6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Update on Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilyich," set in contemporary Hollywood.
Starring: Danny Huston, Peter Weller, Angela Featherstone, Caroleen Feeney, Valeria GolinoForeign | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p/1080i
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
5.1 on theatrical versions; 2.0 on producer's cut
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Ivans xtc. is an unabashed cautionary tale, and if its plot mechanics rely on some none too surprising assessments of Hollywood being a veritable cesspool, that cautionary aspect might also be seen in a “meta” light in terms of that old maxim “timing is everything”. As producer, co- writer and co-star Lisa Enos gets into in some of the supplements on this disc, Ivans xtc. was captured with Sony HD Cams in 1999, which was all well and good until the creative team realized they had a 60i source format which then wreaked a little havoc when they attempted to convert it to a convenient format which could be projected. Interestingly in that regard, this Blu-ray disc offers both the 60i and 24 fps versions of the film, the first such instance that I can recall that occurring in my review queue (I don't think I've ever had to set our resolution specs on a review to include both 1080p and 1080i before). You can read a bit more about this in screenshot 19, which displays the information under the Play Menu.
Ivans xtc. is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with AVC encoded 1080i and 1080p transfers in 1.78:1. Just for the record, and with a couple of my upcoming comments in mind, screenshots 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, and 17 are from the 24 fps second, otherwise they were taken from the 60i presentation. To basically cut to the chase before I get into some specific examples, I rather unexpectedly noticed little if any difference between the 60i and 24 fps presentations, either in terms of some of the anomalies I'll discuss or in terms of fluidity. I watched the 60i presentation first, and I've provided several screenshots to document various issues with the presentations, as seen in screenshots 13, 14, 15, and 16, where image quality is compromised and a number of anomalies are present, including noise, macroblocking and pixellation. Interestingly, there's also some very noticeable aliasing in a truck grille and even across the border of a windshield on a car as seen in screenshot 18. I more or less duplicated the shot from the 24 fps version in screenshot 17, but the bottom line is that issue, along with the others raised above, recur in the 24 fps version as well. Several of the other screenshots from the 24 fps section that I've included show other issues of a similar quality. All of this said, a lot of this presentation is nicely sharp and clearly looking, with some really enjoyable fine detail levels. Well lit locations help to elevate a naturalistic palette.
Ivans xtc. features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. There are some perhaps unusual source cues that have been chosen for the film, including the opening sequence's use of the Prelude from Tristan und Isolde, and that allows some rather spacious accountings insofar as the underscore goes. Some outdoor material also provides decent use of the side and rear channels for ambient environmental effects, but the surplus of straight ahead dialogue scenes in the film can mean surround activity ebbs and flows. Fidelity is fine throughout, and all dialogue, including some narration, is presented cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.
- Lisa Enos (Producer/Co-writer/Actor) (720p; 11:12)
- Bernard Rose (Director/Co-writer) (720p; 18:56)
Ivans xtc. is often trenchant, but I personally wished it had actually pushed things further in terms of black humor. The critique of Hollywood as a den of sex, drugs and whatever the cinematic equivalent of rock 'n' roll might be is hardly innovative, but this film has a "lived in" quality which is really quite unique. There are occasional issues in the video presentation (in both versions) which are documented in the screenshots and my comments, but audio is fine and the supplements very appealing. Recommended.
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