Leda 3D Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Leda 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

Leda is an experimental film created with 3D filmmaking in mind. Produced by Clark Kline (The Hill), Leda is a surrealist black and white film. Executive produced by Frederick Elburn, James Peters, Ada Vaughan, Leda might not be the “cup of tea” for every audience member but it will appeal to a specific subset of 3D enthusiasts who enjoy taking a chance on surrealist and experimental filmmaking. Starring Adeline Thery in the lead role.

Inspired by and reinterpreting a Greek myth, Leda has an element of surrealism alongside the macabre. Leda (Adeline Thery) cannot seem to overcome a series of haunting memories and images. The young newlywed finds her life in a new stage as she recalls her past while entering a fantasy world with the strange and surreal becoming intertwined as one.

Leda has past memories of trauma and rape. Can Leda overcome these haunting memories of her past? Leda explores the terrain of a 19^th century mansion while pondering her memories and nightmares. A nightmarish past continues to haunt her. Leda can’t seem to escape from the clutches of her mind.

The filmmaking isn’t too far removed from silent cinema. This is a unique film without any emphasis on dialogue. The entire production is centered upon the visual medium of filmmaking. This might cause some audience members to feel perplexed by the narrative and the inspiration from Greek myth. Nonetheless, audiences of the film are encouraged to contemplate the narrative.

The performance by Adeline Thery is worthwhile and one of the highlights. Given the film relies on her ability as an actor, the performance was good enough to carry the production. This was a solid effort. During the narrative, a young Leda is also performed by CC King. These actresses did a good job.

The cinematography by Nick Midwig (Home, On Pointe) is the most impressive component of the entire film: the black and white cinematography is often impressive looking. The photography is well stylized during several sequences. A noteworthy effort from Midwig, who shows considerable promise as a cinematographer.  

Another compelling element of the film is the use of special effects supervised by Hank Atterbury (Super 8, Live Free or Die Hard). The visual effects in the film are more intriguing than expected for a lower budget independent production. There are some compelling visuals here – such as a floating egg. Effective visual storytelling.

The music by Andre Barros (The New Abolitionists, The Left Behind) and Björn Magnusson (Like a Cast Shadow, Hinter diesen Bergen) was a reasonably engaging element of the film. The score adds some sense of surrealism to the visuals. A compelling component of the experience – even if it doesn’t manage to stand out as much as some other elements.

Directed by Samuel Tressler IV (Syzygy, HeadBoy TM), who co-wrote the screenplay for Leda with co- screenwriter Wesley Pastorfield, Leda struggles with the narrative. The biggest obstacle of the film is structural and rooted in the screenplay. The film relies heavily on style over substance with the visual element being the main draw of the film.

The narrative issue is unfortunate as Tressler IV shows considerable promise as a visual storyteller. The directing is artistic and superior to other low-budget productions in several respects. Tressler IV also edited the film and seems to have a good understanding of the nature of editing – with the pacing reasonably good throughout.

Leda just sees far too focused on artistic images than on effective storytelling and that is alas a weakness some will find hampers the experience. Nonetheless, I considered the filmmaking promising. Tressler IV should continue to experiment as a filmmaker and see where the future leads.

Leda 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from MVD Visual, Leda is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 MVC encoded high-definition in the original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen. The 3D presentation involved 3D stereographer Vince Toto (who was in charge of Dredd 3D). The involvement of a professional stereographer helped the presentation be superior to many lower-budget 3D productions.

The 3D is noteworthy and showcases a good degree of depth. The 3D is often quite immersive and better than expected. Though the 3D presentation lacks precise depth throughout the entire film presentation (with some scenes faring better than others), the entire presentation has worthy 3D implementation.

Though this isn't a 3D film with an emphasis on showcasing pop-out 3D effects, the depth was handled well and there are fewer stereographic issues than one might expect given the production budget. No doubt, the involvement of a 3D expert helped this to be a more effective 3D feature. 3D enthusiasts might wish to partake.  

Please Note: The Blu-ray release includes both a standard 2D presentation and the 3D presentation. Unlike some 3D Blu-ray releases where the encode is provided on a separate disc, this release provides viewers with an option to select which version to watch at the start-up of the main menu. Viewers can select either the 3D presentation or the 2D presentation at the beginning of the disc menu. Those with 3D displays will naturally wish to select the 3D option but the 2D option was provided for those without 3D displays.

Leda 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound. The lossless 24-bit depth audio encode is a solid presentation. The score is well highlighted by the audio encode and the encoding certainly helps the presentation sound more well-rounded. Crisp and clear dynamics. A nice and minimalist sound design. The presentation certainly benefits from having a lossless audio encode. Despite the lack of dialogue throughout the feature- film, the soundstage depends on the surround environment and the score integration.

Leda 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Much to my surprise, the supplemental package is impressive and the release comes packed with an assortment of bonus features – from audio commentaries to deleted scenes and more. For more information on the extras, see below:  

Audio Commentaries:

Audio Commentary with Co-Writers Samuel Tressler IV & Wesley Pastorfield, Producer Clark Kline

Audio Commentary with Lead Actor Adeline Thery, Cinematographer Nick Midwig & Samuel Tressler IV

Deleted Scenes –

Play All (HD, 26:33)

Individual Scenes:

The Wedding

The Garden

The House

Pregnancy

The Feather

The Cousin

The Pond

The Husband

Original Ending

Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery (HD, 2:30)

Two Years – A Short film by Samuel Tressler IV (HD, 9:56) is an interesting short film and it demonstrates a lot of the same characteristics of the filmmaking in Leda. It is certainly a noteworthy inclusion on the release and something fans of the film are encouraged to check out.

Trailer (HD, 1:07)

Leda 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Leda is an experimental 3D film. Aimed at art-house fans who enjoy experimental filmmaking, Leda 3D will carve out a certain niche audience. The feature-length debut of director Samuel Tressler IV, Leda showcases the filmmaker's style well.

The 3D Blu-ray is worthwhile and 3D fans may wish to partake in a viewing. The 3D presentation has better-than-expected 3D for a smaller budget independent production. This is likely due to the involvement of 3D stereographer Vince Toto (Dredd 3D).

Unfortunately, despite a solid 3D presentation, I did not connect with Leda as much as I had hoped to. I feel it is something I would never be inclined to revisit. As such, audiences are encouraged to consider a rental of Leda before deciding if it is worth a purchase. 3D fans will be interested but consider if the film sounds like something that will appeal to you before buying.