6.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
When Sophie travels to Verona in Italy, she stumbles upon an age-old superstition whereby people seeking advice in matters of the heart leave letters in the courtyard of the fictional Juliet, which are then answered by a group of volunteers known as the 'secretaries of Juliet'. When Sophie replies to one letter that has remained unanswered for 50 years, she is amazed when its author, Claire, arrives in Italy with her grandson Charlie to track down the fiance she left behind decades before. Sophie joins them on their quest through the hills of Tuscany as they search for Lorenzo, Claire's long-lost love - and soon finds herself tumbling headlong into a romance of her own.
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Gael García Bernal, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, Christopher EganRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 80% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD/DVD)
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
'What' and 'if' are two words as nonthreatening as words can be, but put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for
the
rest of your life.
What's the four-letter word that can make a heart melt, a mind spin, a soul stir, a body quiver, and a pulse race? No, it's not that
four-letter
word. It's love. One could safely bet that love has been the focus of man's attention since God created Eve from Adam's own ribs and called
her "woman," making her man's companion and, eventually, partner in crime. Sure, it might have been all downhill from there, but from the
writings
of
William Shakespeare to Haddaway asking "What is Love?" in his 1993 dance single and all the words, writings, songs, movies, and everything else
that
came before, now is, and will forever be, love has been the focus of man's attention since the dawn of time and, aside from death, probably the one
thing he's destined to never quite figure out. For those who know it -- truly know it deep down inside and not at some Hallmark card level of
superficial
-- it's a thing of unspeakable joys and the bearer of a lifetime's worth of happiness with every passing moment. For those who don't know it, have
lost
it, or want it again, well, even that sappy greeting card sounds pretty good right about now. Director Gary Winick's (13 Going on 30) 2010 picture Letters to Juliet is all about
finding the kind of love that makes a life complete. It's not about the here and now but the forever after, that longing to find just the right person
or those few words that can instantly rekindle a romance lost half a century ago. It's about never giving up, about diving headfirst into the search
for happiness and fulfillment, about not letting distance, time, or past hurts get in the way of coming as close to answering that age-old question --
"what is love?" -- as accurately as anyone ever can.
Fate finds her fingertips.
It's easy to love Letters to Juliet's stunning 1080p high definition Blu-ray transfer. Although colors are very warm -- leading to reddish skin tones and a golden tint that dominates the image -- they seem to reflect Director Gary Winick's intended visual scheme. Fine detail is strong and oftentimes borders on the extraordinary. Distant backgrounds -- buildings and clumps of trees -- could stand for slightly more definition, but foreground information dazzles in most every frame. Viewers will note the finest of textures on roads, buildings, and other surfaces around Verona, while characters' faces reveal every line, wrinkle, pore, and even layers of make-up with almost limitless clarity. Summit's Blu-ray transfer is meticulously clean and free of any print anomalies or background noise. Blacks are of an inky and honest tone, and while very slight aliasing is visible in a few select shots, the transfer is otherwise free of any distracting visual bugaboos. Though some viewers may be put off by the film's obviously manipulated color scheme that lends to the image a slightly off-kilter golden appearance, there's no reason to knock the quality of the transfer itself; Summit's Letters to Juliet Blu-ray is rock-solid all around.
Letters to Juliet features a genre-typical soundtrack that's nicely replicated on Summit's lossless DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio presentation. The track's best feature is easily its high quality music; it's seamless and infinitely spacious with a slight but noticeable surround support structure that accentuates rather than dominates the primary front-speaker presentation. Whether the instrumental score or the famous Taylor Swift song that plays prominently in the film, Summit's track handles it all with a natural and satisfying effortlessness that brings the music to life. The track also features some nice surround information in the form of audible ambience. Verona springs to life with chatty pedestrians, distant ringing bells, and other niceties that transport the listener to the Italian locale, while specific environmental atmospherics are smoothly and realistically integrated, particularly as heard during an exterior nighttime scene in chapter 12. Ultimately, however, Letters to Juliet is a dialogue-driven picture. While the spoken word is generally clear and easily understood, there are several instances where it plays at slightly too low a volume and becomes lost under some louder music and sound effects. Nevertheless, Letters to Juliet features a mostly stable and sturdy lossless soundtrack. It's not all that audibly impressive by its very nature but it is structurally sound and seemingly delivered as-intended.
Letters to Juliet debuts on Blu-ray with an average assortment of extra content. First up is an audio commentary track featuring Director Gary Winick and Actress Amanda Seyfried. This is a decent enough but fairly routine commentary; the participants affably discuss the story, shooting locations, the joys of filming in Italy, some of the technical insights behind the making of the movie, and more. Though not a must-listen, fans could do worse than plopping Letters to Juliet in the Playstation, turning on the commentary, and playing it back at 1.5x speed. The Making of 'Letters to Juliet:' In Italia (1080p, 12:40) takes viewers to Italy for a look at the making of the movie, featuring various participants praising the director, the cast, the story, and the setting. Next is A Courtyard in Verona (1080p, 5:40), a brief piece that features several individuals sharing their thoughts on love and the story of Romeo and Juliet. Rounding out the extras is an assortment of deleted and extended scenes (1080p, 10:53) with a brief introduction by Director Gary Winick.
Letters to Juliet is a movie that's about as sweet and well-meaning as movies like this come, and its underlying elements that get to the very heart of just what love is and the power it holds over those who have both experienced it and long for it far supersedes the various plot superficialities and transparencies. Director Gary Winick's picture is technically well-made and superbly acted, with Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave turning in two memorable and oftentimes touching performances as the leading ladies who are driven to find the same thing at different stages of their lives, with Redgrave becoming something of a motherly figure to Seyfried, her character subtly sharing her experiences in loves won and lost and found again in hopes of guiding her new friend -- her Juliet -- to find her own path towards real, honest, and true love. Letters to Juliet is far better than genre norms would suggest; one need only look past its generalities to find one of the more touching and honest movies of the past few years. Summit Entertainment's Letters to Juliet Blu-ray features a wonderful high definition transfer, a high quality lossless soundtrack, and an average selection of bonus materials. Highly recommended.
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