7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A German Jewish refugee family moves to and adjusts to a farm life in 1930s Kenya.
Starring: Juliane Köhler, Merab Ninidze, Matthias Habich, Sidede Onyulo, Lea KurkaForeign | 100% |
Biography | 3% |
Period | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
There are some Academy Award winners for Best Foreign Language Film that have entered the annals of film legend and whose titles are recognized even by folks who perhaps haven’t even seen them. Films like Shoeshine, Bicycle Thieves, Rashomon, La strada, Nights of Cabiria, Black Orpheus, The Virgin Spring, 8½, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Day for Night, Cinema Paradiso, Life Is Beautiful, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are just a few of the international films which have brought home an Oscar prize and which in their own often quite radically different ways have helped to make clear just how global cinematic artistry can be. But the vagaries of film fame are as variable for films themselves as for anyone associated with them, and perhaps that’s one reason why Nowhere in Africa, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002 along with a bevy of other trophies, doesn’t seem to have achieved the same high profile as some of its more celebrated foreign language siblings. It’s especially sad given the fact that Nowhere in Africa presents a really unique story in an exotic and unusual location with the sort of historical specificity that has long been the hallmark of so called “prestige pictures”.
Nowhere in Africa is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. This is a slightly variable looking transfer, which is one reason I'm scoring it at 3.5, though there are moments that certainly push upwards toward what I would consider 4.0 territory. Damage is minimal, but the element looks slightly faded quite a bit of the time, with at least occasional anemia in the palette and with a tendency for things to skew toward brown tones (even above and beyond built in aspects of the location and production design). That said, other moments, especially some of the brightly lit outdoor scenes in Kenya, offer really vivid blue skies and some decently green foliage. Certain pops of color, like the various sweaters that Regina wears, can also look quite nicely saturated. Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation, but a few isolated shots (mostly wide vistas) had a slightly sharpened look to them to my eyes.
Nowhere in Africa features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks in the original German (some isolate characters speak English, and there's a smattering of languages like Swahili in play as well). The surround track is quite winning, especially in its broad placement of the percussion heavy score by Niki Reiser. Ample ambient environmental sounds also dot the surround channels regularly in the many outdoor moments, and even in more "cultured" environments like the hotel Jettel and Regina are sent to. Dialogue, including Regina's narration, is always rendered cleanly and with smart prioritization on this problem free track.
- Caroline Link, Peter Herrmann and Stefanie Zweig (480i; 31:33)
- Sidede Onyulo (480i; 8:31)
- Merab Ninindze (480i; 19:28)
- Juliane Kohler (480i; 20;31)
- Matthias Habich (480i; 17:24)
Nowhere in Africa is a rare film that gives a rather pointed history lesson while also offering a really intimate portrait of one family, and one little girl in particular. It was a real pleasure revisiting this film again after several years, and I found it a peculiarly life affirming experience despite some of the troubling issues it raises. Technical merits are good (video) to excellent (audio), and the supplemental package, while mostly in SD, is also extremely interesting, especially the interview which includes Stefanie Zweig. Highly recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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