7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Syracuse is a poor Irish fisherman whose life is changed forever when he fishes a beautiful live woman out of the sea. His disabled daughter, Annie, is convinced the mysterious beauty must be a selkie, a mythical creature who resembles a seal in the water but assumes human form on land. Theories abound regarding the origins of woman as she transforms the lives of Syracuse, Annie, and the local townspeople.
Starring: Colin Farrell, Alicja Bachleda, Alison Barry, Tony Curran, Emil HostinaRomance | 100% |
Supernatural | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan clearly has a thing for what might be called “alternative” romances. In both The Crying Game and Breakfast on Pluto he follows transgendered individuals trying to find love during Ireland’s IRA “troubles.” The Miracle deals in incest, and Mona Lisa has a just-out-of-jail thug falling in unrequited love with a lesbian prostitute. Even Interview with the Vampire—if only in sub-text—has its share of homoerotic tension. For his latest film, the dreamy, watery drama Ondine, Jordan borrows from Irish mythology to create a fairytale for adults, a love story about a mere mortal man and a woman who may or may not be a mermaid. It’s a whale of a tale—Jordan tantalizingly dangles the is she or isn’t she bait in front of us until the end—and it works, despite a tendency toward melodrama. In fact, the film itself is like a siren; you know you’re heading straight toward the narrative rocks in the story’s craggy final act, but there’s a lot of pleasure to be had in succumbing to the movie’s enchantment.
...she came from the water...
Magnolia Home Entertainment brings Ondine to Blu-ray with a striking 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, framed in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Of course, the real credit goes to esteemed cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who's perhaps best known for shooting all of director Wong Kar-Wai's films between Days of Being Wild and 2046. Doyle settles on a lush, wet, appropriately dreamy color palette here, a mix of misty grays, overcast blues, and of course, the vivid greens that give The Emerald Isle its name. Without using any CGI or other visual trickery, he certainly captures the film's intended fairytale mood. There are some blown highlights at times, and darker scenes are often cloaked in crushing black shadows, but this seems intentional, in no way a defect of the transfer. The image may not be razor sharp, but it has clarity where it counts—close-ups display fine facial texture and the loose weft of Syracuse's fisherman's sweater really pops in high definition. The grain structure is fine, and I didn't spot any overt edge enhancement. There are a few minor video issues, though, none of which present any real distractions. You'll notice some slight banding in a few of the underwater shots, and noise spikes a bit during night scenes. Otherwise, the picture is as brisk and clean as a cold Irish morning.
Presented with a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, Ondine is a great example of a mostly quiet film that nonetheless uses its subtle sound design to strong effect. The loudest, most audio-intensive scene is a car crash that rends metal and sends glass spraying through the soundfield; otherwise, this track relies almost solely on moody ambience. And this is evident from the very first scene—where the sounds of lapping waves, soft wind, and distant gulls fill every audio channel, effectively putting us right on Syracuse's fishing boat. The sonic sense of place keeps up throughout the film. Furthering the dreamy, sometimes somnambulant vibe is an atmospheric guitar and piano score, a prominently featured Sigur Ros song, and Alicja Bachleda's voice, which lilts over the sounds of the rolling ocean. All of this is crisp, clean, well mixed, and dynamically sound. Likewise, the dialogue is clear, although you may need the subtitles to fully understand the sometimes-thick Irish brogue.
Making Ondine (SD, 9:38)
A short, fairly standard making-of featurette, but well worth watching.
HDNet: A Look at Ondine (1080i, 4:40)
A typical HDNet promo, featuring clips from the film, a brief synopsis, and quick interviews with Colin Ferrel, Alicja
Bachleda, and director Neil Jordan.
Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:05)
Also From Magnolia Home Entertainment Blu-ray (1080p, 8:36)
Includes trailers for The Extra Man, I Am Love, The Oxford Murders, and Centurion,
along with a promo for HDNet.
BD-Live Functionality
Though I would've liked to see the film's last act go in another direction, it's easy to get caught in Ondine's net. This is a rare picture—a believable fairytale for adults, beautifully shot and acted—and it's probably director Neil Jordan's best film since 1999's The End of the Affair. The disc from Magnolia Home Entertainment looks and sounds lovely, and through there aren't many special features to speak of, this kind of film stands on its own. If you're a fan of dreamy mysteries or, well, a dreamy Colin Farrell—who's great here—Ondine is a solid purchase. For those on the fence, the film is at least a good rainy evening rental.
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