Only Lovers Left Alive Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Only Lovers Left Alive Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 11, 2014

Nominated for the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Jim Jarmusch's "Only Lovers Left Alive" (2013) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; deleted and extended scenes; music video; and Lea Rinaldi's documentary "Traveling at Night with Jim Jarmusch". In English, with optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"When the cities in the South are burning, this city will bloom..."

They have been in love for thousands of years but are living in different worlds. Adam (Tom Hiddleston, Thor: The Dark World) has settled down somewhere on the outskirts of Detroit, while Eve (Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton, I Am Love) has found a quite place in the exotic city of Tangier, Morocco. They occasionally talk on the phone and dream of seeing each other again, but traveling isn’t easy. Sunlight can kill them.

Eventually, Eve risks her life and arrives in Detroit. They make love and then talk about the past. When later on Adam takes Eve for a ride through Detroit, she quickly realizes why he does not want to leave it -- most people have abandoned their homes and the city has become a giant industrial graveyard. For those like them this is the safest place on the planet.

Ava’s (Mia Wasikowska, Tracks, Stoker) sudden appearance surprises Adam and annoys Eve. Eve’s younger sister could not be any more different -- she is impulsive and careless, a rebel looking for trouble. Adam welcomes her in his home, but when eventually her urges threaten their safety they ask her to leave.

Soon after, Adam and Eve gather their most precious belongings and head back to Tangier, where a close friend (John Hurt) has fallen seriously ill.

Maverick American director Jim Jarmusch’s latest film Only Lovers Left Alive has two contrasting identities. The first is that of a very dark romantic film in which two lovers -- both beautiful vampires -- reconnect after years of living apart. They are madly in love with each other, but the modern world has become so cynical and cold that they have started questioning whether it is worth existing in it. The second identity is that of a realistic film observing the last days of humanity. There are numerous references about the economic processes that have transformed the humans into zombies and made their cities depressing graveyards.

Large parts of the film are quite surreal, but what Jarmusch’s camera captured is absolutely real. When Adam takes Eve for a ride through Detroit, the visuals are simply astonishing. There are empty dark streets, collapsed homes and abandoned old cars that look like they might have been extracted from newly discovered unused footage John Carpenter shot for his iconic Escape from New York. The footage from the back alleys of Tangier looks different, but it is infused with the same sense of melancholy that initially emerges in Detroit.

The cast is great. Swinton is especially good as the brittle but caring vampire. Hiddleston is also believable as her disillusioned partner.

The film was lensed by French cinematographer Yorick Le Saux (Boarding Gate, Julia), whose treatment of space and time is very unique. The lighting and color are also fantastic. (Jarmusch and Le Saux used the Arri Alexa camera, but the film has a very organic look).

There are two outstanding live performances in the film. The first is by psychedelic rockers White Hills, who perform the atmospheric "Under Skin Or By Name". The second is by Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, who delivers an exceptional rendition of "Hal”.

Only Lovers Left Alive Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Shot will the Arri Alexa Plus camera, the film looks exceptionally crisp and rich. The nighttime footage from Detroit and Tangier, in particular, impresses with some fantastic lush yellows and browns that very effectively enhance the moody atmosphere. Detail is excellent -- even where light is restricted depth and clarity are fantastic (see screencapture #4). There are no serious stability issues to report in this review. The encoding is great. I specifically would like to mention that viewers with projectors are guaranteed to be pleased with the tightness and crispness of the image. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PAS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Only Lovers Left Alive Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. A Descriptive Dolby Digital 5.1 track is also included. For the record, Sony Pictures Classics has provided optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track is superb. While there are no elaborate action sequences that could potentially test the muscles of your audio system, if you like deep and immersive sound you will be impressed. There are a coupe of live performances as well that sound absolutely fantastic. (The final performance by Yasmin Hamdan in the small bar sounds terrific). The dialog is stable, clean, and exceptionally easy to follow. Also, there are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

Only Lovers Left Alive Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Traveling at Night with Jim Jarmusch - this documentary film offers a closer look at the filming of Only Lovers Left Alive in Tangier, Morocco. The documentary was produced by Lea Rinaldi. In English, with optional English subtitles. (50 min, 1080p).

• Deleted and Extended Scenes - a collection of deleted and extended scenes. In English, with optional English subtitles. (27 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Only Lovers Left Alive. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Music Video - Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdal performs Hal. (5 min, 1080p).

• Trailers - trailers for other Sony Pictures Classics releases.

Only Lovers Left Alive Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Only Lovers Left Alive is a dark but very beautiful film from maverick American director Jim Jarmusch which should appeal to a variety of different viewers. It is very stylish but also very intelligent film that offers a glimpse into a world we supposedly know well, but I guarantee you will be quite surprised by the visuals. Sony Classics' technical presentation of Only Lovers Left Alive is outstanding. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.