7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Four grown up children come together the night before the funeral of their mother in Glasgow. While Thomas sings a tribute in the local pub, a fight breaks out and Michael is stabbed. John wants to avenge his brother, while Thomas goes to chapel with his sister Sheila for an all-night vigil. Even here, though, is not safe, as a storm tears the roof from the church. Each sibling must find their own way to come to terms with their grief during a turbulent long, dark night of mishaps and misunderstandings. After an emotional and traumatic night, the siblings eventually reunite in grief.
Starring: Douglas Henshall, Gary Lewis (III), Rosemarie Stevenson, Stephen McCole, Malcolm ShieldsDrama | 100% |
Comedy | 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: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Peter Mullan's "Orphans" (1998) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new documentary with the director and cast members; archival audio commentary by the director; three short films; deleted scenes; and more. The release also arrives with a 40-page illustrated booklet featuring writings on the film and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
The ritual
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Orphans arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.
This film made its high-definition debut in 2011 via British label Park Circus. (You can see our review of the first release here). This release is sourced from the same remaster that was used to produce the previous release.
The remaster is decent but now looks mostly dated. What I like about it is that it handles well-lit footage rather nicely, and close-ups in particular tend to look quite strong. However, the film has a lot of darker/nighttime footage and the blacks often appear overwhelming. Now, the stylization of the visuals definitely contributes to the effect, but there is also light crushing, which from time to time is exacerbated by mild denoising. As a result, some fine nuances that are lost, plus in certain areas depth does not look optimal. Again, the stylization -- which is basically a whole lot of natural light management -- hides most of these shortcomings rather well, which is why I don't think that the integrity of the film has been compromised, but a modern 2K/4K master should easily introduce various good improvements. Regaardless, I still believe that this is a fine presentation of the film that makes it easy to enjoy at home. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.
The inclusion of the English subtitles is a game-changer. I thought that the lossless tracks on the previous release were very solid, but there were areas in the film where the Scottish accents were so thick that I could not always understand the full exchanges between the different characters. The group footage was especially problematic because there were all sorts of different organic sounds and noises. So, kudos to Indicator/Powerhouse Films for providing the subtitles because they will be appreciated by a lot of viewers. There are no encoding issues to report.
NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.
Peter Mullan's directorial debut, Orphans, is a genuine masterpiece, and for my money it is the undisputed jewel of Indicator/Powerhouse Films' catalog. It should have been the worldwide phenomenon that Trainspotting became, but sadly a lot of people just could not get how brilliant it is. And where is the North American release of Orphans? The Criterion Collection would be the perfect home for the film -- and the other two films that Mullan directed as well -- but for now folks on this side of the Atlantic will have to consider imports such as this one. The technical presentation of the film could be better, but the large selection of bonus features and especially the inclusion of the optional subtitles make it exceptionally easy to recommend this release. Take my words for granted, folks -- if you don't have Orphans there is a massive hole in your library. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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