7.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
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 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit)
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Screened at the Venice Film Festival, Scottish director Peter Mullan's "Orphans" (1998) arrive son Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Park Circus. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; photo gallery; and three short films directed by Peter Mullan - "Close" (1993), "Good Day for the Bad Guys" (1995), and "Fridge" (1995). The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an interview with director Peter Mullan conducted by film critic Paul Greenwood. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The orphans
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Peter Mullan's Orphans arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Park Circus.
Recently restored, Orphans looks pretty good on Blu-ray. Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of the film is quite dark - I have not seen the film theatrically, but it appears that the tendency to favor very strong grays and blacks, some of which are borderline crushed, and have contrast levels toned down is indeed intentional - during close-ups fine object detail is good and clarity mostly pleasing. There are traces of mild denoising, but the integrity of the film does not appear to have been compromised (see screencaptures #3 and 6). I would argue that the sporadic softness that is occasionally noticeable is also directly related to the manner in which the film was shot, which does favor natural light, or restricted light during the indoor sequences. Additionally, edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern. There are no annoying warps, cuts, or scratches either. All in all, this is a pleasing presentation that will most likely remain the definitive presentation of the film in the United Kingdom. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Park Circus have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track has a very good dynamic amplitude. Unsurprisingly, Craig Armstrong's melancholic soundtrack gets a tremendous boost and adds plenty of color to the film (the piano theme is beautiful). Surround and bass activity, however, are rather limited. This is not to say that there are technical issues with the loseless track, rather that the film's sound design is modest. The lack of optional English subtitles, however, is disappointing. The Scottish accents are often very thick and at times the dialog could be difficult to follow. I personally had a very difficult time understanding what was being said during one short sequence from the final third of the film.
Peter Mullan's Orphans is a perfect film. I really cannot recall the last time a film moved me so much. The characters, the story, the direction and music are brilliant. I cannot wait to see NEDS now. While Park Circus deserve a lot of credit for bringing the film to Blu-ray, they should have done a little more to promote it. I hope Criterion, or another label, would consider bringing Orphans to the U.S. It would be a crime not to have it here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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