Quiet City Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Quiet City Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson April 4, 2022

Quiet City (2007) is being released as part of Circle Collective's one-disc Two Films by Aaron Katz, which also includes Dance Party, USA (2006) on the other layer of this BD-50.

Quiet City demonstrates with aplomb Aaron Katz's maturation and progression as a visual storyteller. Accompanying his camera's semi-frequent fixation with magic-hour shots and New York's autumnal colors is a realistic boy-meets-girl story. Jamie (Erin Fisher) is visiting from Atlanta and when she gets off a subway in Brooklyn, she asks Charlie (Cris Lankenau), who's the only person around at a late hour, directions to a diner where she's supposed to meet her friend Samantha. When she can't get a hold of Samantha on her flip-it phone, she continues to converse with Charlie. They go back to his apartment where she becomes fascinated with tunes he plays on his keyboard. After she trims his hair the next day, the pair go on an excursion to Samantha's apartment. When she isn't there, they playfully sneak into her place. The film culminates with an art exhibit and a party.

Katz is very attuned to his characters' personalities and their mannerisms. Nothing of great consequence occurs in Quiet City but the arc of Jamie and Charlie's relationship is well developed and worth seeing unfold. Quiet City is unmistakably a better shot picture than Dance Party, USA as Katz has a better idea of camera placement and an eye for lovely shots.

Quiet City Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Quiet City appears in its originally composed ratio of 1.78:1 on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded disc. It was shot on the Panasonic AG-HVX200 P2 HD Camcorder using P2 cards. The image is noticeably clearer and sharper than its predecessor. Detail on faces is pretty finite (see Screenshot #4). There are no compression-related artifacts. Scanning was performed by Post Haste Digital. Circle Collective has encoded the feature at an average video bitrate of 29004 kbps.

Eight scene selections accompany the 78-minute movie.

Quiet City Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Circle Collective has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1035 kbps, 24-bit). James McNally reviewed the Benten Films DVD of Quiet City for Toronto Screen Shots and commented on the Dolby Digital Stereo track: "the sound mix often had me straining to hear what was being said." Having the track lossless here amplifies spoken words some. I would have liked a considerably higher bitrate, though. Keegan DeWitt, who also composed a fine score for Dance Party, USA, wrote an even better one here. The simple piano themes are mellifluous. It kind of reminds me of the minimalist music of Chen Ming-chang (Maborosi).

Circle Collective has included optional English subtitles on Quiet City's menu and they're also accessible via remote.

Quiet City Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW No Grasp on Reality: A Conversation with Director Aaron Katz and David Lowery (25:35, 1080i) - Recorded in 2021, this Zoom conversation features Katz and editor/directOR David Lowery (A Ghost Story; The Old Man & the Gun), who describes the improvisational and kitchen-sink aspects of Dance Party, USA, which he calls a "gatekeeper" movie. Katz discusses his approach to performance which is tailored around improv. Lowery delves a lot into the technological windows of the mini-DV camera from 1999 to 2006 and the HD cameras that arose in the mid 2000s and the challenges of transferring these ultra low-budget films to 35mm. The first half is devoted to Dance Party, USA. They also discuss Quiet City's primary characters. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW In Love with the Process: A Conversation with Barry Jenkins, Aaron Katz, and the Cast of QUIET CITY (28:23, 1080i) - Also recorded in 2021, this Zoom interview is hosted by the award-winning director of Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk. Jenkins very fondly recalls seeing Quiet City upon its initial release and does a solid job of keeping the four-way discussion going. He's joined by Katz and Quiet City's two leads: Erin Fisher and Cris Lankenau. Katz goes into the project's origins, how the film's general scenario was both scripted and unscripted, and the import of knowing the shape of scenes. Fisher recollects getting involved courtesy of producer Brendan McFadden and the bonding process she had with Lankenau. The latter talks about his background before joining the small ensemble cast, getting to know Fisher, and how his real self differs from his character Charlie. Jenkins makes a rather surprising comparison to The Bourne Identity and asks Lankenau to comment on a similar scene in Quiet City. While there's a little bit of an echo on Jenkins's mic, all remarks are audible enough for full comprehension. The interviews are intercut with clips from Quiet City. All participants speak in English, not subtitled.

• Q&A (2007) with Cast and Crew from the QUIET CITY New York Premiere at IFC Center (14:55, upscaled to 1080p) - Katz gives an overview of the film and extrapolates how his 180-page script evolved while making the film. He takes questions from the audience along with lead thespians Erin Fisher and Cris Lankenau, as well as producer Brendan McFadden, cinematographer Andrew Reed, and composer Keegan Dewitt. This is better than quite a few Q&As for an average small indie. The six participants on stage speak in English, not subtitled. Shown in full frame.

• Keegan Dewitt on the Music of QUIET CITY and DANCE PARTY, USA (8:24, upscaled to 1080p) - Katz interviews Dewitt on how he generated musical ideas for the two films. Dewitt sits by his laptop and electronic piano where he plays notes from his scores and explains what he wanted to express in relation to the visuals. Presented in full frame with English audio, not subtitled.

• QUIET CITY Trailer (1:54, upconverted to 1080p) - an original HD trailer (post-festival with excerpts from a couple reviews) that's displayed in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. It appears from studying the image closely that the original resolution was 720p.

Quiet City Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Aaron Katz makes great strides compared to his debut feature. Quiet City has a superior story and considerably better camera work, too. The dialogue doesn't rank with Rohmer or Linklater's but Erin Fisher and Cris Lankenau develop a very good rapport. RECOMMENDED.