8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
After her adoptive parents die, a young black woman seeks out her natural birth mother only to discover her mother is white.
Starring: Timothy Spall, Phyllis Logan, Brenda Blethyn, Claire Rushbrook, Marianne Jean-BaptisteDrama | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Mike Leigh's "Secrets & Lies" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Channel 4 DVD/Film 4. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; short video segment with the British director; and the TV short "A Sense of History" (1992). In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Maurice and Monica
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Channel 4 DVD/Film 4.
The high-definition transfer has been struck from a brand new master -- with MK2's logo on it -- and unsurprisingly the film looks very fresh, vibrant, and healthy. Close-ups boast outstanding depth and clarity, even when natural light is somewhat subdued, while the wider panoramic shots impress with wonderful fluidity (see screencaptures #3 and 5). Contrast levels remain stable. Grain is very well resolved and evenly distributed throughout the entire film. There are no traces of post-production sharpening of degraining adjustments. Colors are stable, very healthy and beautifully balanced. Overall image stability is outstanding -- there are absolutely no transition issues or annoying edge flicker. Finally, excluding a few very light compression artifacts, the encoding is also very good. All in all, it is clear that the film has been remastered very well and the technical presentation is near flawless. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles have been provided for the main feature.
The film does not have an aggressive soundtrack and therefore dynamic intensity is somewhat limited. This being said, there is a good range of nuanced dynamics and separation is excellent. The dialog is expertly balanced as well. In other words, the lossless track handles the film's organic sound design exceptionally well. Finally, there are no pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review.
Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies is a bittersweet comedy about real working class people with the type of problems anyone can relate to. It was completed nearly twenty years ago, but it still feels fresh and relevant today. Channel 4 DVD/Film 4 have released the film on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom and I have to say that it looks magnificent in high-definition. Hopefully, Criterion will soon bring the film to these shores with a nice selection of supplemental features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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