6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
When a widowed mother is arrested in an aborted bomb plot she must make hard choices to protect her son in this heart-wrenching thriller.
Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson, Aidan Gillen, Domhnall GleesonDrama | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Winner of Best Actress Award at the British Independent Film Awards, James Marsh's "Shadow Dancer" (2012) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Pictures-UK. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; short featurette; and audio commentary with director James Marsh and writer Tom Brady. In English, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.
Decision time
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, James Marsh's Shadow Dancer arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Paramount Pictures-UK.
Contrast levels are intentionally toned down to enhance the film's period look (Shadow Dancer opens up in 1973 and then the action moves to 1993). Colors are consistently warm and soft, with the grays and blacks in particular never appearing rich and well saturated. There is an abundance of natural light throughout the entire film as well. This very specific, at times quite bleak intended look is rather impressively retained by the high-definition transfer. The outdoor sequences in particular look very good. There are small portions of the film where some extremely light compression artifacts sneak in (see the lower right corner of screencapture #6), but none of them ever become distracting. Generally speaking, detail and depth are always very pleasing. There is good fluidity during the few panoramic sequences as well. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, this is a competent presentation of Shadow Dancer that should please its fans. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA 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 disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Paramount Pictures have provided optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
Silence has a prominent role in Shadow Dancer. But the film is also complimented by a moody ambient soundtrack that has an equally important role. Generally speaking, dynamic movement is limited, but the 5.1 track opens up the film very well where the music is used to enhance the tense atmosphere. There are random sounds that are also quite effective. The dialog is crisp, stable, and clean, but most English speakers will likely have to use the optional English subtitles as the accents could be quite thick at times.
From all of the films that won awards at BIFA last year, James Marsh's Shadow Dancer is the best one that I've seen. It is a superbly directed and acted political thriller that rivals some of the very best genre films from recent years. I am unsure if a U.S. release is planned, but if it isn't, and you enjoy intelligent films, I urge you to consider importing it. Paramount's presentation of the film is very good. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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