7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Three self-involved Edinburgh roommates take in a brooding boarder, and when he dies of an overdose, leaving a suitcase full of money, the trio embark on a series of very bad decisions, with extraordinarily grim consequences for all.
Starring: Kerry Fox, Christopher Eccleston, Ewan McGregor, Ken Stott, Keith Allen (I)Dark humor | 100% |
Crime | 63% |
Thriller | 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 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Winner of Silver Seashell Award for Best Director at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, Danny Boyle's "Shallow Grave" (1994) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer for the film; documentary film about the making of "Shallow Grave" directed by Kevin Macdonald; exclusive new video interviews with actors Kerry Fox, Ewan McGregor, and Christopher Eccleston; audio commentary with director Danny Boyle; exclusive new audio commentary with screenwriter John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald; and more. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Philip Kemp. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Drill my head!
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Danny Boyle's Shallow Grave arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"This new digital transfer was created on an ARRISCAN film scanner in 6K/2k resolution workflow from the original 35mm camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Image Systems' Phoenix was used for small dirt and scratches.
Telecine supervisors: Lee Kline, Brian Tufano.
Colorist: Stephen Berman/Deluxe Digital London."
The new and supervised by director of photography Brian Tufano high-definition transfer is clearly superior to the one British distributors Film Four used for their Blu-ray release of Shallow Grave in 2009. Close-ups look sharper and boast better depth (see screencapture #4); during panoramic shots clarity is also improved (compare screencapture #11 with screencapture #10 from our review of the Film Four release). There are discrepancies in the color-schemes of the two releases as well. Generally speaking, on the Criterion release the reds, browns, and blacks are more prominent and better saturated, while on the Film Four release light and softer greens and browns have a tendency to overwhelm the reds and blacks. As a result, during sequences where light is restricted the Film Four release looks softer. Furthermore, there are no traces of problematic sharpening. On the Film Four release, however, light edge-enhancement occasionally creeps in. Criterion's release is also free of noticeable scratches, flecks, and damage marks. This said, there are a few sequences where I noticed some extremely light artifacts popping up, though they are not even remotely distracting. All in all, Criterion's presentation of Shallow Grave is unquestionably more satisfying than Film Four's. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.
The lossless audio track has a modest dynamic amplitude. This is not to imply, however, that there are technical limitations that could have been avoided; rather that the film has a modest sound design, which the lossless track effectively replicates. The dialog is crisp, stable, clean, and very easy to follow, but the dynamic progressions are indeed quite limited. As far as I am concerned, the short electronica motifs are the only bits from the film that are likely to make an impression. For the record, there are no distortions or audio dropouts to report in this review.
Perhaps the only major problem with Danny Boyle's Shallow Grave is the fact that it will always exist in the shadow of Trainspotting. It is a fine, entertaining and well acted film, but impossible not to compare to Trainspotting. The two clearly changed the image of contemporary British cinema abroad, but the latter is simply a much more complete film. As expected, Criterion's Blu-ray release of Shallow Grave comes with a strong selection of supplemental features. There is a particularly good new audio commentary with screenwriter John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald. RECOMMENDED.
1990
1966
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
2000
1962
2014
4K Restoration
1973
2016
2014
1995
2007
Collector's Edition
1996
1973
1994
2017
2006
1989
2005
Theatrical Edition
1997
2017
1984