6.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A recently-widowed man's son calls a radio talk show in an attempt to find his father a partner.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O'DonnellRomance | 100% |
Comedy | 69% |
Drama | 4% |
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, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When Nora Ephron died in June 2012 from pneumonia brought on by her long (if largely secret) battle with leukemia, she was eulogized as one of the protean talents of her generation. Ephron was the daughter of Henry and Phoebe Ephron, both established writers and scenarists, and Ephron was of course sibling to three sisters who themselves became notable writers. Nora Ephron emerged as perhaps (perhaps) the most widely recognized of her siblings due to her rather piquant writing style. Her filmography is surprisingly varied, especially considering the fact that over the course of a little more than 25 years, Ephron was involved in one way or another in “only” fifteen films. Of these, her legacy is probably most solidly tied to her romantic comedies, notably When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle. (This is not to minimize some of Ephron’s other films, which include everything from Silkwood to Julie & Julia.) Much like her later You’ve Got Mail, which can trace its source material back through the play Parfumerie, which ultimately became the Ernst Lubitsch film The Shop Around the Corner and then the musical film In the Good Old Summertime, and, decades later, the Broadway musical She Loves Me, Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle (which itself has been musicalized to not especially good effect) has a notable antecedent, in this case the well-remembered 1957 tearjerker An Affair to Remember. While the Cary Grant – Deborah Kerr film used a rather disturbing accident to keep its lovers from meeting, Sleepless in Seattle uses a perhaps more believable gambit, namely the everyday chaos that seems to swirl around many people’s lives. A grieving widower, his precocious son, and a lovelorn albeit engaged woman circle each other precariously for much of the film’s running time, and if the ultimate outcome is never really in much doubt, getting to the top of the Empire State Building proves to be a largely enjoyable enterprise in one of Ephron’s sweetest pieces of writing.
Sleepless in Seattle is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Twilight Time (utilizing a high definition master provided to them by Sony – Columbia), with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. In the "strange bedfellows" arena, Sleepless in Seattle was lensed by none other than Sven Nykvist, the iconic cinematographer most associated with the legendary Ingmar Bergman. Nykvist tends to favor a slightly glossy, if also softer, look throughout the film which is wonderfully reproduced in this high definition presentation. I hadn't seen the film in several years before watching it again it in preparation for this review, and I had forgotten how kind of dark and drab several sequences are (perhaps perfectly in tune with the rainy climes of the Pacific Northwest, a region I myself call home). That said, contrast remains very strong throughout this offering, and shadow detail is rarely if ever compromised. The transfer retains a natural amount of grain, colors are nicely saturated (if never overly robust), and fans of this film will certainly be very well pleased with the result.
Sleepless in Seattle features a nicely rendered lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 that really springs to surround life during the ubiquitous use of source cues. Otherwise, dialogue is fairly resolutely anchored front and center, with only occasional effects like urban ambient environmental effects dotting the side and occasionally rear channels. Fidelity remains excellent throughout, though dynamic range is somewhat narrow.
Is Sleepless in Seattle patently unbelievable? Probably, but it's also incredibly charming and sweetly touching, helmed rather well by Ephron herself and featuring several incredibly winning performances, not just by the leads but also by a really game and varied supporting cast. As one of the characters disparages An Affair to Remember in this film, calling it a "chick flick", women may be more immune to Sleepless in Seattle's plot machinations, but anyone of either gender who has pined after their own happy ending will surely have their heartstrings tugged by this gently amusing film. Highly recommended.
30th Anniversary Edition
1989
Includes "The Shop Around the Corner" on DVD
1998
2007
1986
1995
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2001
25th Anniversary Edition
1997
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1988
Warner Archive Collection
1977
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10th Anniversary Edition
2006
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1988