Son of Saul Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Son of Saul Blu-ray Movie Review

Winner of Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film, László Nemes' "Son of Saul" (2015) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; Q&A session with dierctor László Nemes; deleted scene; behind the scenes footage; and the short film "With a Little Patience". In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Son of Saul Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, László Nemes' Son of Saul arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye.

The release is sourced from the same master that Sony Pictures worked with when they prepared the North American Blu-ray release of Son Saul. I've done some direct comparisons with my release and could not see any notable differences to address in our review. Indeed, the basic technical characteristics are very strong. However, the film has a very unique visual style that favors very specific color tonalities and light management that occasionally impact detail and depth. In some cases, for instance, there is obvious crushing, but it does appear that the bulk of it is in fact intended. Elsewhere the muted primaries also introduce flatness that under different conditions would have been deemed inappropriate. (The entire film was in fact timed photochemically). Ultimately, excluding some minor encoding optimizations that could have been made, the film really does look quite strong in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Son of Saul Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Hungarian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Hungarian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The use of music throughout the film is very important. It directly impacts the atmosphere and in some cases even redirects the narrative. Clarity and depth are excellent. Balance and separation are also exceptional. Some minor unevenness can be heard in areas with multiple actors and plenty of movement, but it is easy to tell that it is part of the original sound design. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Son of Saul Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Son of Saul. In Hungarian, with imposed English subtitles and text. (3 min, 1080p).

• Q&A with Director Laszlo Nemes - this session was held after a special 35mm preview screening of the Son of Saul at the Curzon Soho cinema in London in April 2016. Director Laszlo Nemes discusses the production history of the film, the historical accuracy of the material, key themes and messages and their relationship with the unique visual style, the use of sound, etc. The session was hosted by historian Nikolaus Wachsmann. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Behind the Scenes GoPro Footage - raw footage from the shooting of the film, with direct comparisons. In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Deleted Scene - in Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).

• Short Film - "With a Little Patience" (2007) - presented here is László Nemes' very first short film about a beautiful office clerk in Nazi camp during WW2. In Hungarian and German, with optional English subtitles. (15 min, 1080p).

Son of Saul Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

László Nemes' Son of Saul is a very powerful and very disturbing film about a dark period of our recent history that should never be forgotten. This new release of the film from British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye is sourced from the same master which Sony Pictures worked with when they prepared their North American release. However, the two releases have different supplemental features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.