7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 4.6 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
A dramatization of the final days of Sophie Scholl, one of the members of the German anti-Nazi resistance movement, The White Rose.
Starring: Julia Jentsch, Alexander Held, Fabian Hinrichs, Johanna Gastdorf, André HennickeWar | 100% |
Foreign | 64% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
German: LPCM 2.0
German LPCM 2.0 (48kHz/16-bit).
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Factual, poignant and well-executed, “Sophie Scholl” (2005) follows the story of a courageous anti-Nazi activist and her collaborators during WW2. The picture was selected to represent Germany at the Oscars a few years ago. Courtesy of UK-based distributors ICA Films / Drake’s Avenue. Region-Free.
Sophie Scholl
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG4-AVC and granted a 1080p
transfer, Sophie Scholl – The Final Days arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of UK-based
distributors Drake's Avenue / ICA Films.
Quite some time ago, I reviewed this film for another site (a region 1 SDVD release by
Zeitgeist Video) and was fairly disappointed with the video presentation. What the US
distributors delivered was a notably flawed release, a PAL-NTSC transfer with plenty of
heavy "ghosting" issues, which made my viewing experience very unpleasant. Later on, I
was also sent the R2 UK disc which turned out to be non-anamorphic, and as far as I am
concerned, even more disturbing than the R1 DVD. Now, I mention all of the above because
I wish to give you a clear perspective on how much better the Blu-ray release of Sophie
Scholl is (this is also one of the reasons why I am so excited to see many independent
distributors enter Blu-waters, the conversion issues many releases produced by
independent producers is something I hope HD transfer will effectively address). First of all,
the Blu-ray disc I hold in my hands is by the same distributor responsible for the UK DVD
release. Yet, the difference here is simply unbelievable. The Blu-ray transfer is progressive,
crystal clear and sharp, and with a color-scheme that does not even come close to what I
have seen on previous DVD releases. With other words, all of the standard-def issues I
mentioned earlier are nowhere to be seen on this 1080p transfer. Second of all, Sophie
Scholl looks much more natural as well. The flesh tones are healthier, the indoor scenes
unaffected by strong video noise, and edge enhancement hardly an issue. Finally, blown
through a digital projector, this 1080p transfer remains tight to the frame. This being said,
my only complaint here is the fact that during a few selected scene contrast levels appear
slightly boosted. Aside from that, the actual print is in very good condition – I did not detect
any specks, dirt, or debris. (Note: Even though the Blu-ray disc is marketed as
Region-B it is in fact Region-Free).
Somewhat surprisingly Sophie Scholl offers only a German: PCM 2.0 track. I don't believe that this is too big of a setback for this, mostly dialog-driven, picture but, nevertheless, it would have been better if the UK distributors had provided a PCM 5.1 track instead. This being said, the quality of the audio mix is solid. Dialog is very easy to follow and I certainly did not detect any pops, cracks, or dropouts to report here. On the other hand, the little music that you will hear is evenly balanced with the dialog. Optional English subtitles are offered for the main feature but they seem a bit too big for my taste. Still, the English translation is solid and I did not detect any grammatical errors.
In addition to the original theatrical trailer for Sophie Scholl, on this Blu-ray disc you will also find a "Making Of" featurette, which compiles mostly footage from the production process (there are scattered comments by the cast and crew as well). The featurette is broken into seven chapters. Next is a gallery with thirteen deleted scenes. Finally, there is a gallery with three very interesting interviews – one with Franz Muller, White Rose member and Walter Gebel, nephew of Sophie Scholl's cellmate Else Gebel; one with Willi Mohr, son of inspector Mohr; and one with Elizabeth Harthnagel, sister of Sophie and Hans Scholl – with archive trial footage. I strongly encourage you to watch these interviews only after you have already seen the film as they offer a great deal of revealing information pertaining to the history of the White Rose as well as the fate of Sophie Scholl. The archive footage in particular is very interesting. For the record, all of the supplemental materials are perfectly playable in Region-A machines, they are not in PAL. Optional English subtitles are provided for all of the extras as well.
Sophie Scholl has finally received the treatment it deserves. Aside from the fact that Drake's Avenue did not move the audio presentation a notch, and offered only a PCM 2.0 mix, everything else looks very good to my eyes. The Blu- ray disc is most definitely a strong upgrade over previous releases of the film. Highly Recommended.
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