7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.1 |
An artistic immigrant family in Buenos Aires is marred by fierce rivalries, handed down through several generations.
Starring: Vincent Gallo, Maribel Verdú, Alden Ehrenreich, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Carmen MauraDrama | 100% |
Mystery | 11% |
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, English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It’s difficult to review a film like Tetro without first mentioning the creative mind behind it. Francis Ford Coppola’s run the full gamut of critical reception over the years, earning unprecedented praise for The Godfather, and Apocalypse Now, before disappearing from the film industry to pursue a laid back life managing a vineyard. In 2007, Coppola re-emerged to direct what many considered an exercise in art over substance (Youth Without Youth), despite a touching story at its core. His latest venture doesn’t stray far from the artistic conventions of this new period in the director’s career, but it stands as a more accessible story when compared to Youth Without Youth. After all, what human can’t find some degree of connection with themes that involve rivalry, familial discord, and a failure to thrive in the shadow of greatness?
The use of lighting and shadows is astounding.
Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 31Mbps), Tetro looks outstanding in high-definition. As I stated earlier, Coppola is the type of director who's so confident in his craft, that he'll throw all manner of visual style into his productions. Some may find this tampering intrusive or unnatural, but I love the bold statements he conveys in the compositions of various shots. Certainly some credit should be given to the cinematography of Mihai Malaimare Jr., who accepts both the honor and difficulty of working on such a visually demanding picture. To give you some idea of what you can expect from this Blu-ray edition of Tetro, we have approximately 80% of the film set in the present day and shot entirely in black and white. The other 20% consists of vintage color film stock that's cropped on both sides to symbolize home video photography during flashback sequences of Tetro's youth. Intermixed in these segments is ballet footage (also in color), which incorporate a blown-out, vivid color palette, lending an almost surreal look to dance-infused storytelling method. I know this likely reads like something out of a dream, and is difficult to visualize in a paragraph assessment, but the end result is a true feast for the eyes. Detail offers excellent clarity, black levels possess ink-like depth, and contrast never displays a hint of weakness. There's a fine layer of film grain permeating the dark background of several scenes, but I doubt many viewers will find it the least bit distracting.
Given the stylistic absence of color through the majority of the film, I wasn't sure what to expect from the high definition offering of Tetro. Now that I've witnessed the artistic style of the carefully crafted shots, and marveled at the contrasting splashes of color used sparingly throughout the feature, I'm extremely happy with Lionsgate's effort on this release.
For a film built solely around dialog and music, Tetro incorporates a wonderful sense of depth and immersion. Bringing back the same composer who worked with Coppola on Youth Without Youth (Osvaldo Golijov), the film score nearly becomes a an individual character within the story, conveying emotions associated with innocence, tragedy, comedy, and companionship. On occasion, the jazz-inspired numbers are cast aside in favor of sweeping operatic pieces that correspond with the onscreen ballet segments. This contrasting style can be a bit jarring at first, but when you consider the unnerving nature of the overall story, the dichotomy seems fitting. From a dialog standpoint, the audio mix never misses the mark, creating a volume balance that carries appropriate weight next to other elements in the mix. There are several moments when environmental effects take a prominent role that extends beyond the rear surround stage, but they act as placeholders for symbolic moments in the story (such as the creak of a door handle, or the bone-crunching sound of a motor vehicle accident), and never felt out of place.
In the end, this is a fine audio presentation that may surprise some viewers. The drama genre isn't well-known for robust auditory delivery, but Tetro manages to break from those conventions in all of the right ways.
Feature-length Audio Commentary with Francis Ford Coppola and actor Alden Ehrenreich: The two contributors on the audio commentary recorded their segments separate from one another, but the topics they address flow with relative ease. When the commentary is at its best, Coppola touches on the parallels between the story and his own family, the intricacies of working outside the Hollywood studio system, and the acting choices for the film (he originally intended Matt Dillon for the role of Tetro, but the actor was busy at the time).
The Ballet (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 8:06 min): Coppola explains the use of ballet as a metaphor within the story, and the influence The Red Shoes (1949) played on these sequences.
Mihai Malaimare, Jr.: The Cinematographer of Tetro (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 8:30 min): As the title implies, this interview segment features the Mihai Malaimare as he discusses the challenges of working in black and white and delves into the visual style he and Coppola were attempting to capture.
The Rehearsal Process (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 8:33 min): More than anything, this supplement demonstrates the differing artistic style of Vincent Gallo and Francis Ford Coppola, since the actor prefers zero rehearsal, and the director insists on it. The clips seem to establish subtle tension between the two, but they eventually find a happy medium.
Osvaldo Golijov: Music Born from the Film (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 9:16 min): The composer behind Tetro provides his thoughts on the musical arrangements in the film, which he labels "nostalgic optimism".
La Colifata: Siempre Fui Loco(I've Always Been Crazy)(1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 5:47 min): Coppola shot the La Colifata sequence on location at a psychiatric hospital in Buenos Aires, where they actually use the radio-show treatment portrayed in the film.
Fausta: A Drama in Verse (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 4:34 min): This supplement presents a longer version of the Fausta play from the film (uninterrupted).
Tetro End Credits (1080i, Dolby Digital 2.0, 3:32 min): The end credits presented at the conclusion of the film are extremely short, so this extra simply provides everyone with their due credit.
Tetro isn't the masterpiece many critics made it out to be, and it definitely isn't Coppola's dramatic return to top form. In my opinion, your enjoyment of the film will depend entirely on your expectations from the outset. Coppola set out to write, direct, and independently produce an art-house film that strikes a personal cord within. He didn't craft a masterpiece along the lines of Apocalypse Now or The Godfather (despite a false assertion on the cover of the Blu-ray case), so entering this experience with expectations of a rumored return to his early days have been grossly overstated by a film community hoping for the second coming. That's not to say the film deserves a tarnished assessment as a result, but those who found Youth Without Youth a bit too artsy may walk away with the same feeling of alienation after Tetro. As a result, I'd recommend most viewers stick with a preliminary rental prior to making a final decision on owning Coppola's latest experiment in artistic expression.
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