7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
A trip to the pastoral countryside reveals a dark, sinister reality for a family from the city.
Starring: Konstantin Lavronenko, Maria Bonnevie, Aleksandr Baluev, Maksim Shibayev, Vitaliy KishchenkoForeign | 100% |
Drama | 99% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Russian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Russian: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Andrey Zvyagintsev's "The Banishment" (2007) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon/Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original Russian trailer for the film; archival documentary; and archival interview with the director. In Russian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Vera
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrey Zvyagintsev's The Banishment arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon/Artificial Eye.
The film looks extraordinary in high-definition. I have the old R2 DVD release that Artificial Eye produced ten years ago and the difference in quality is truly beyond dramatic. Of course the fact that the entire film is shot like a moving poem and there are tremendously carefully lensed panoramic shots makes a lot of the improvements even more obvious, but the new remaster that was produced and used for this release is immaculate. Frankly, folks, this is one of the very best looking releases to reach my desk in more than a few years. Depth, color nuances, and fluidity are simply remarkable and every bit as satisfying as Blu-ray can allow them to be. Also, the entire film is spotless. (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).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Russian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
Viewing the film with the lossless 5.1 track, without the altered pitch that the PAL-encoding introduced on the old R2 DVD release, was an incredible experience. There are large sections of the film where it feels like you are being placed in a giant Russian church with a brilliant choir doing some incredible things in the background and the feeling is just impossible to describe with simple words. Frankly, this is exactly the type of audio track that I would promote as 'reference material' -- incredibly rich nuances and stunning clarity and depth.
I consider Andrey Zvyagintsev one of the top five international directors today, and I believe that he has a refined style whose brilliance makes his work as good as that of legendary masters like Andrei Tarkovsky and Michelangelo Antonioni. I have revisited his second film, The Banishment, many times since I first saw it in 2008, and I just could not be happier that it is finally available on Blu-ray and looking so impressive. This is a truly special release that in different ways highlights everything that I like about the high-definition format. Superb. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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