7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Three estranged American brothers reunite for a meticulously planned, soul-searching train voyage across India one year after the death of their father. Armed with eleven suitcases, a laminated itinerary, a can of pepper spray, a supply of over-the-counter painkillers, and a host of family conflicts ready to erupt, Francis, Peter, and Jack eventually find themselves stranded alone in the middle of the desert—at which point an unexpected new chapter in their journey begins.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, Natalie Portman, Anjelica HustonDrama | 100% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Adventure | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Wes Anderson's "The Darjeeling Limited" (2007) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an audio commentary with director Wes Anderson and co-screenwriters Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman; documentary feature by Barry Braverman; conversation with James Ivory; essay by Matt Zoller Seitz; deleted scene and two alternate takes; sketch by Roman Coppola; trophy case; stills gallery; theatrical trailers; and more. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet containing Richard Brody's essay "Voyage to India". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
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Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. This disc also contains Wes Anderson's short film Hotel Chevalier, which could be viewed as a prologue to The Darjeeling Limited.
(Update: I have been informed by a couple of different readers that what you see in screencapture #19 is also present on the old 20th Century Fox SDVD release of The Darjeeling Limited. Apparently, the blue stripes are a product of awkward light reflection of some sort caught the wrong way by the lens. Hence, there is no mastering defect with this Blu-ray disc. I contacted Criterion before these comments were sent to me, so I still expect to hear from them).
The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:
"Supervised and approved by director Wes Anderson, this new high-definition transfer was created from the digital intermediate 2K files, which were scanned from the original 35 mm camera negative on a Spirit 4K Datacine.
Telecine supervisors: Wes Anderson, Robert Yeoman.
Telecine colorist: Joe Gawler/Technicolor, New York."
This is a strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is excellent, clarity pleasing and contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film. The color-scheme is very impressive - the variety of different yellows are beautiful; greens, blues, reds, browns, and blacks are rich and very well saturated. Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are not a serious issue of concern. I did not see any compression artifacts either. I also did not see any serious stability issues to report in this review. Lastly, when blown through a digital projector The Darjeeling Limited conveys terrific depth and crispness. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
"
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with portions of Hindi). For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is very strong. The bass is potent and punchy, the rear channels very effective, and the high-frequencies not overdone. The dialog is crystal clear, crisp, clean, and very easy to follow. Furthermore, this isn't an audio track that would test the muscles of your audio system, but the variety of nuanced dynamics it offers should impress you. Last but not least, while viewing The Darjeeling Limited I did not hear any annoying pops, cracks, hissings, or dropouts to report in this review.
Commentary - in this audio commentary, recorded in March 2010, director Wes Anderson and co-screenwriters Roman Coppola and Jason Schwartzman discuss how The Darjeeling Limited evolved from an idea into a film, some of interesting locations seen throughout the film, how certain scenes were shot, the cast they worked with, etc. Generally speaking, this is a rather dry but very informative commentary.
Documentary by Barry Braverman - a standard making of featurette with plenty of raw footage from the shooting of The Darjeeling Limited in India. In English and portions of Hindi, not subtitled. (41 min, 1080p).
Conversation with James Ivory - a lot of the music in The Darjeeling Limited comes from the original scores from the films of Merchant Ivory and Satyajit Ray. Director Wes Anderson and James Ivory met in June 2010 and discussed this special tribute. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080i).
Essay by Matt Zoller Seitz - Mr. Seitz, who reviewed Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket in the Dallas Observer, deconstructs The Darjeeling Limited. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).
American Express commercial - a hilarious spoof with Wes Anderson. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).
Sriharsh's audition - raw footage from the audition. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).
Oakley Friedberg/Packer speech - In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).
Deleted scene and two alternate takes - In English, not subtitled. (4 min, 1080p).
-- Playing cricket with a tennis ball.
-- Running down sand dune
-- Attempt to board plane
Sketch by Roman Coppola - a short sequence stirred together from Roman Coppolla's footage shot (mostly in India) during the writing of The Darjeeling Limited and set to the electronic tabla. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).
Waris' diary - In English, not subtitled. (1080i).
-- Animals
-- Fitness
-- Life on the rails
-- Special effects
-- My costume
-- Fans
-- Lucky men
-- The scene
-- Food
-- Feelings
-- Polaroids
Trophy case - a quick look at the various awards The Darjeeling Limited has won. (1 min, 1080p).
Stills galleries - a collection of stills from full-time-on-set photographer James Hamilton, Laura Wilson (mother of Owen Wilson) and Sylvia Plachy (mother of Adrien Brody).
Theatrical trailer - the original theatrical trailer for The Darjeeling Limited. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).
Booklet - an illustrated booklet containing Richard Brody's essay "Voyage to India" (Mr. Brody is the movies editor for the New Yorker's Goings On About Town and the author of Everything is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard).
I enjoyed Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited but I don't believe I was able to connect with its main protagonists as I wanted to. I felt that there was a lot more behind their eccentricity which was kept away from me. So, I am going to see it again soon. As I noted elsewhere, while viewing The Darjeeling Limited I noticed a few rather large blue stripes popping up very early into the film. I have contacted Criterion to find out if I have received a defective screener or if there is a transfer issue of some sort that needs to be addressed. I will update our review as soon as I get a response.
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