The Eagle Hunter's Son Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

The Eagle Hunter's Son Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 22, 2011

Screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, Rene Bo Hansen's "The Eagle Hunter's Son" (2009) arrives on Bu-ray courtesy of German distributors Euro Video. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original German trailer and trailers for other Euro Video releases. In Mongolian (and dialects), with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

One very special friend

Somewhere in Western Mongolia. Twelve-year-old nomad Barzabai (Bazarbai Matei) dreams of traveling the world. But his father (Mardan Matei) wants him to become an eagle hunter like him, like his father, and like his grandfather. Deeply upset by his father’s reluctance to try and understand how he feels, Barzabai has started ignoring him. The only person in the family who seems to understand Barzabai is his brother, Khan (Asilbek Badelkhan), who has expressed desire to join him on his journey around the world.

Much to Barzabai’s surprise, however, one day his father announces that Khan will go to Ulan Bator to look for a job. Enormously hurt, and convinced that he should have been sent to the city, Barzabai vows to choose his own path in life, no matter how much his decision might hurt his family.

In an attempt to cheer up Barzabai, his father takes him to the annual Eagle Festival, where eagle hunters from Russia, China, and Mongolia gather to determine who the best amongst them is. When they arrive, he gives Barzabai the family eagle and instructs him to keep an eye on it while he greets an old friend.

The eagle and the boy stare at each for awhile - and decide that a friendship is impossible. While they ignore each other, a photographer approaches them and asks for a permission to take a few pictures. But when his camera flashes, the eagle flies away.

Barzabai follows the eagle and soon finds himself in a world he never thought existed. Eventually, he reaches Ulan Bator, an ugly, stuck in the past Soviet-style city, full of scoundrels, corrupt cops, and poor dreamers looking to get rich quick.

Rene Bo Hansen’s The Eagle Hunter’s Son reminded me a lot about Peter Brosens and Jessica Hope Woodworth’s Khadak and Sergei Dvortsevoy’s Tulpan. It shows a part of our world that seems to have been forgotten by everyone. It is a beautiful but also in a way incredibly sad place, stuck between past and present.

Like the main protagonists in Khadak and Tulpan, Barzabai dreams of seeing the world and meeting other people. In his mind, there is an idyllic picture of what this world might look like – an exciting new and busy place, always friendly to strangers like him. But when his dream eventually comes true and he enters it, Barzabai quickly realizes that he does not belong there.

Barzabai’s relationship with the eagle is absolutely fascinating to behold. They are literally like brothers (I know it sounds strange, but you have to see the film to understand what I mean). They get mad at each other, then make up and play together; occasionally, Barzabai even kisses the eagle. He also has a tiny leather hood which he places on the eagle’s eyes when he carries it. Quite incredible.

Cinematographer Dixie Schmiedle’s (Vortex) lensing is very impressive - the long panoramic shots from the Mongolian steppes are breathtakingly beautiful. The film also boasts a terrific atmospheric soundtrack courtesy of Steffen Kaltschmid and Sebastian Pille.

Note: In 2009, The Eagle Hunter’s Son was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival. Later the same year, the film was also screened at the London Film Festival.

The Eagle Hunter's Son Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, René Bo Hansen's The Eagle Hunter's Son arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of German distributors Euro Video.

Shot with a SI-2K Digital Cinema Camera, The Eagle Hunter's Son looks very strong. Fine object detail is outstanding, clarity exceptional, and contrast impressive. Occasionally the color-scheme is not as well balanced as I wanted it to be - due to the manner in which the film is shot, some of the blacks look a bit soft during the nighttime scenes - but overall the images from the Mongolian steppe are indeed very impressive. Edge-enhancement is never an issue of concern; neither is macroblocking. Additionally, I did not see any traces of post-production manipulation - the image is grainless, crisp, and sharp. Lastly, there are absolutely no stability issues to report in this review. All in all, this is a a very strong presentation of a beautiful film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Eagle Hunter's Son Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Mongolian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Euro Video have provided optional English and German subtitles for the main feature.

The Eagle Hunter's Son is complimented by a beautiful ambient soundtrack, courtesy of Steffen Kaltschmid and Sebastian Pille, and the loseless Mongolian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track certainly enhances it quite well. Surround activity is rather limited, but the sound has a pleasing depth and fluidity (the dream sequences are particularly impressive). The dialog is clean, crisp, stable, and easy to follow. I also did not detect any annoying pops, cracks, or audio dropouts to report in this review. Despite a few minor errors, the English translation is very good.

The Eagle Hunter's Son Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - the original German trailer for The Eagle Hunter's Son. In German, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080/50i).

• BD Live Functionality-

• Trailer Gallery - trailers for other Euro Video releases.

The Eagle Hunter's Son Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As entertaining as Tulpan and as illuminating as Kelin, Rene Bo Hansen's The Eagle Hunter's Son is a film you cannot afford to miss. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of German distributors Euro Video, looks and sounds terrific. It is, however, Region-B "locked". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.