Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Face of an Angel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 13, 2015

Michael Winterbottom's "The Face of an Angel" (2014) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Soda Pictures. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; deleted scenes; video interviews with the British director and cast members; and making of featurette. In English and Italian, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A/B "locked".

What is it that really matters?

German director Thomas (Daniel Brühl, Good Bye, Lenin!, The Edukators) has been commissioned to shoot a film about the murder of a British exchange student in Italy. In Rome, Thomas meets American journalist Simone Ford (Kate Beckinsale, Underworld), who has written a book about the case and agreed to be his guide. After years of working and living in Italy, Simone understands exactly how the local media and legal system function.

In Siena, Thomas begins studying the murder case and quickly becomes obsessed with it. He begins questioning the findings of the local authorities and their coverage in the media, sensing that a lot of people have chosen sides while guessing how the student was murdered. In the process he also begins to reevaluate his work as well as the narrative structure of his new film. His ideas, however, confuse his producers.

While trying to uncover the truth Thomas also befriends Melanie (Cara Delevingne, Paper Towns), a British student who lives life to the fullest and sees Sienna in a way he and Simone can’t.

The film is brilliantly scripted and executed. The Meredith Kercher murder case is used as a starting point -- though real names and events from it are not directly referenced -- but the focus of attention is on the power of modern media and its ability to transform half-truths into truths and freely manipulate the public opinion. The film also argues that justice has become a commodity with a constantly evolving price tag.

As the film progresses the murder case begins to fade away in a manner that would remind some viewers of Michelangelo Antonioni’s L'Avventura. Much like the young woman’s disappearance on the picturesque island irreversibly alters the lives of her friends and then the film heads in a new direction, the brutal murder of the student in Sienna has a profound impact on Thomas and his work and the story shifts elsewhere. What is different here is that Thomas learns about the girl only through his interactions with the people around him and comes to realize that the media never saw her as a human being -- the mystery surrounding her tragic death mattered only because it was something that could be “explained” many times and then sold to the public.

Despite the fact that death is frequently mentioned, the film remains calm and elegant. Only Thomas’ sporadic graphic nightmares occasionally introduce some harsh contrasts and reveal that his experiences in Siena have pushed him on the verge of a serious nervous breakdown.

The three leads are fantastic. They have very different acting styles but the chemistry between them is outstanding. There is also a memorable cameo by Italian actor Valerio Mastandrea, who plays a mysterious man who may or may not know who the real killer is.

Hubert Taczanowski's beautiful lensing and Harry Escott's ambient soundtrack create a strikingly poetic atmosphere. Some of the nighttime footage, however, easily could be used in a Victorian Era Gothic horror film.

The Face of an Angel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Michael Winterbottom's The Face of Angel arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Soda Pictures.

I assume that this release is identical to the one that is sold in Canada because the disc's main menu is interchangeable (it can be set for the United Kingdom or Canada).

Excluding one sequence where some extremely light compression artifacts try to sneak in, the film looks very, very beautiful on in high-definition (you can see the light effects in the upper right side of screencapture #12). Indeed, detail and clarity are consistently excellent, while depth remains impressive even during the darker nighttime footage (see screencapture #9). Colors are stable, lush, and natural. Contrast levels remain stable. From start to finish image stability is outstanding. Lastly, there are no digital glitches or other serious anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A/B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A, Region-B, or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Face of an Angel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 (with small portions of Italian). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless 5.1 track opens up the film exceptionally well in all the right places. There are sequences where a few sounds and noises can abruptly change the existing atmosphere (see the nightmares) and other sequences where Harry Escott's ambient soundtrack enhances it. The dialog is very crisp, clean, stable, and easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or digital anomalies to report in our review.

The Face of an Angel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: All of the supplemental features on this release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, include the PS3 and PS4.

• Trailer - original trailer for The Face of an Angel. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Behind the Scenes - raw footage from the shooting of the film in Italy. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Deleted Scenes - three deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Phone Call to Bea (2 min).
  2. Florence (1 min).
  3. Fellinia (1 min).

• Interviews - director Michael Winterbottom and cast members quickly address the unique narrative structure of the film, the key themes and conflicts, and murder case that inspired it. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Michael Winterbottom (6 min).
  2. Daniel Bruhl (5 min).
  3. Kate Beckinsale (4 min).
  4. Cara Delevingne (4 min).

The Face of an Angel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Winterbottom has always been a few steps ahead of his critics and his latest film, The Face of an Angel, proves that this is still the case. The film was inspired by Barbie Latza Nadeau's novel Angel Face about the Meredith Kercher murder case, but it actually offers a fascinating examination of contemporary media and the constantly evolving journalistic standards and practices. It is the most intelligent and thought-provoking film that I have seen this year, and I urge you not to miss it. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.