6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
The story details the life of the Trueba family, spanning four generations, and tracing the post-colonial social and political upheavals of the Latin American country they live in.
Starring: Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Winona Ryder, Antonio BanderasRomance | 100% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region B, A (C untested)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
How could a film with a cast featuring Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, Antonio Banderas, Vanessa Redgrave, Maria Conchita Alonso, Winona Ryder and Armin Mueller-Stahl fail to be a visceral viewing experience? Well, either fortunately or unfortunately depending upon how you look at it, there's only one example with this particular concatenation of marquee names to base opinions on, and despite some of the starriest casting imaginable, The House of the Spirits is a decidedly lackluster affair. Considerable newsprint and/or bandwidth at the time of this film's release decried the kind of "cultural appropriation" the largely Anglo cast exemplified in a story set in Chile and written by one of the most legendary Chilean authors of all time, Isabel Allende. That may be even more of an issue for some in these heightened PC times, but what may really afflict the film is a glacial pace that moves through a series of vignettes without ever developing much emotional momentum. This is an absolutely gorgeous film to view, but it's frankly kind of deadly dull a lot of the time.
The House of the Spirits is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.36:1. The back cover of this release offers a generic "1080p high definition presentation by Paramount Pictures" as its sole technical data point. While there are moments here that look a bit sharpened, giving the film a somewhat digital appearance, a lot of the presentation is more naturally filmic looking, with a really beautifully suffused and burnished palette, and some appealing detail levels on the huge variety of props, sets and costumes that fill this sprawling multi decade tale. There is some noticeable age related wear and tear that crops up. Grain can occasionally be slightly grimy looking against brighter skies (especially in some of the wide vistas offered), but resolves naturally. My score is 3.75.
The House of the Spirits features LPCM 2.0 audio. Hans Zimmer's elegiac string suffused score is one of the standouts of this production, and it receives a nicely full bodied accounting here. The film's emphasis on a number of outdoor locations also provides some good background ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
The House of the Spirits premiered in Germany with a 146 minute theatrical cut which was also released in other European countries. The U.S. cut was edited to become a 132 minute version. Aside from the extedned running time, the European cut also has a unique presentation of the film's opening, and some other scenes use alternative edits. The cut presented here is the German master, with opening titles in German language. The audio is presented in English.Note: The U.S. cut runs 2:12:44.
Allende's multi-generational approach toward storytelling may remind some of another noted female author, namely Edna Ferber as she did in efforts like Come and Get It, which also featured a cross generational story of star-crossed romance(s). But there simply may be too much story here despite the film's plodding length, and the kind of odd balancing act (or imbalancing act, as the case may be) the film tries to pull off vis a vis concentrating on Esteban and Clara and/or Blanca and her main squeeze Pedro (Antonio Banderas) gives the film a disjunctive feeling that is only reinforced by the vignette driven structure. Visuals are absolutely gorgeous a lot of the time, though, and the good news is technical merits are generally solid and the supplements enjoyable for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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