The Invisible Woman Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Invisible Woman Blu-ray Movie Review

The Invisible Drama.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 15, 2014

The writer's life is something of an enigma. He or she must be well-versed in life and line but also secure the solitude to write and find comfort in the boundless confines of the mind, in the development of ideas and the birthing of characters, both products that are an amalgamation of life experience, structural necessity, personal fancy, and the whims of the imagination. That requirement, which is to blend together a richness of experience with lengthy stretches of isolation and the dictates of the writer's spirit and innermost cravings of the soul often produce rather impenetrable figures, both inwardly and outwardly. Voracious readers, on the other hand, tend towards that literary solitude and shy away from the frivolities of life and the complications of companionship despite an unquenchable yearning to reshape their lives in the form of their favorite literary works (see Austenland). The Invisible Woman tells the tale of the writer and the writer's admirer brought together through both arrangement and mutual admiration in Victorian England. The film deals in the complexities of, on one side, Dickens' adulterous relationship and the need to keep it separate from his more flamboyant yet gentlemanly lifestyle and, on the other, his significantly younger lover's inward and outward struggles with both her family's manipulation of her life as well as Dickens' insistence that their relationship be kept hidden from the public eye. The film portrays a classic tale of a woman's place in a male-dominated society and its very tangible effects on her life both during and after the affair.

Here's lookin' at you, Nelly.

Nelly (Felicity Jones) and her family -- which includes mother Frances (Kristin Scott Thomas) -- perform stage adaptations of Charles Dickens' (Ralph Fiennes) works. Nelly greatly admires the writer's words, finding comfort and knowledge in his pages. Dickens' wife Catherine (Joanna Scanlan), however, takes a different view, believing the words only to represent entertainment, nothing more and nothing less. Her rather subdued, disinterested ways contrast with her husband's more flamboyant, gregarious personality. Nelly's family finds little faith in her ability to make it as an actress, and when she shows personal interest in Dickens -- and he her -- Frances nudges them together. Dickens keeps the affair a secret and Nelly finds fault in her mother's manipulation when she learns of her involvement in the illicit courtship.

The invisible Woman never truly breaks free from the rather stuffy, deliberate confines of its period setting. The picture takes its time developing the characters -- not simply who they are but what they feel, how they behave, their innermost desires, and their outermost dealings -- but almost to a fault, spending so much time on feeling them out that it forgets to maintain a greater dramatic pace. That's doubly troublesome considering that, despite the notoriety of its subjects, there's not much richness to character. The film deals in rather standard ideas for its time, working through the notion that women remain subservient to men, that the woman's essence, her feelings, her very spirit are somehow less than those within a man, that her mere presence take precedent over her personality or performance in life. The film plays with broad emotions that aren't lacking in feeling or purpose but that do come and go expectedly and without the sort of impactful flair and flavor necessary to both illuminate and decorate Director Ralph Fiennes' rather dark, in some ways dire atmosphere with the appropriate sense of importance to elevate the story from period rehash to relevant drama. In essence, The Invisible Woman is sort of like The Invisible Drama, a film of lavish ingredients but rather flavorless results.

Though the film lacks inwardly, it's in its exteriors where it truly sparkles. The Inviisble Woman enjoys the fruits of a faithful, detailed production design, though the film's darker, subdued photography never quite does all of the intricacies justice. Nevertheless, it's a striking, painstaking presentation that pulls the audience into a fully convincing and precisely realized world, underneath which remain many of the same human ideas, concerns, and approaches to life with which the audience may be familiar through other, similar media or, indeed, real world experience. The picture is very well acted. Felicity Jones brings an uncannily realistic presence to her character, unearthing a range of emotions through both exterior manipulation and inward character study. Hers is a wonderfully complex portrayal, hindered, a bit, by the film's lack of imagination at the deepest levels but the actress effortlessly finds and thoroughly explores the emotions that shape her character. Director Ralph Fiennes' performance never feels hindered by the actor's double-duty, instead, like Jones, discovering, manipulating, and exposing a duality between his sociable charm and intimate feelings and desires. Kristin Scott Thomas also delivers a quality effort as Nelly's manipulative mother.

The Invisible Woman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Invisible Woman looks quite splendid on Blu-ray. Sony's 1080p presentation captures the film's mostly subdued, somewhat dour appearance nicely. Though blacks occasionally drift towards appearing overly bright and slightly washed out, darker corners generally hold their own and certainly never approach crush. Details are sumptuously even and filmic. Light grain hovers for the entirety, adding a touch of cinema flair and definition to picture-perfect clothing and facial details. The transfer boasts bright, even colors in a handful of sunny outdoor shots, but generally settles on a rather warm, bronze-inspired scheme in the many lower-light interiors. Though it lacks visual pizzazz, this is nevertheless an excellent, polished transfer, just the sort audiences expect from a Sony release.

The Invisible Woman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Invisible Woman features a refined DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Much like the film's Blu-ray picture quality, the audio plays with a reserved presence that isn't lacking in clarity but does favor quieter atmosphere over aggressive action. It's primarily a dialogue-heavy film, with the spoken word playing clearly and evenly from a natural front-center placement. Light and infrequent music plays smoothly and with commendable balance, spacing and clarity throughout the entire range. Minor ambient effects drift into the stage with a slight reservedness but quality presence. Whether falling rain, crowd applause, or rustling leaves, the track gently envelops the listener into Victorian England. A few more pronounced sound effects enjoy prominent placement, booming authority, and natural heft, including a train derailment, crashing waves, and horses powering across the listening area.

The Invisible Woman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Invisible Woman contains several supplements, including an audio commentary track. A DVD copy of the film has also been included in the case.

• Audio Commentary: Actor/Director Ralph Fiennes and Actress Felicity Jones deliver a fairly reserved, softly spoken commentary that covers basic information, such as shooting locales, shot specifics and composition, performances, story details, and more. It matches the film's tone and pace and serves as a solid companion to The Invisible Woman experience. With optional English, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles.
• SAG Foundation Conversations with Ralph Fiennes & Felicity Jones (HD, 26:33): Fandango's Chief Correspondent Dave Karger hosts the actors and presents a number of questions. From Wednesday, December 4, 2013. With optional English, Spanish, and Portuguese subtitles.
• On the Red Carpet at the Toronto Premiere (HD, 16:32): Ralph Fiennes addresses the crowd prior to a screening and afterward appears with Producer Gaby Tana and Actress Felicity Jones to field a few questions. With optional English, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles.
• Toronto International Film Festival Press Conference (HD, 20:59): Moderator Henri Behar leads a question-and-answer session with Actor/Director Ralph Fiennes and Actress Felicity Jones. With optional English, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles.
• The Invisible Woman Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2:08).
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

The Invisible Woman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sometimes, words really are just words, digestible bits strung together for entertainment purposes, not profound exposition in which the secrets of life, happiness, freedom, and family reside. Sometimes, reality truly is different than fiction, and sometimes the two are inseparably identical. Yet when the illusion is broken -- no matter how tangentially or closely related the two may be -- it's a recipe for disaster, of more than hurt feelings but altered lives and a question of priorities, direction, and even one's own soul. That clash between fiction and reality seems at the heart of The invisible Woman, where Dickens' wife sees nothing of great import in her husband's words while young Nelly reads into them the keys to the universe. That Dickens would gravitate towards the latter is no surprise, and neither is Nelly's reaction to the manipulation in her life, even if it's pushing her towards her hero. The Invisible Woman offers up a plethora of complexities, but the dark, subdued overlay and reliance on general story contrivance doesn't give the material the room required to expand and explore to its full potential. It's a solid film with missed opportunity that would please period aficionados but likely not tickle the fancy of casual audiences. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Invisible Woman delivers high quality video and audio. Several extras are included. Rent before buying.