6.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
In contemporary Japan and Hong Kong, a successful model revives memories of her calligrapher father by having her lovers give her pleasure by writing on her body. An affair with an Englishman leads her to start writing herself, using others as her paper.
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Vivian Wu, Yoshi Oida, Ken Mitsuishi, Sammuel LeungDrama | 100% |
Romance | 29% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.75:1
English: LPCM 2.0
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There’s a common refrain in many so-called “screenwriting courses” where students are urged to show rather than describe, in what is a patent admission of the probably already obvious fact that cinema is by and large a visual medium. In that regard, there are few film directors with the visual acuity of Peter Greenaway, due at least in part no doubt because of Greenaway’s early ambitions to be an artist. But The Pillow Book , while absolutely audacious in terms of the imagery it offers, also has a rather fascinating subtext, with an emphasis on text: as Greenaway gets into in his selected scene commentary, along with his fascination for painting, he’s been similarly obsessed with Japanese arts including silk screening and (especially) calligraphy, and calligraphy plays an absolutely integral part in the frankly bizarre story that The Pillow Book tells.
The Pillow Book is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer (kind of) in 1.33:1. Powerhouse's insert booklet contains the following generic information on the transfer:
FilmFour's HD remaster was the source of this Indicator edition. The film's original stereo audio was remastered at the same time. The film's original calligraphic subtitles were recreated by Michael Brooke.Additionally, a footnote in some of the technical data included in the insert booklet states:
The Pillow Book was shot in a variety of aspect ratios, which are intended to be presented within a 1.37:1 frame.There's some really interesting and salient information on both the filming and editing of this film in the interview with Chris Wyatt included on this disc as a supplement, and some of the information he imparts may help fans to understand some of the variances in sharpness, clarity and detail levels that are on display here. Some of the imagery that fills the entire 1.33:1 frame can typically be quite nicely detailed, but in some of the "picture in picture" material or some of the superimposed sequences, things can just as often be fairly soft looking. There's very little damage of any major import, and the palette pops very well (with the black and white material featuring nicely modulated gray scale and appealing black levels). Graphical elements typically look sharp and well detailed.
The Pillow Book features a nicely rendered LPCM 2.0 track. Our specs only allow for one language, but another footnote in Indicator's insert booklet states the following:
In his foreword to the published screenplay, Peter Greenaway states the the film is in 'three major languages, English, Japanese and Cantonese, with contributions also in Mandarin and Vietnamese, and at least a few words in Dutch, French, Yiddish and Latin'.The film's sound design is often as multilayered as its imagery, though the sonic aspect may arguably be more subliminal than the visuals. Dialogue, including some narration, as well as quotes from the real Pillow Book are all presented cleanly and clearly, and the film's extremely eclectic music also sounds full bodied and problem free.
There's an unabashedly lurid side to The Pillow Book that some viewers may potentially find off putting, but the underlying story and Greenaway's typical "layering" techniques (both in terms of imagery and "meta" references) keeps this film absolutely riveting from start to finish, even if its ultimate meaning may seem to elude Greenaway's grasp. The story is probably more than a little disturbing, but the unbelievably gorgeous (if at times also disturbing) imagery is often unforgettable. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements are very interesting. Recommended.
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