6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Isabel Archer is a beautiful American girl living abroad in Europe. She inherits a fortune, giving her the rare chance to lead an adventurous and free life, but she then falls into a misguided relationship with and later weds gentleman confidence artist Gilbert Osmond. His true nature, including a barbed and covetous disposition, turns her life into a nightmare. She is then forced to weigh her personal desire to escape him against established propriety and constrictive gender roles.
Starring: Nicole Kidman, John Malkovich, Barbara Hershey, Mary-Louise Parker, Shelley WintersDrama | 100% |
Romance | 72% |
Period | 11% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Winner of Pasinetti Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, Jane Campion's "The Portrait of a Lady" (1996) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailer for the film and a documentary film by Peter Long and Kate Ellis. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Listen to me...
Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jane Campion's Portrait of a Lady arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.
The high-definition transfer for this Blu-ray release was more than likely struck from a master that was prepared quite some time ago, possibly for the now defunct PolyGram Entertainment. Naturally, there are some obvious limitations, but overall its basics are quite decent. Detail and clarity are relatively good, with some panoramic shots even boasting pleasing depth (see screencapture #2). Different close-ups, however, lack the convincing crispness and depth newer transfers struck from newer scans convey. While mostly satisfying, it is clear that color-reproduction also could have been a lot more convincing. The best news here is that no attempts have been made to make the high-definition transfer look better than it could. Unsurprisingly, even though it does look somewhat dated, it has also retained good enough organic qualities to allow one to enjoy the film. For the record, there are no serious stability issues, large debris, cuts, or stains to report in this review. (Note: This Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-SA or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Foir the record, Shout Factory have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
Even though dynamic intensity is fairly limited, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track opens up the film quite well. However, you should not expect to hear any overly impressive surround movement; only some random nature sounds or other passing noises could be heard from time. Wojciech Kilar's soundtrack has an important role, but does not get a serious dynamic boost. The dialog is very crisp, stable, and easy to follow. Also, there are no dropouts or distortions to report in this review.
I don't believe I have ever owned an anamorphically enhanced DVD release of Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady. I know that there were a few outside of the U.S., but I never imported one. Naturally, though far from flawless, this Blu-ray release is quite the revelation. If you are wondering whether it is worth picking up, the answer is, absolutely. Campion and Laura Jones' adaptation of Henry James' famous novel is fantastic. RECOMMENDED.
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