7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
In the remote Russian wilderness, two brothers face a range of new, conflicting emotions when their father--a man they only know through a single photograph--resurfaces.
Starring: Vladimir Garin, Ivan Dobronravov, Konstantin Lavronenko, Nataliya Vdovina, Galina PopovaForeign | 100% |
Drama | 62% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Russian: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
Russian: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Winner of Best First Film Award at the Venice Film Festival, Andrey Zvyagintsev's "The Return" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon/Artificial Eye. The only bonus feature on the disc is a lengthy documentary about the production history of the film. In Russian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The chicken
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrey Zvyagintsev's The Return arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon/Artificial Eye.
The release is sourced from a fresh new remaster that is quite the revelation. I have only owned this R2 DVD release and while I no longer have it in my library to perform direct comparisons, I can confirm that the film's stylized appearance is vastly more convincing now. The reason for this is simple: there are ranges of dark(er) nuances that quite simply cannot be as effective in standard definition. Clarity, density and especially fluidity are of entirely different quality now as well, and as a result subtle shifts in tonal balance are more convincing (see csreencaptures #1, 3 and 4). Furthermore, delineation is excellent, and if you can upscale to 4K you will find out there is a wide range of miniature details that become even better defined. Some minor optimizations could have been performed to ensure even better/tighter visuals, but the end result is still magnificent. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Russian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Russian LPCM 2.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.
I used the lossless 5.1 track and thought that it was every bit as impressive as the visual. The film has a subtle but very atmospheric soundtrack that actually functions a lot like that dreamy score that Eduard Artemev composed for Stalker. Needless to say, there are shifts in tone and mood that are incredibly effective now. Fantastic track.
Russian cinema has been undergoing a quiet renaissance after the fall of communism and I find the various films that the likes of Andrey Zvyagintsev, Yury Bykov, Vasiliy Sigarev, and Pavel Lungin have directed in recent years to be vastly superior to the big festival winners that have come out of traditional European film producers like France and Italy. Zvyagintsev's directorial debut, The Return, is a brilliant drama about an unusual reunion that evokes the deeply poetic beauty of Ingmar Bergman's films while it fully embraces the quiet serenity that defined Aleksandr Sokurov's non-documentary work. This new Blu-ray release from Curzon/Artificial Eye is sourced from a stunning recent remaster that makes revisiting the film quite the special experience. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (If you enjoy The Return, also consider adding to your collections Bykov's equally atmospheric films The Fool and The Major).
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