The Salesman Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Salesman Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 5, 2017

Winner of Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Asghar Farhadi's "The Salesman" (2016) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; a making of featurette with director Asghar Farhadi; and a second featurette about the screening of the film at Trafalgar Square. In Persian, with imposed English subtitles. Region-B "locked".

For a complete film analysis of Asghar Farhadi's Oscar winner The Salesman, please see my colleague Marty Liebman's recent review of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment's recent review of the North American release of the film here.

The Salesman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Asghar Farhadi's The Salesman arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye.

The film was shot with the ARRI Alexa camera and it is quite clear that there is only one digital master that various distributors from around the world are offered for licensing. (Last month, I picked up the U.S. release of The Salesman from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and can confirm that it is sourced from the same master).
Clarity, depth, and fluidity are very impressive. Even during the indoor/darker footage where light either fluctuates or is restricted the ARRI camera captures an impressive amount of detail and overall image balance is quite simply superb. The primary colors are very solid and with strong organic qualities, never appearing artificially manipulated, while nuances are nicely balanced. Image stability is outstanding. Finally, there are no transfer-specific anomalies to report in our review. (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).

The Salesman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Farsi DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and Farsi LPCM 2.0. There are imposed English subtitles for the main feature. (They cannot be turned off via the main menu or with the player's remote control).

The film has a fully digital soundtrack so the digital master essentially reproduces the original film mix. Depth and clarity are very good, but the film's original sound deign is hardly impressive. It employs plenty of organic sounds and noises, and never attempts to impress with fancy audio effects or music themes. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report.

The Salesman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The Salesman. In Farsi, with imposed English subtitles. (3 min).

• Making of Featurette - in this featurette, Asghar Farhadi discusses his working methods and specifically the manner in which he prefers to treat space when he shoots, some of his framing preferences, what topography lends to his films, how the rhythm and fluidity have evolved in his films, the atmosphere of The Salesman, etc. In Farsi and French, with optional English subtitles. (16 min).

• Trafalgar Square Screening Featurette - the three participants in the featurette discuss the staging of a screening of the The Salesman that was apparently also used as a form of protest. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

The Salesman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I do not think that Asghar Farhadi's The Salesman was the top entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category of last year's edition of the Academy Awards, but it certainly offers a fascinating glimpse into a country that in general remains an enigma. Naturally, I think that it is well worth seeing. (If the subject matter appeals to you, also consider seeing A Separation, which I like a lot more). Curzon Artificial Eye's new Blu-ray release of The Salesman is sourced from an excellent digital master and the technical presentation of the film is indeed outstanding. RECOMMENDED.