Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

The White Ribbon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 26, 2010

Winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, Michael Haneke's "Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte" a.k.a "The White Ribbon" (2009) arrives on Blu-rayt courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include interview with Michael Haneke; making of featurette; footage from the Cannes Film Festival; a documentary about Michale Haneke and his career as a filmmaker; and the film's original theatrical trailer. In German, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Fear

Most people watch films so that they could temporarily forget about the world they live in. Austrian director Michael Haneke makes films to remind them about it. His films are simple, honest to point of being abusive, and unglamorous. It is difficult to like them but it is impossible not to admire them.

The White Ribbon, Hanake’s latest film, which won the prestigious Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009, is set in a small German village in the years before the First World War. There is nothing unusual about this village – it is a quiet place where people live their lives in harmony. Though not all of them are happy, all of them are satisfied. There is peace, order and work for everyone.

A strange accident changes everything - the local doctor (Rainer Bock, In the Shadows) gets injured when his horse is tripped up by a wire placed nearby his home. And while the villagers are speculating why anyone would want to hurt the good doctor, a woman is killed. Then a barn is burned and a child seriously beaten. The village's wealthy baron (Ulrich Tukur, The Lives of Others), who owns most of the land in the area and has most of the villagers working for him, vows to find out who is responsible for these despicable crimes.

There are plenty of clues but no suspects. There are a few possible suspects but there aren’t enough facts to have them questioned. Tension grips the village and the villagers suddenly become very careful about what they say or do in public.

The village slowly plunges into darkness. Strange relationships are exposed and even stranger secrets revealed. Then, the heir to the Austrian Empire, Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, Sophie, are murdered in Sarajevo, and the villagers told that war is on the horizon.

The White Ribbon is a film about the dark side of idealism. With it Haneke effectively argues that when taken to its most extreme point, regardless of its origin, idealism breeds oppression, which inevitably breeds violence.

There is plenty of humiliation and abuse in The White Ribbon that are of crucial importance for the peace and order the village enjoys. Until the final third of the film they are not questioned because they can easily be justified – they are vital for a system that has worked flawlessly for centuries.

Because The White Ribbon is a period film in which religion has a prominent role, one could incorrectly conclude that it indirectly targets religion and the healthy dose of idealism that typically follows it. The film’s message, however, is a lot more universal in nature, and concerns radicalism as well as those who promote it from a position of authority. (This seems to have evaded quite a few critics who appear convinced that the film is only about the moral conditions in Germany from the beginning of the century that gave birth to Nazism).

The events in the film are described by a schoolteacher (Christian Friedel/Ernst Jacobi) who falls in love with a young girl (Leonie Benesch, Picco) – which is why, according to Haneke, the film was shot in black and white - to suggest that the descriptions of these events belong to a “reality” that reflects only one man’s experience with it.

Note: In 2009, The White Ribbon won the prestigious Palme d’Or award, FIPRESCI Prize, and Cinema Prize of the French National Education System at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2010, the film won the Best Film award at the German Film Critics Association Awards.

The White Ribbon 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, Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.

This is a very strong high-definition transfer. Fine object detail is very impressive, clarity excellent and contrast levels some of the best I have seen on a high-definition transfer of a contemporary film. The color-scheme is also quite remarkable; the variety of blacks, grays and whites look beautiful. The panoramic vistas from the countryside, for instance, remind of beautiful photographs. Edge-enhancement and digital artifacting are not an issue of concern. There are no serious stability issues to report in this review either. On the contrary, blown through a digital projector, The White Ribbon is amongst the most impressive looking high-definition releases to have reached my desk. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The White Ribbon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

The White Ribbon is a dialog driven feature lacking unique special/ambient effects and music score. Naturally, you should not expect the German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track to test the muscles of your audio system. This being said, it is still an excellent audio track serving the film as best as it possibly can - the dialog is very crisp, clean, stable and easy to follow. Finally, there are absolutely no disturbing pops, cracks or hissings on it to report in this review. The English translation is very well done.

The White Ribbon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Interview - in this interview, director Michael Haneke discusses how The White Ribbon came to exist, what type of changes were made to the original version of the film, its look and message, etc. In German, with imposed English subtitles. (15 min, PAL).

Making of - a standard featurette with footage from the Cannes Film Festival, comments from director Michale Haneke addressing the narrative of his film, raw footage from the locations where the film was shot, etc. In German, with optional English subtitles. (39 min, PAL).

Cannes Festival - footage from the Cannes Film Film Festival - and the festival press conference - where The White Ribbon won the prestigious Palme d'Or award. In German and French, with optional English subtitles. (19 min, PAL).

Portrait - a fantastic documentary about Michael Haneke's career as a filmmaker. Some of the actors the director has worked with during the years, such as Juliette Binoche and Isabelle Huppert, talk about his unique talents. In German and French, with optional English subtitles. (51 min, PAL).

Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for the film. In German, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

The White Ribbon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michale Haneke's The White Ribbon is an emotionally devastating film that addresses radicalism in an uncompromising fashion. I guarantee it will stay with you long after its final credits roll. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye, looks and sounds spectacular. It also contains excellent supplemental features. Make sure to see Portrait. The Blu-ray disc is Region-B "locked", but Sony Pictures Classic are releasing The White Ribbon in the U.S. next week. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.