6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.2 |
American writer Tom Ricks comes to Paris desperate to put his life together again and win back the love of his estranged wife and daughter. When things don’t go according to plan, he ends up in a shady hotel in the suburbs, having to work as a night guard to make ends meet. Then Margit, a beautiful, mysterious stranger walks into his life and things start looking up. Their passionate and intense relationship triggers a string of inexplicable events... as if an obscure power was taking control of his life.
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joanna Kulig, Samir GuesmiDrama | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.86:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, Pawel Pawlikowski's "The Woman in the Fifth" (2011) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer and a video interview with director Pawel Pawlikowski. In English and French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
Alone in Paris
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.86:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Pawel Pawlikowski's The Woman in the Fifth arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.
The high-definition transfer is very strong. In fact, the only small issue I could spot is a bit of banding that pops up early into the film. Clarity and detail are outstanding - Ryszard Lenczewski's camerawork is exceptional and the various unique close-ups, for instance, look terrific. The strong transfer also makes it easy to appreciate the unique use of natural light and color. There are no traces of post-production lab tinkering (sharpening, contrast boosting). There are no serious stability or compression issues to report in this review either. Finally, when blown through a digital projector the film remains tight around the edges and conveys very pleasing fluidity. (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).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 5.1 (with portions of French, Polish, and Arabic). For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. However, they do not appear when English is spoken.
The strong lossless audio track reminded me a lot about the one from Studio Canal's release of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It does not have the type of intensity some of the best lossless tracks have, but it has a very impressive range of nuanced dynamics that highlight all sorts of different audio enhancements that effectively transform the entire film. Especially during the second half of the film the sound design is terrific. The dialog is consistently crisp, clean, and very easy to follow. Also, there are no distortions or audio dropouts to report in this review.
Last year, I attended a festival screening of The Woman in the Fifth and was enormously impressed with it. The film has a very unique style and flow that I found to be most appropriate for the type of story it tells - which actually has more to do with the atmosphere it builds and sustains rather than the main protagonists and their dilemmas. However, admittedly, one has to be in a certain state of mind to fully appreciate it. As usual, Artificial Eye's presentation is excellent. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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