Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Zookeeper's Wife Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 30, 2017

The steady parade of books-to-films continues with The Zookeepers Wife, Director Niki Caro's (Whale Rider) film adaptation of the historical novel of the same name written by Diane Ackerman. The film is one of technical excellence and a moving plot line, but not a plot line audiences haven't seen before and felt moved by prior. It's very good in a bubble, a little less impressive out in the field against the many like-minded films in its genre. The film satisfactorily explores one of the darkest points in human history not necessarily with a breath of fresh air but certainly with a unique perspective and against an interesting backdrop that serves as less a focal point and more a point of counterbalance to the greater narrative that's been explored with more depth, but certainly not much more raw feeling, in films like The Diary of Anne Frank, Schindler's List, and in the bit-less-serious but no less touching Life Is Beautiful.

Antonina (Jessica Chastain) and Jan (Johan Heldenbergh) Żabiński run Warsaw's Zoo in the years prior to World War II. Their love and care for their animals is second-to-none, impressing even a visiting German zookeeper named Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl), who also has an eye for Antonia. Their world turns upside down when, on September 1, 1939, the Nazi army invades Poland. Warsaw, and its famous zoo, are bombed. Many people and animals are killed, and most of the surviving creatures roam the streets and are executed on-site. As time goes by, Warsaw's Jewish citizens are rounded up for imprisonment. Jan and Antonia begin to take drastic measures to save the lives of their Jewish friends and fellow community members.

To be sure, there is much to like about The Zookeeper's Wife, though the film's narrative, certainly, doesn't lend itself to two hours of "enjoyment" in the more traditional escapist sense of the cinematic term. It's more accessible than some of the darker films of its category and places a bit more emphasis on character and action, but that contrasting, often combating clash between narrative dourness and hopefulness hangs over the film: dour in witnessing brutality and the inhuman treatment of people (and animals as well, in this film) and hopeful in the way these movies are always hopeful in the way individuals rally to save the innocent. And that's the catch-22 for a movie like The Zookeeper's Wife. It's not telling a new story. It's simply putting its own unique spin on it, focusing on its own little slice of a much larger, much more intimately complicated, but fundamentally black-and-white period of history. The film brings little new to the genre, but its strengths of performance, technical craftsmanship, and the continued historical import in an area of interest that even today remains emotionally relevant keeps the movie from falling too deeply into that gray area where one might even say it's "unnecessary."

Indeed, the film's technical credentials boost it above a middling midpoint. Jessica Chastain delivers one of the best performances of her career, possibly because it's her most understated. She blends compassion, smarts, integrity, and hope very well. Hers is a strong but balanced character who represents not simply the film's central protagonist but a character the audience can relate to, even in a world that feels so distant yet so familiar at the same time. The movie further enjoys excellent pacing, its two-hour runtime a blink of an eye, a remarkable achievement considering a central storyline that, as noted earlier, isn't exactly brimming with dramatic novelty. Action scenes are well put together, too. The initial Nazi invasion represents one of the most surreal, frightening, and heartbreaking sequences in World War II film history, depicting not only people fleeing from aerial bombardment but witnessing animals maimed and killed in the process, too, and in the chaos and aftermath both often shot on-site, the Poles for humanitarian purposes and the Nazis for sport; the random execution of animals by the invaders stands as one of the most powerfully effective moments in the film.

The Zookeeper's Wife Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Zookeeper's Wife was digitally photographed. Universal's 1080p transfer is fairly representative of the format's baseline these days. The image sees many highs and a few lows, the latter largely related to the source. On the plus side, colors are impressively saturated, a hair drained by intent to reflect the period but there's plenty of punch and dazzle to be found throughout the film. Transitional qualities and nuance are excellent, too, even in lower light. Details are very strong. Faces are nicely revealing, clothes likewise, but the transfer's finest visual attributes come bay way of various iron and stone textures, both intact and in rubble after the German blitz. Skin tones are fine within the movie's mild period and warm tone, and black levels hold up nicely. On the down side, source noise is somewhat prevalent throughout. Even in brighter daytime scenes there's an occasional spike. A few soft edges are noticeable, too, but to a much lesser extent than the noise.

The Zookeeper's Wife Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Zookeeper's Wife features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that satisfies along all fronts. Music enjoys effortless front-end spacing, a gentle surround wrap, and enough low end support to give it a nice sense of weight. Casual ambience, whether animals at the zoo or falling rain, find a nice balance of natural implementation and obvious surround usage. The film's wartime segments carry the most sonic weight. Planes zoom overhead. Ordinance explodes with impressive depth and punch. Debris scatters all over the stage. Gunfire rips with impressive potency and more lifelike depth than many films are capable of delivering. Both the initial bombing run and the larger scale battle in the third act approach reference level excellence. General dialogue is clear and detailed, naturally positioned in the front-center and always well prioritized, even during the most chaotic wartime sequences.

The Zookeeper's Wife Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Zookeeper's Wife contains deleted scenes and two featurettes. A DVD copy of the film and a UV/iTunes digital copy code are included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 3:57 total runtime): Antonia Has An Idea in the Kitchen, Antonia Feeds Hippo, Antonia Dyes Roza's Mother's Hair, Jan Finds Hundreds Leaving the Ghetto, Intersection Massacre, and A Knock on the Door -- Pancho Is Delivered.
• The Making of The Zookeeper's Wife (1080p, 7:06): A look at the eight-year journey from book to film, including Niki Caro's direction and vision for the film, cast and performances, working with animals, set design and construction, costumes and production design, the film's feminine point-of-view, and more.
• The Żabiński Family (1080p, 3:57): Various individuals, including the Żabiński children, share their thoughts on the film's real-life protagonists.

The Zookeeper's Wife Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Zookeeper's Wife may not be bastion of narrative novelty, but it does maintain narrative purpose, even in a crowded film, literary, and historical field. It's well done, touching, and told from a somewhat unique point of view, even as its central purpose rings very familiar. Strong lead performances and impeccable technical credentials carry the movie far. Universal's Blu-ray release of The Zookeeper's Wife boasts solid video, excellent lossless audio, and a few supplements. Recommended.