This Must Be the Place Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

This Must Be the Place Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 9, 2012

Paolo Sorentino's "This Must Be the Place" (2011) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Trinity Home Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; deleted scenes; extended scenes; interviews with director Paolo Sorrentino, David Byrne, and cast and crew members; and more. In English, without optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

I am somewhere in New Mexico

Italian director Paolo Sorrentino’s latest film tells the story of a 50-year-old retired Goth rocker living in Dublin who looks a lot like Robert Smith from the legendary The Cure. Cheyenne (Sean Penn, 21 Grams) has a wild black hair, wears plenty of make-up and most of the time looks incredibly sad. He is rich but does not have a whole lot of respect for money. He is also married to Jane (Frances McDormand, Almost Famous), who still loves him and does not mind his moodiness, but spends most of his time with the young and equally sad Mary (Eve Hewson, The 27 Club), one of his biggest fans and best friend.

After years of success and excess, Cheyenne no longer has any goals because he has accomplished everything he ever dreamed about. Drugs, alcohol and sex do not interest him. Now he simply exists - filled with sadness about the good old days when he was young and poor enough to be ambitious, and occasionally feeling guilty because of that young boy that years ago committed suicide after listening to one of his songs.

Cheyenne’s life changes dramatically when he is informed by a relative in America that his father has fallen seriously ill and doesn’t have much time left to live. Despite the fact that the two never truly cared about each other, Cheyenne quickly packs his bags and heads to New York.

But he arrives too late.

Before his father is buried, Cheyenne discovers that he was a Holocaust survivor. A close family friend (Judd Hirsch, Independence Day) also reveals to him that his father died while looking for a man who repeatedly tortured him in Auschwitz. The man apparently immigrated to America years ago, changed his name and managed to live a decent life. Eventually, Cheyenne’s father tracked him down, but could not confront him. The family friend also tells Cheyenne that his father loved him dearly and often mentioned his name in front of his friends. Shocked and enormously sad that he never got a chance to know him because he always assumed that he hated him because he did not approve of his music and the life he chose to live, Cheyenne vows to finish what his father started - find the man from Auschwitz and kill him. Shortly after, he heads to the West, where the man was last seen.

Stylistically, director Sorrentino’s first English-language film has a lot more in common with his L'amico di famiglia than with Le conseguenze dell'amore. It is slow and moody, blending plenty of black humor with drama, and favoring long continuous shots. The dialog is also limited but full of memorable lines.

Cheyenne’s journey is quite fascinating to behold as it slowly unveils a complex character with a unique view of the world he lives in. (Those who appreciate the quirkiness of the characters that often populate Wes Anderson’s films should be thrilled with him). The initial impression the viewer gets is that he is an angry rebel who simply refused to grow up. But when he speaks, there is never even a whiff of anger in his words. Cheyenne is a highly intelligent and painfully honest man who simply isn’t interested in being normal.

Cheyenne’s journey also gives the viewer the opportunity to see America through the eyes of a European director who sees beauty where most other directors don’t – the country’s desert roads, lonely motels and gas stations, and back alley bars. The final third of the film, in particular, is as stunningly beautiful and atmospheric as large portions of Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas.

The soundtrack for film was composed by award winning musician and artist David Byrne and indie rocker Will Oldham. Original tunes by the Taking Heads (the film’s title comes from their hit), Gavin Friday, and Iggy Pop, among others.

Note: In 2011, This Must Be the Place won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Cannes Film Festival. Earlier this year, the film also won six David di Donatello Awards (the Italian Oscars), including Best Cinematography (Luca Bigazzi), Best Screenplay (Umberto Contarello, Paolo Sorrentino), and Best Music (David Byrne).

This Must Be the Place Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Paolo Sorrentino's This Must Be the Place arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Trinity Home Entertainment.

The Blu-ray disc allows the viewer to watch two different cuts of the film. The first cut screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. A second cut was made later on and screened at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2012. This new cut was also screened in theaters across the UK. Trinity Home Entertainment have included the original Cannes 2011/International cut, which runs at approximately 118 minutes, as well as the UK theatrical cut, which runs at approximately 111 minutes. Additionally, the disc allows the viewer to see the UK cut with the original voice over. There is also a special option that allows the viewer to watch the film with footnotes (short text descriptions that pop up throughout the entire film) indicating the different cuts that were made.

The high-definition transfer is quite impressive. From start to finish detail is excellent, clarity consistently pleasing and contrast levels stable. Close-ups convey very good depth and strong definition, while the large panoramic shots from New Mexico and Utah look truly spectacular. There are plenty of sequences here that will likely remind many viewers of Wim Wenders' classic Paris, Texas. Color reproduction is most impressive - there is a variety of lush, not artificially boosted, yellows, greens, blues, and grays. More importantly, however, edge-enhancement never creeps in. There are no traces of problematic lab tinkering either. Aside from a couple of shots where some extremely light banding is present, the rest of the film is also free of transfer specific anomalies. All in all, This Must Be the Place is the type of film that ought to be experienced in high-definition. Thankfully, Trinity Home Entertainment's presentation of the film is competent. (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).

This Must Be the Place Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Trinity Home Entertainment have not provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

This Must Be the Place is complimented by a very diverse soundtrack courtesy of David Byrne and Will Oldham. Portions of the film are quite moody and relaxed, with various natural sounds playing an important role. Elsewhere, there is plenty of energy and decent amount of surround activity. The lossless track handles this unique sound design very well. Naturally, viewers that appreciate nuanced dynamics should be very pleased with the strong audio. My only complaint here is the lack of optional English SDH subtitles. At this point, they should be a standard feature on every Blu-ray release.

This Must Be the Place Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original UK theatrical trailer for This Must Be the Place. In English, not subtitled (3 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scenes - gallery of deleted scenes. All six scenes are in fact very good. In English, not subtitled. (8 min, 1080p).

• Additional Scenes - additional scenes from the Cannes 2011/International cut. In English, not subtitled (1080p).
  
  1. Mary's House/Extended Scene (1 min).
  2. Mary's House/Extended Scene (1 min).
  3. Extended David Byrne Music Scene (7 min).
  4. Japanese Restaurant (2 min).
  5. Ernie's Pick-up (1 min).
  6. Cheyenne and American Indian (2 min).
  7. Ernie Lends Cheyenne his Pick-up (1 min).
  8. Jeffrey's Girlfriend (1 min)

• Additional Scenes - additional scenes from the UK Theatrical cut. In English, not subtitled. (1080p).
  
  1. Cheyenne and Jeffrey Beach Scene (1 min).
  2. Cheyenne and the Pilots (2 min).

• Interviews - director Paolo Sorrentino, David Byrne, and cast and crew members discuss This Must Be the Place and its unique qualities. In English and Italian, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (1080p).
  
  1. Paolo Sorrentino (12 min).
  2. David Byrne (10 min).
  3. Eve Hewson (6 min).
  4. Judd Hirsch (6 min).
  5. Kerry Condon (7 min).

This Must Be the Place Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's This Must Be the Place very much feels like a late answer to Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas. It is a sad and at the same time irresistibly funny, often quite strange but very beautiful film about an aging Goth rocker who heads to America's West to finish something his father couldn't. During the journey he discovers a whole new world, and eventually learns a lot about himself. Trinity's presentation of the film is excellent. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.