7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Fox Rich fights for the release of her husband, Rob, who is serving a 60-year sentence in prison.
Director: Garrett BradleyDocumentary | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.89:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.90:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
"With liberty and justice for all" may be inscribed upon the hearts and minds of many Americans, but as Time makes depressingly clear, it may not be actually true for all Americans. Sibil Fox Richardson married her high school sweetheart Rob Richardson, and the two quickly started a family and decided they wanted to try to start a hip hop clothing store, but when they felt their dream slipping from their cash strapped fingers, they made a fateful and admittedly very stupid decision to try to rob a bank. Suffice it it say things didn't go exactly as planned and both of them ended up in prison. This riveting documentary weaves together literally years of home video Sibil in particular shot with newly filmed interviews and interstitials done by Garrett Bradley, with the result being an Academy Award nomination for feature documentary. The advent of home video, or at least the availability of easy to use minicams no doubt aided and abetted (no legal pun intended) the production of this piece, because it's the sheer weight of the "montage theory" (so to speak) that emerges from the juxtaposition of all the footage that does indeed give an indication of just how much time needed to pass before this couple could finally start to build their long delayed version of a happy ending.
Time is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer (often) in 1.89:1. As can be seen in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, a lot of the archival footage is "old school" that hovers closer to Academy Ratio. The foldout leaflet Criterion includes in lieu of an insert booklet contains the following brief information on the master:
Time is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.89:1. The film was shot on a Sony FS7 handheld camera and incorporates archival material shot on a variety of formats, including MiniDV tapes; it was completed in a fully digital workflow. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the original digital audio master files.This is one of those transfers where "how accurate does it look" may collide occasionally with "how good does it look", but with an understanding that some of the archival material is replete with all sorts of baked in issues, down to an including tracking problems and the like, this is a stellar looking transfer. Its strengths are probably unavoidably most noticeable in the contemporary footage, which stays in the same black and white as the archival footage, but which offers really beautiful clarity and some amazing levels of fine detail. Bradley isn't above going for "artistic" flourishes with her framings and lighting choices, and the transfer supports everything beautifully, with nice, solid contrast and extremely well modulated gray scale. I noticed no compression issues of any kind.
Time features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which frankly may strike some as unnecessary for a film that really doesn't have a ton of "showy" sonics. The underscore frequently utilizes solo piano, and the bulk of the film is simply people talking, either in the contemporary sequences or in the archival video. Some group scenes in the contemporary sequences are decently immersive, but even without incredible engagement of the side and rear channels, fidelity is just fine and everything is delivered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
Time is one of the rare documentaries that has both style and substance, and my hunch is few watching this piece are ever going to forget Sibil Fox Richardson or her truly amazing family. Technical merits are solid, and the supplements very enjoyable. Highly recommended.
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