6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Storytellers through song, with connections to political theater, the beloved Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane became an international sensation thanks to their political lyrics and sublime, fully acoustic sound, which draws on the Moroccan trance music tradition.
Starring: Larbi Batma, Abderrahman Kirouche, Allal Yaala, Omar SayedForeign | 100% |
Documentary | 13% |
Music | 4% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Arabic: LPCM 2.0
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Ahmed El Maanouni's "Trances" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on this disc is a short video introduction by director Martin Scorsese. In Arabic, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
The band
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ahmed El Maanouni's Trances arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment.
Restored in 2007 with the participation of producer Izza Genini and director Ahmed El Maanouni, Trances looks very good in high-definition. Because the film was shot on 16mm (and later on blown up to 35mm) under different conditions, small density and clarity fluctuations are present. During the concert footage, where light is often restricted, image depth occasionally fluctuates as well. During the raw archival footage there are additional source limitations, such as fading and weaker definition. Generally speaking, colors are stable never and natural. Contrast levels are also stable. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but because of different source and age-related limitations occasionally minor fluctuations in the grain structure are visible. There are absolutely no compromising sharpening corrections. Finally, early into the film, during the concert footage minor wear and damage marks are present (they usually appear in the upper left corner). A few very small warps also pop up. Overall image stability, however, is very good. There are no large cuts, splices, or debris to report in this review. All in all, this is a competent restoration that makes it very easy for the viewer to immerse in the fascinating world of Nass El Ghiwane. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Arabic LPCM 2.0. For the record, Eureka Entertainment have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
There are some very small fluctuations in the high-frequencies and the dynamic intensity of the concert footage, but this should not be surprising considering the fact that the footage was shot under different conditions (the crowd noise, in particular, definitely affects the quality of the sound). Still, depth and clarity are consistently very pleasing. The dialog is stable, clear, and easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.
It isn't difficult to understand why Martin Scorsese was so overwhelmed by Ahmed El Maanouni's Trances -- it is a raw and at times indescribably intense film about a legendary band from Morocco that managed to transform an entire generation of people with their music. The visual style of the film reminds of Gimme Shelter, but its atmosphere is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Needless to say, Trances is a tremendous discovery for me. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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