6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
An artist falls for a young married woman while he's commissioned to paint her portrait during the tulip mania of 17th century Amsterdam.
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Cara Delevingne, Jack O'Connell (IV), Christoph Waltz, Holliday GraingerDrama | 100% |
Romance | 75% |
History | 63% |
Period | 53% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Tulip Fever is one of those films with an impeccable "resume" on paper, with not one but three Academy Award winners listed prominently above the title in lead roles, a fascinating historical premise underlying a story based on a book by best selling author Deborah Moggach (whose novel These Foolish Things became The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), and with Moggach’s source novel adapted by legendary writer Tom Stoppard (Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead ). And yet — have you heard about this film, or at least heard very much, other than perhaps some withering critical comments that were lobbed at it during its brief and spectacularly unsuccessful theatrical exhibition (including by our own Brian Orndorf here)? According to some background information I researched in preparation for writing this review, Tulip Fever evidently had a long and tortured pre-production period, with a number of high profile stars and production crew being “attached” at various points, only to fall off as things progressed. When the film finally went into production, it was with Alicia Vikander, Dane de Haan and Christoph Waltz in lead roles and with Justin Chadwick assuming directorial duties, assignments rather radically different than some of the other, once announced, cast and crew choices. Even after the film was shot, it languished for what was reportedly years, subject to further editing and rejiggering in some sort of attempt to make it “better”. But perhaps the biggest obstacle facing Tulip Fever, at least in retrospect, was its shift from Dreamworks to the now embattled Weinstein Company. I recently mentioned in my Amityville: The Awakening Blu-ray review how a public relations email mentioned how unspecified “issues” with TWC had briefly delayed the Blu-ray release of that film, but it’s interesting to note that Lionsgate isn’t even promoting the Blu-ray release of this particular outing. In my not so humble estimation Tulip Fever is not the unmitigated disaster many folks have claimed it to be, and there’s no denying that it offers a sumptuous physical production supporting its tale of forbidden love in a time of bizarre manic intensity over “rare” flowers (more about that later), but it is an odd effort that never really manages to create much emotional resonance, despite a story of star-crossed lovers that would seem to be a near perfect lure for romantic types who love historically based sagas.
Tulip Fever is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Shot with Arri Alexas, I'm assuming this was finished at a 2K DI, though I haven't been able to confirm that. This is often a rather sumptuous looking film, with Danish cinematographer Einil Bryld's lighting often (appropriately) evoking the painterly look of such Dutch icons as Rembrandt and/or Bruegel. A lot of the production design emphasizes deep auburn or browns, but detail levels remain generally very high despite an overall burnished quality to sets and costumes. A lot of the interior scenes are rather duskily lit, but shadow definition remains quite high throughout the presentation. Fine detail is excellent in close-ups, delivering beautiful looks at the finely wrought costumes.
Tulip Fever features a generally immersive but sometimes rather subtly designed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Several outdoor scenes which feature boisterous crowds (sometimes in the background) offer a nice spill of sounds through the surround channels, but often things are relegated to discrete channelization, as in a kind of humorous montage detailing Sophie's nightly "trial" which features Cornelis relieving himself, placed left, which is followed by some supposed bedtime "frolicking", which moves the soundstage more toward the center channel. Fidelity is excellent throughout, with all elements prioritized smartly.
Kind of hilariously, Lionsgate is evidently more or less dumping this film with Dane De Haan and Cara Delevingne just a couple of weeks after they were touting Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, which for some may arguably be a bigger disaster than this particular film. In fact, Tulip Fever came at least relatively close to actually working for me. It's literate (if clunkily written at times), beautifully designed and well performed. But there's something not quite right with the finished product, resulting in a kind of listless but beautiful viewing experience. Technical merits are strong for those considering a purchase.
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2019
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