Winter's Tale Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Winter's Tale Blu-ray Movie Review

"Gangs of New York" meets "The Fountain."

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 19, 2014

Winter's Tale dabbles in so many things that, early on, it feels difficult to comprehend it all in one viewing in the context of the single narrative it presents to viewers. It's essentially a 700-page-plus book filled with romance, metaphysics, magic, and any number of other, related and unrelated oddities whittled down to a two-hour movie. Yet the end result is a story of incredibly simple ideas presented through the prism of a variety of styles and themes. Writer/Director Akiva Goldsman, whose writing credits range from Batman & Robin to I, Robot and I Am Legend, is no stranger to either the bizarre or the thematically deep as evidenced by the works that appear on his resumé. Though not a fully original writing (and neither are any of the aforementioned works), his Winter's Tale certainly explores the kind of intimate, personal, and deeply woven themes one expects from a writer with both a creative imagination and a wealth of experience in ideas of life, love, right, wrong, and the larger definition of what it means to live and to make a difference in some grand cosmic scheme driven by fate and helped along with a nudge in right direction. It's a beautifully crafted film, one of those that's bigger than its canvas and deeper than its surface, sort of like a cinematic out-of-body experience that challenges the audience to set aside preconceived notions, accept the bizarre, and understand the juxtaposition that is its complex exterior and its goodhearted and simplistic interior.

Cold.

Peter Lake (Colin Farrell), abandoned by his parents as an infant in hopes that he'd find the life he deserved in the country they were forbidden to enter, falls into the wrong crowd in turn-of-the-century New York. He leaves behind the man and the life he was given, abandoning his father figure, Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe) -- who is also one of New York's most dangerous gangsters -- and finding himself number-one on Pearly's hit list. He maintains a life of petty crime to sustain himself and one day breaks and enters into a home occupied by the sickly Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay). The two discover an instant attraction which is tempered by her terminal illness. She's not expected to live more than a few months, hardly enough time experience everything life and love has to offer, particularly with Peter on the run from Pearly. Nevertheless, their relationship blossoms under the protection of a magical flying horse. While Pearly hunts down Peter, the happy couple lives life as best it can in the time allotted, even as time isn't on their side and destiny appears to have more in store for Peter than he could ever imagine.

Obviously, there's much more to the plot than a single paragraph can convey. Winter's Tale is a complexly woven picture of interconnected ideas and pursuits that manages to juggle its many pieces and still maintain a rather coherent story, one that doesn't come fully into focus until the very end but that won't alienate audiences with too much babble or misdirection or unnecessary mumbo-jumbo. The film is the antithesis of every other one of its kind out there that attempts to construct a deep, compelling narrative out of seemingly random elements but only manages to create a jumbled canvas of characters and connections, of ideas and inconsistencies, of deep themes and deeper plot holes. Winter's Tale manages to keep it all relatively neat and tidy, leaving much to the imagination but settling on a few basic ideas that are given complex narratives that are ultimately resolved in a few simple words and the execution of a couple of simple ideas. From the Biblical parallels to Moses to a magical flying horse, from a classic good versus evil narrative to a string of themes that deal in fate, time, determination, inner strength, outer perseverance, and even the wider workings of a universe nobody understands but everybody calls home, the film throws plenty at the audience but never quite overwhelms the audience. It's smartly balanced and mostly accessible once one gets the gist of everything going on -- who the characters are and under what motivations they are operating -- even as the film introduces metaphor after metaphor dealing with love, light, darkness, and destiny.

On a simpler, superficial, technical level, the film doesn't quite reach the level of "mastery," but then again this is one overwhelmed by its story and purpose, leaving its filmmaking intricacies almost as background pieces that only hold up the greater dramatic entity. Certainly, Akiva Goldsman's direction is steady and unobtrusive, focusing more on storytelling and less on flash, more on themes and less on interfering with them via visual trickery. Where the film does excel on the technical front is in its acting. Screen veteran Colin Farrell delivers one of the finest performances of his career, finding an emotional center in every scene and building his character through place and time with a commendably effortless front and an even more impressive complex interior that works to support every theme and action across the story, from his romance with Beverly Penn to his conflict with Pearly Soames and all of the inner and outer pleasures and tolls they create throughout the story. Likewise, Jessica Brown Findlay and Russell Crowe are impressive in their work, too, shaping their characters in contrasting light and dark motifs with Peter Lake caught perilously in the middle. Farrell and Findlay enjoy an effortless chemistry, both defining their burgeoning love in a way that the audience doesn't merely see it but virtually experiences it, understands it, feels it, and appreciates it both in the context of the moment and the larger story themes that run through the characters and the film.

Winter's Tale Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Winter's Tale features a smooth, accurate 1080p transfer. The picture, sourced from a digital shoot, reveals clean, even details and well-defined textures throughout. Period clothing enjoys refined and rich accuracy in seams and fabric nuance. Modern attire likewise enjoys the same attention to detail. Facial features and hairs demonstrate screen-commanding accuracy in each close-up shot. Basic image clarity is outstanding, even in darker scenes and through some obvious digital effects and green screen visual trickery. Colors range from dull and dusty sepia to vibrant and invigorating. The palette always feels a product of the filmmakers' vision for each particular scene. Suffice it to say, however, that appropriate scenes reveal bold reds, balanced whites, and inky blacks. The digital source lends a slightly flat feel to the picture, one that lacks the organic nature of film, but it's still a technical achievement that's bound to satisfy even the most demanding viewer.

Winter's Tale Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Winter's Tale arrives on Blu-ray with a high end DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The film lacks the sort of action-packed dynamic listening experience that's frequently associated with top-of-the-line soundtracks, but Warner's audio presentation handles every nuance and sonic detail commendably well. The film is primarily a dialogue-intensive experience; the spoken word is steady and smooth and accurate in its center speaker-focused delivery. There's also a very well defined sonic moment featuring dialogue reverberation bouncing throughout the soundstage in chapter five. Light atmospherics help define several key areas throughout the film, notably a busy newspaper office as heard later in the film. Musical delivery is smooth and accurate throughout the entire range and regardless of the musical style, including light score, aggressive piano strokes, or upbeat orchestral numbers. A few sound effects, like gun shots, ring out with sufficient stage presence and authority. Deep, rippling bass accompanies the most sonically interesting moment in the film's final minutes. Overall, this may not be a showstopper sort of track, but it handles a fairly diverse yet dialogue-heavy listen very well.

Winter's Tale Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Winter's Tale contains two smart featurettes and a collection of deleted and extended scenes. DVD and UV digital copies are included in the case.

• Behind the Scenes: Winter's Tale: A Timeless Love (HD, 6:08): Cast and crew discuss the film's themes, the love story and the tale that grows from it, the source novel and the process of adapting it to the screen, cast performances, the picture's timeline, shooting in New York and setting the film in that city, Colin Farrell's stage chemistry, Jessica Brown Findlay's performance, Russell Crowe's presence, Akiva Goldsman's writing and directing, the role of the white horse, and training the real life animal.
• Behind the Scenes: Characters of Good and Evil (HD, 9:14): A look at the contrasts between good and evil, the role of light in the film, and more.
• Additional Scenes (HD, 12:08): Peter's Parents Sail Him Off to New York Extended, How Long You Been Doin' This Extended, Athansor Breaks Free Deleted, I'd Snap Your Bones and Eat Your Eyes Deleted, Peter Visits Humpstone John Extended, Thems Are Thieves Extended, Peter and Isaac Penn Discuss New Years Deleted, Yes, Baby Deleted, We Have to Stop the Treatments Extended, This One's Personal Extended, Abby is Saved Deleted, and Sometimes We Are Saved Deleted.

Winter's Tale Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Winter's Tale may prove overwhelming at first, but it settles into an appreciably simple story at its core that's only clouded by a somewhat overzealous combination of stuff on its outer layer. There's no mistaking the deeper story themes, even as they develop underneath magical flying horses and strange, yea, impossible, occurrences across a timespan of about 100 years. Nevertheless, the film is an enchanting one, very well done in all areas and capable of taking a lengthy, significantly more detailed and in depth story and reducing it to not only a consumable two hours, but a fruitful two hours. This is one of the better "thinking man's" movies of the past few years and a worthwhile endeavor for any audiences that wishes to break free from the Hollywood norm and embark on a journey filled with wonder and just a little bit of "what?" Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of Winter's Tale features standout video and audio. Supplements are relatively short in both number and runtime but prove satisfactory companions to the film. Very highly recommended.