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The Movie:
Coming from a second theatrical run before its video release, "East Is East" is a comedy/drama based on a play. The film version stars Om Puri as George Khan, a Pakistani immigrant in 1971 who wants nothing more than to install the beliefs and traditions of his culture in his children. This proves, to his dislike, harder than he'd thought. The kids would rather follow their own ways and keep from the restrictions they feel their father is putting on them.
The film mainly revolves around George, who runs a fish and chips shop in their little neighborhood, trying to keep the lives of several people under his watch, when it becomes obvious that that's about seven more than he can possibly keep control of at once. All of the kids have different interests and different problems - the younger one even wears his little coat all the time, never taking it off. He reminded me of Kenny from "South Park", only he thankfully never meets Kenny's fate.
An element I disliked was how different the Puri character was to the rest of the film; while he seemed to be in a drama, the rest of the film works against that, playing towards light comedy. He eventually turns meaner when his character should have become more thoughtful about the situation (and also, when he hasn't always followed religion) in a comedy like this one.
The film finally does become a bit funnier once the second and third child are set up for arranged marriages (the first child ran off from his first arranged marriage), but I never really found "East Is East" hilarious - and towards the end, it goes into drama with mixed results. Still, the performances by all did keep me at least slightly involved in the tales of the many characters. "East Is East" is one of those films that I thought just "is"; I certainly didn't hate it, but I didn't love it, either.
The DVD
VIDEO: Miramax provides an anamorphic transfer for "East Is East" in the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio; although the transfer is generally excellent, there are a couple of very minor flaws that are noticable. Sharpness is generally excellent with the exception of a few shots scattered throughout the movie that are slightly on the softer side. Detail is also excellent, and clarity is never lacking.
Problems arise in the form of some marks on the print used; they certainly aren't a consistent problem, but there were a few more visible than I'd like to see from a movie that had its main theatrical release only a few months ago. Slight pixelation also appears a few times, but this isn't a distraction.
Colors are excellent; the clothing that many of the characters wear present bold, rich colors that look great here. Some of the scenes don't show quite as bold a color palette, but still look very pleasing. Judging by how solid Miramax has done with recent efforts like "Holy Smoke", I think they could have made a slightly smoother presentation here.
SOUND: The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1, but as one might expect from a film like this, the majority of the audio rests in the front. Surrounds remain silent for almost all of the presentation. The music during the film is crisp and clear, but it would have been nice if the surrounds also offered the music. Dialogue is occasionally a little hard to understand, but is generally clear and clean.
MENUS:: Extremely basic menus with film themed images; the main menu is pretty much based on the cover art.
EXTRAS: Just the trailer - no more, no less (well, any less would be nothing).
Final Thoughts: For such a popular movie, you would think that Miramax would put together a stronger DVD presentation with some extras besides just a trailer. Worth a rental.
Film Grade
The Film B-
DVD Grades
Video 86/B = (344/400 possible points)
Audio: 84/B = (336/400 possible points)
Extras: 65/D = (195/300 possible points)
Menus: 65/D = (130/200 possible points)
Value: 79/C+ = (237/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1242/1600
DVD GRADE:C/77%
FILM GRADE: B-
DVD GRADE: C
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