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In Short Suprisingly decent Miramax DVD effort for the fair adaptation of the Henry James novel.
Plot:
Helena Bonham-Carter stars along with Alison Elliot and Linus Roache in this adpatation of the Henry James novel about a British couple who plot to take the inheritance of a rich American girl who has found her way into their society. Highly enjoyable acting from the leads, but sometimes pacing becomes slightly too slow.
For the most part though, the deliberate sense of releasing information and plot certainly works, and the dialogue is nothing short of remarkable, with fascinating conversations. Wonderful cinematography as well. A few slow points in director Lain Softley's adaptation, but overall enjoyable and entertaining.
The DVD
VIDEO: There are some problems definitely worth nothing in this transfer, but with Disney's recent rather poor track record with older titles, this image did slightly exceed my expectations going into viewing it. Images aren't razor sharp, but are pleasingly clean and clear. Colors are pure and nicely saturated throughout for what I thought was a pleasing, if not flawless picture.
There are some noticable problems with the print used- a scratch here and there. Some shimmering is also apparent. Flesh tones are natural throughout and sometimes flattering. As I've said, this is definitely not a perfect transfer, but compared to some of the other recent Disney efforts, this is an improvement. Some of the exterior shots on the streets really did look quite good, though with a fairly good amount of detail and an accurate presentation of the crisp, cold tone. Some of scenes in Venice look goregous as well. Still, the imperfections are noticable and take away from what is an otherwise nice image. The aspect ratio is 2.35:1.
SOUND: This film is mainly dialogue and there's no problem in that regard- dialogue sounds clear and clean; easily heard. What's also pleasant is the score, which fills the room with pure and natural classical music. There are also some nice instances of ambient sounds. Overall this is a very subtle, lovely sound mix.
MENUS: Some basic, although fairly pretty, film themed menus.
EXTRAS:: There's actually extras...on a Disney DVD! Aside from the trailer, there is a 15 minute documentary on the history of the story and also interviews with the cast and crew called "Romance and Passion".
Final Thoughts: It's nice to see that Miramax is begining to work more at their DVD releases, but still, a few more extras and a drop in price for these catalog titles would be much appreciated.
EXTRAS:
The Film: 80/B- = (400/500 possible points)
Video: 80/B- = (320/400 possible points)
Audio: 87/B = (348/400 possible points)
Extras: 80/B- = (240/300 possible points)
Menus: 75/C = (150/200 possible points)
Value: 75/C = (225/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1683/2100
Average:80%/B-
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