Tuesday, June 29, 2010
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010
BLU-RAY REVIEW
The White Ribbon
In 1913 Germany, Atrocities
Before Greater Atrocities
Roxane Duran as Anna and Rainer Bock as Anna's father The
Doctor in Michael Haneke's epic drama "Das Weisse Band" ("The White Ribbon").
Sony Pictures Classics
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Stark, powerful and absorbing, "The White Ribbon"
is an instant classic. Michael Haneke's award-winning film arrives today
on Blu-Ray and DVD, and it is impressive.
Shot in resonant black and white, Mr. Haneke's film chronicles a small village
in Germany in 1913. In the village, mysterious things occur. Crops
are destroyed. Fires are set. Indecent relations are afoot.
Kids look up to adults. Who do the adults look up to? The story is
told through the eyes of a school teacher, who from the start assures the
audience that he's not exactly sure if his recollection of the events we will
see is accurate.
Shot beautifully by Christian Berger, this 2009 Palm D'Or winner evokes a
distinct time and place, yet is a timeless film that explores the moral
travesties lurking underneath what appears bright and idyllic. "Das Weisse
Band", its native German title, is released on Blu-Ray and DVD by Sony Pictures
Classics. The film is bold and sharp on Blu-Ray, its 1080p high definition
transfer accentuating the troubled landscape surrounding more than two dozen
characters, many of them children. The film's audio is mixed in 5.1 DTS-HD
MA, with a German language soundtrack, and there are English language subtitles.
"The White Ribbon" is transferred to Blu-Ray as a full-screen 1.85:1 standard
and is a pristine-looking presentation. Several images look like wintry
postcards, almost unreal in one or two scenes.
Aside from the film, the highlights of the Blu-Ray presentation are the
additional features on the disc. There's an interview with Mr. Haneke,
plus a revealing look at the director in a feature entitled "My Life".
("Films are his life", says Mr. Haneke's wife.) There is a feature on the
film's debut at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it won top prize. The
extras perfectly supplement the film, augmenting the package that "The White
Ribbon" is more than worthy of.
Home may be the best place to view "The White Ribbon", a beautiful tale of human
frailty. The film is expertly crafted and one of the best movies of 2009.
"The White Ribbon" (Das Weiβe Band)
is rated R by the Motion Picture
Association Of America for some disturbing content involving violence and
sexuality. The film's
running time is two hours and 24 minutes. The film is in black and white,
and in the German language, with English language subtitles.
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