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Secret Life of Bees (The)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (11th March 2010). |
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The Film
 I’ll be the first to admit that I can’t think of a less-appealing draw for a film I’m about to watch than the fact that it’s a strong matriarchal drama starring Queen Latifah. That, to me, sounds like a recipe for cinematic kryptonite. But once I learned that the film takes place in the rural South of the still-very-much-racist 1960’s, my interest was piqued. I’m a big fan of films set in yesteryear, especially those which showcase some of America’s greatest beauty (the sumptuous visage of the South) alongside its worst offenses (namely, the prevalence of racism in that region). Even bad films can be great because they act as a time capsule – a reminder of just how far (or not, depending on who you ask) America has come in the ensuing 50 years. “The Secret Life of Bees” is based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name written by Sue Monk Kidd. The novel was a semi-autobiographical account of Kidd’s life growing up in 1960’s South Carolina. Originally written as a short story, Kidd felt she couldn’t let her remaining thoughts go unpublished, so she amended that abridged version and released the full novel on which this film is based. Now, much of what she included is as sappy as the product the titular bees produce, but there is a strong message woven throughout of love, respect and the guidance young girls need from their mother. That core belief is what grounds the film and allows the film’s many noteworthy names a chance to shine in their respective (if not somewhat clichéd) roles. Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) is a young Southern girl living an emotionally stressful life. After losing her mother at an early age as the result of a hazily-recalled shooting, Lily lives with her emotionally abusive father, T. Ray (a barely recognizable Paul Bettany) and her nanny, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson). After a particularly nasty incident in town leaves Rosaleen in the hospital, and an emotionally-charged argument with her father, Lily decides it’s time for the both of them to leave town. A triggered memory at breakfast leads the two of them to the Boatwright honey farm, run by sisters August (Queen Latifah), May (Sophie Okonedo) and June (Alicia Keys). The grounds there are gorgeous, and they serve as the perfect environment for Lily to flourish under the guidance of all four women as an assistant beekeeper. Yes, this is a sappy chick flick. But you’re likely to know that based on the cast list alone, never mind the theatrical poster art or any other promotional materials. But it doesn’t turn the sap-factor up to “11” like I had anticipated. I expected to walk into a full-blown tearjerker rife with every dramatic cliché in the world of film. Rather, what we get, though still sappy at times, is a mostly wonderful character-driven film firmly rooted by some strong performances that will likely surprise many viewers. For instance, I knew to expect something solid from Jennifer Hudson, since she is an Oscar winner and all, but I never would have thought fellow songstress Alicia Keys would also deliver a great performance. The core group of women that comprise the cast were perfectly cast, and that can go a very long way in a film. As I said earlier, the setting of the film is expectedly marvelous. There is a sense of warmth that comes from films which take place in this region; must be something in the myriad of colors that populate the area. This film takes full advantage of its surroundings, painting a portrait on screen that is extremely wondrous, especially in high definition. The cinematography, courtesy of Rogier Stoffers, does a magnificent job of faithfully recreating this time period, and in showing off the natural eye candy of the country fields and forests. You can’t help but get wrapped up in the story when all of it is taking place in such a beautiful setting. In the end, it wasn’t something I’d consider revisiting, but I can think of at least a dozen worse films I’ve seen in the past year that were nearly unwatchable. If this isn’t your typical far, I’m not suggesting you seek it out or anything. But if you ever find yourself in a situation where a viewing of this is imminent and you get hit with a wave of fear… just rest assured that it isn’t nearly that painful. This Blu-ray edition features two cuts of the film: "Theatrical" and an "Extended Director’s Cut" version. The difference in running times is around 4 minutes, though I was unable to find any information regarding what has been added back in.
Video
The film’s 2.35:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded visuals are a thing of beauty on Blu-ray. Every frame of director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s film makes great use of the rustic setting. Colors are reproduced perfectly, providing a rich visual palette with primaries that pop, whites that are cool and black levels that appear rich and dense. A few scenes did appear slightly hazy or out of focus, but they didn’t detract from the overall image quality. The image is chock full of fine detail, from small intricacies found within the Boatwright home right up to the fantastic costume design. There’s a lot of depth to the image, and it’s yet another strong effort from Fox.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit isn’t a loud, roaring affair. This is a very dialogue heavy film and, aside from the occasional LFE boost as a result of a dream sequence or musical number, the most you can expect from it is clear, concise dialogue with no audible deficiencies. The vocal tracks are perfectly balanced across the front channels. Surrounds are used sparingly, though they do provide some good direction for ambient sounds and panning. It may not impress, but it’s just about as perfect as it needs to be. There is also a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound track included. Subtitles are available in English for the hearing impaired, Spanish and French.
Extras
“The Secret Life of Bees” comes equipped with a heavy dose of bonus features. In addition to the aforementioned inclusion of two cuts of the film, we also get two audio commentaries, deleted scenes and several featurettes. The first audio commentary track is with writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood, producers Laura Shuler Donner and Joe Pichirallo and actors Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah. This is easily the “lighter” of the two tracks thanks to the many participants involved. Prince-Bythewood spends most of the track discussing the intricacies of the film’s characters, while Pichirallo provides some of the more technical details regarding the shoot. Fanning and Latifah are on hand to inject some of their own humor, as well as guide us along with respect to how they approached their characters. The second audio commentary track features writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood and film editor Terilyn Shropshire. This is the film student track, as the two dispense with most of the pleasantries from the group track and get right down to the brass tacks. The duo discusses with incredible depth all of the film’s main characters, the approach to writing each, and what editing decisions were made to keep things moving along. This is a tech-heavy track, so I’d only recommend it for those who either really loved the film, or those who want to get an insider view on the making of a film. There are eight deleted scenes available with optional audio commentary from writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood and film editor Terilyn Shropshire. They are presented in 1080i and the quality is much less than that of the feature film. They include: - “Flying the Junebug” runs for 46 seconds, Rosaleen ties a string to a junebug for May to play with. - “Lily Freaks Out” runs for 2 minutes and 4 seconds, Lily panics when a bad memory is triggered while assisting with the bees. - “Driving Through Town” runs for 12 seconds, Lily sees an unsavory group of men during a car ride. - “Clayton Forrest’s Office” runs for 1 minute and 31 seconds, Lily speaks with Mr. Forrest during a visit. - “Zach is Abducted” runs for 1 minute and 2 seconds, the same group of men Lily saw earlier seize Zach while he and Lily are watching a movie. - “May Celebrates” runs for 1 minute and 22 seconds, May celebrates a small victory in her life. - “May’s Pins” runs for 35 seconds, August and June pin one of May’s pins on each other. - “The Mary Inside” runs for 2 minutes and 21 seconds, August provides Lily with some wisdom for living. “Adaptation: Bringing The Secret Life of Bees to the Big Screen” (1080i) is a featurette which runs for 12 minutes and 33 seconds. A typical origins tale, this piece uses interview footage with the driving forces behind bringing the novel to life. The film’s director, producer and the book’s author discuss how they all worked closely to turn the novel into the film that was made. “The Women and Men of The Secret Life of Bees” (1080i) is a featurette which runs for 16 minutes and 24 seconds. We get a little more personal with the film’s cast here as they provide us with some typical discussions on who they play in the film and how they approached their roles. “Inside Pink House with Sue Monk Kidd” is a featurette which runs for 10 minutes and 13 seconds. The author of the novel, Kidd, acts as tour guide as we get a closer glimpse at the Boatwright house set. She talks about how certain aspects match exactly what she had in mind when she was writing the book. “Beekeeping 101” (1080i) is a featurette which runs for 7 minutes and 32 seconds. The actors go to school on this one, learning the art of beekeeping. Getting as hands-on as possible, they learn everything they can in an effort to lend some credibility to their roles. “Life on the Set” (1080i) is a featurette which runs for 9 minutes and 6 seconds. Think of this as a behind-the-scenes of the behind-the-scenes. We get to see the crew in action here, putting together sets and working hard to make everything come together just so. “The World Premiere” (1080i) is a featurette which runs for 3 minutes and 29 seconds. This is sort of like something you’d probably see on Access Hollywood. The actors strut their stuff on the red carpet for the film’s premiere, doing a few interviews as well.
Overall
I was surprised to see that this film wasn’t nearly as bad as I anticipated. The title and subject matter are enough to easily turn me off, but the film itself features some strong acting and great locations & sets, even if it still wasn’t really my cup of tea. The video quality is fantastic and there are lots of bonus features to keep you busy.
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