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Four Weddings and a Funeral
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - MGM Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Ethan Stevenson (17th August 2011). |
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The Film
 Charles: Why am I – uh – always at weddings, and never actually getting married, Matt? Matthew: It's probably 'cause you're a bit scruffy. Or it could also be 'cause you haven't met the right girl. Charles: Ah, but you see, is that it? Maybe I have met the right girls. Maybe I meet the right girls all the time. Maybe it's me. And maybe it’s because I’ve attended a staggering number of weddings – but, thankfully, no funerals – in the last year, including most recently my own brother’s in June, where I was the Best Man, but I can totally relate to the plight of Charles (Hugh Grant) and his friends. It seems every weekend they’re either standing at the side of a bride and groom, or sitting in the church pews as guests at some far-removed acquaintances’ ceremony. Rambling speeches, botched toasts, drunken wedding-night romps, and a bumbling, babbling, vicar – a so-called “friend of the family” – named Father Gerald (Rowan Atkinson) officiating one of the most awkward vow exchanges in the history of cinema; only some of the hilarity that ensues over the course of Mike Newell’s brilliant British import, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”. The film follows Charles – defined by his exes as: Always loyal, but never ready or willing to marry – and his close-knit group through three weddings, a poignant funeral for one of the main characters, and finally, the Big Day for everyone’s favorite “serial monogamist”. Charles is our protagonist; an attractive woman called Carrie (Andie MacDowell) – simply referred to as the “American” – whom he meets at the first wedding, is his ever-elusive love interest. There’s also Charles’ deaf brother David (David Bower), his flatmate Scarlett (Charlotte Coleman), lovesick friend Fiona (Kristen Scott Thomas), Tom (James Fleet), who’s “I think, seventh” amongst the richest men in England and he even owns a castle, and Matthew (John Hannah) and his partner Gareth (Simon Callow). And, no, for those American wedding guests wondering: The latter doesn’t personally know Oscar Wilde, but he might know “someone who could get you his fax number.” The events of the film happen over the course of a year and a half, weaving in and out of these people’s lives, only offer glimpses at brief moments on but five days. It’s astonishing then, with the shockingly short amount of time the viewer spends with the large ensemble cast, how we come to love these well-written characters, fully realized by screenwriter Richard Curtis. Apparently, the idea for “…Weddings…” came to Curtis after rereading his journals and noticing he’d been to some-seventy-odd weddings in ten years. Most amusingly – and perhaps one of the reasons why the film rings so true most of the time, even at its most absurd – nearly all of the scenarios in his script (including a scene where Charles uncomfortably hides in the closet of a hotel room after two crazed newlyweds barge into the darkened space, and sex each other up with the lights off) either happened to him, or were relayed to him by close friends. It’s no secret that romantic comedies are – as a gross generality – putrid, rotten, soulless exercises in predicable and cliché banality. Most of them just are. But, the films of the wickedly funny Curtis, a man who’s written, produced and/or directed some of the finest examples of the genre done right (including “Notting Hill” (1999), “Bridget Jones’s Diary” (2001) and “Love Actually” (2003)), most definitely aren’t. While something like “Maid in Manhattan” (2002) may make me want to jump off the Empire State Building, Curtis’ films – even the few that most closely resemble the dreaded common “rom-com” headlined by genre staples Julia Roberts or Renée Zellweger – are just so delightfully quirky, awkward and crass (who can forget the f-bomb laced intro to “…Weddings…”) that I can’t help but like them. Curtis’ films are the exception to the rule, and brilliant exceptions they are: Funny, smart, but also emotionally driven by characters created perfectly for their prospective cast members. In nearly all of his films, Curtis’ characters are rich and developed. With “…Weddings…” he’d create the charmingly awkward, stammering Hugh Grant archetype – which the actor has continued to play for most of his career, even in other Curtis film – by giving him lines like, “Excuse me. I think I had better be where other people are not.” The role of Charles shot Grant into the ionosphere, and he’s great here. John Hannah is also excellent, delivering his touching eulogy based around a reading of W. H. Aden’s “Funeral Blues” with a powerfully raw earnestness. Kristen Scott Thomas, playing a bitter, biting, but sort-of-sad character, is as arresting as ever with her clever Fiona. Coleman’s clumsy but fiery Scarlett, when she meets her very own “Rhett”, is cute without being vomit-inducing. Curtis’ scripts are no doubt smartly crafted, not to mention, most of the time, just flat out hilarious, which is why his films like “Four Weddings…” are uniquely attractive despite their genre conventions. But equal attention should be paid to the fabulous work by director Mike Newell, who weaves the complex cast of characters and plotlines of “…Weddings…” into a finely made quilt. The narrative may be a patchwork, but the emotional journey – patterned with the appropriate downtrodden late second act funeral – is just as warmly satisfying, in not more so, than most ordinarily-told tales. The film has but one flaw. It’s a big one… or, it would be, but the film is otherwise so good that it hardly matters. The problem, of course, is MacDowell, who was cast as Carrie at the last minute after the original actress dropped out. Against the rest of the basically perfect ensemble – all of who so expertly capture the right tone for their characters and bring life, and notable talent, to their roles – MacDowell gives it her “gosh-darn” toothy best, but still stands stilted and was ultimately poorly cast. Her, frankly terrible, performance should bring the film crashing down, but it doesn’t for two reasons. First, she plays an American outsider, so it sort of works that she doesn’t have chemistry with anyone else in the film (besides, at least partly, with Grant). Second… well, I don’t have a second one (and that ladies and gents is a joke that works only after you’ve seen the film; yay!). “Four Weddings and a Funeral” has lost just a lick of its luster fifteen years on. The shining praise is a bit dulled by the hindsight of history. That the film was nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Picture at the Academy Awards isn’t quite baffling by itself – after, all the film is quite good – but when you realize that it lost both to Tarantino’s positively fantastic “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Forrest Gump” (1994) respectively, and was nominated alongside “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994)? It suddenly seems like an inferior film. “Four Weddings…” is unquestionably a very funny, exceptionally well made and acted piece, but a masterpiece of filmmaking it most certainly is not. It’s simply a good, and incredibly entertaining movie.
Video
MGM continues to upgrade (most of) their releases to Blu-ray without remastering or restoration, and simply reusing whatever source they already have in their possession. As such, watching the 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 high definition presentation of “Four Weddings…” isn’t exactly a joyous occasion. But, it’s not all bad either. The transfer is not unlike a simple and dully ritualistic wedding ceremony followed by a fun, whirlwind of a reception. You’ll note the flaws when you see them, and will be unimpressed by the occasional blandness, but might not remember much by the end. And nothing here will absolutely ruin the experience. Unquestionably, this is the best “…Funeral” has ever looked on home video – and is, I assume, an enormous improvement over the earlier, non-anamorphic DVD from 1999. However, the general softness of the original photography, and the imperfect DVD-era master (circa the 2004 “Deluxe” disc) from which the transfer is sourced, keeps this catalogue title from looking like the best Blu-ray re-releases can and usually do. Originally shot on 35mm film, the resulting 1.85:1 widescreen image is reasonably filmic with minimal, natural, grain and modest contrast. Blacks are deep, although occasionally crushing in the darkest of scenes (the closet-sex; the candle lit ceremony inside the Scottish church have zero shadow detail). Colors – and especially skin tones – are lifelike, if slightly pale by design. Fabric textures in ties, vests, kilts, and dresses are at times excellent, even when facial detail isn’t. Unfortunately, the source is far from pristine: White specks, flecks, dirt, and other types of debris and print damage are an unpredictable problem throughout. Stay hairs and some distracting wobble in the early scenes, are troubling holdovers from the old master, as are the fleeting examples of edge enhancement and digital noise reduction scattered in odd spots across the runtime (both most egregiously applied after the second wedding, when Carrie and Charles meet his brother outside the shop). Admittedly, “Four Weddings…” could look a lot worse. For all it’s faults, the disc is still very, very watchable and the encode is free of noticeable compression artifacts. Many of the issues – the moments of black crush, mild haloing, and passing use of DNR – only present themselves in a small grouping of scenes. And much of the softness is inherent to the cinematography. In the end, the blu-ray looks exactly like what it is: The ‘04 DVD master, only now upgraded to HD and offering a mostly subtle, if occasionally striking, improvement over all earlier home video renderings. Do I think the film deserves better treatment? Yes. And hopefully MGM will spring for a new remaster, scanned from the original elements, for the 20th anniversary. But, until then, this Blu-ray offers an acceptable, if not exactly perfect, picture.
Audio
Predictably, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48 kHz / 24-bit / 4.1 Mbps) soundtrack is – true to the nature of the romantic comedy genre – a gentle, front-focused affair. Newell’s film doesn’t offer much; just quick, witty and cleanly reproduced dialog, mild celebratory ambience during the various receptions as funneled to the surrounds, and composer Richard Rodney Bennett’s simple, almost Spartan score (with a couple of Elton John songs thrown in for good measure). The mix doesn’t appear to have been excessively processed to create an aggressive rear presence, leaving most of the activity placed in the center and fronts. Reserved, but not fatigued, the lossless track is a decent audio experience, but not something particularly special. Dubs are available in French DTS 5.1 (768 kbps), Italian DTS 5.1 (768 kbps), Polish Dolby Digital 2.0 (256 kbps), Portuguese Dolby Digital 2.0 (256 kbps), Castilian DTS 5.1 (768 kbps), Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 (256 kbps), and Thai Dolby Digital 2.0 (256 kbps). Optional subtitles are offered in English, Chinese (Traditional), Chinese (Simplified), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, and Ukrainian.
Extras
Like most recent MGM Blu-rays, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” is frustratingly authored without a main menu. Most of the important DVD supplements have been ported over (a small photo gallery is missing, but at really no loss to the overall package) while no new material has been produced. An audio commentary is noteworthy and should please those who haven’t already listened to it. Three featurettes (only one of which is any good), five deleted scenes, and three promotional spots are all encoded in lowly standard definition. A theatrical trailer has also been included. The highlight of the special features is the info-packed audio commentary with director Mike Newell, producer Duncan Kenworthy, and co-executive producer/writer Richard Curtis. Recorded in 2004 for the Deluxe DVD, the three men offer a chatty, often revelatory, and generally interesting look back at bringing their little film to screen. Despite the ten-year gap between wrap and commentary, this track is spot on and the participants rarely give silence a chance to take hold. “Four Weddings and a Funeral: In the Making” (1.33:1 480i, 7 minutes 45 seconds) is a skippable EPK featurette with canned interviews from Newell, Curtis, and stars Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell. It was used to promote the film in ‘94, and offers no real insight. Much more interesting is “The Wedding Planners” (1.78:1 480i, 29 minutes 48 seconds). This newer featurette – from the 2004 Deluxe DVD – offers a longer look at the behind-the-scenes story of making the low budget film, and the unexpected success it was with audiences and critics. Newell, Kenworthy, Curtis, Grant and MacDowell are joined by other members of the cast and crew to provide – essentially – a condensed version of the commentary in video form. The piece is very typical of the “making of” extras found on MGM DVDs from the mid-2000's. It’s packed with information, but also a bit dry. For my money, the commentary is better. The other featurette ported from the Deluxe DVD is called “Two Actors and a Director” (1.78:1 480i, 5 minutes 41 seconds). In it: MacDowell and Grant talk about working together and under the direction of Mike Newell; Newell discusses casting his two leads. Blah. Bland. Boring. A deleted scenes reel (1.85:1 480i, 10 minutes 23 seconds) has five scenes, each with an introduction by producer Duncan Kenworthy. The deletions are also individually playable without the producer intros: - "The Wedding Line" - "The Novice Priest" - "The Deaf Father" - "The Friends" - "The Kiss" Three promotional spots (1.33:1 480i) are shallow curios included for the completionist, and include: - Duncan Kenworthy (1 minute 39 seconds). - Hugh Grant (35 seconds). - Andie MacDowell (1 minute 13 seconds). The original theatrical trailer (1080p, 2 minutes 8 seconds) is encoded in high-def.
Packaging
“Four Weddings and a Funeral” was originally released by MGM (and acting distributor 20th Century Fox) as part of a Target exclusive Blu-ray wave at the beginning of the year. The region free, dual layered, BD-50 is now available everywhere. The disc is packaged in an eco-case.
Overall
The image and sound qualities are nothing to write home about, and the supplemental package is decent but hardly exceptional. And yet, MGM’s decidedly shrug-worthy Blu-ray doesn’t change the fact that Mike Newell’s “Four Weddings and a Funeral” is one of the best romantic comedies of the nineties, if not in fact, probably, ever. Thanks largely to a witty script by Richard Curtis, and a capable cast, the film remains one of my favorites in a genre that – with rare exception – I otherwise despise. At the surprisingly low price point it can usually be found, this is an easy recommendation for fans.
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