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Thousand Times Good Night (A)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Arrow Films Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (10th September 2014). |
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The Film
 ***This is a technical review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** A THOUSAND TIMES GOOD NIGHT tells the moving story of leading wartime photojournalist Rebecca (Binoche) who is torn between a passion for her dangerous job and her loving but worried family. This affecting film, which won the Special Grand Prix of the Jury at the Montreal Film Festival 2013, resonates with Poppe whose own experiences from his years as a wartime photographer for Reuters and other media are reflected in the film. Rebecca is one of the world's top war photographers. On assignment while photographing a female suicide bomber in Kabul, she gets to near, and gets badly hurt. Back home another bomb drops. Her husband and daughters can no longer bear the thought of her dying while at work. She is given an ultimatum: Her work, or her family life. The choice seems obvious. Rebecca swears to Marcus that she will never go to a war zone again. Yet the conviction that her photos can make a difference keeps pulling at her resolve, making it difficult for her to live a normal life as a mother and wife. Then comes an offer to photograph a refugee camp in Kenya, a place allegedly so safe that daughter Steph is allowed to join her mother…
Video
Independent British distributor Arrow Films have released "A Thousand Times Good Night" on to Blu-ray in the United Kingdom, using the original aspect ratio of 2.40:1. The transfer has been given an AVC MPEG-4 encode, and is 1080p. The transfer is very good, but unfortunately has one niggling flaw that drops it down a peg or two. This flaw, is the sheer amount of slight motion judder which becomes overly noticeable at various times, though most notably during the scene from 24:30 with Marcus and Rebecca's first discussion since she comes home, and again at 41:14. It's quite strange, as these scenes don't really have quick camera motion as you would expect, and are close to mid-range shots - whilst these problems are usually encountered during fast paced long-range shots. One of the faster moving scenes takes place at the start in the war-torn middle east, yet this scene has escaped any signs of motion judder. Instead, the opening is reference quality, with strong vivid colours, and exceptional detail. The strong details are maintained throughout the feature's run time, with the in-depth facial close-ups proving that there has been no digital noise reduction or sharpening done. There is a little bit of aliasing every now and again, and some slight crush, but no other problems worth mentioning. The feature is uncut, and runs 117:28.
Audio
There are two audio options available: - English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English LPCM 2.0 Stereo For my viewing, I opted for the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track which made for a very good viewing experience. The film is very much dialogue driven, though does have several scenes which utilise the surrounds rather well. Most notably is the opening act, where Rebecca is photographing a soon-to-be suicide bomber. The score increasingly adds to the tension, whilst the subtle street level noises and eventual blast, immediately immerses you in Rebecca's chosen career. Dialogue itself is clear at all times, with no mumbling, and volume levels are consistent. There are no flaws in the track to speak of such as drop outs, scratches or background hiss. No subtitles have been included.
Extras
Start-up Trailers: - "Like Father, Like Son" (2:10) - "Arthur & Mike" (2:12)
Overall
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