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Christmas Visitor (A)
R2 - United Kingdom - Odyssey Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (30th October 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.*** The Boyajian family have not celebrated Christmas for the last eleven years, since their son was killed on Christmas Day 1991 whilst serving in the Gulf War. After learning that their daughter Jean (Reagan Pasternak) has cancer, her dad (William Devane) thinks they should once again celebrate the holiday but he fails to win over his wife (Meredith Baxter). The couple have their faith restored, however, when a visitor (Dean McDermott) who served in the army with their son arrives and recounts their time together. Telling stories consisting of impossible details, he may just be the miracle the family has been waiting for.
Video
Independent British distributor Odyssey have given "A Christmas Visitor" it's home media debut in the United Kingdom, by releasing the movie on to DVD using the original aspect ratio 1.78:1. The transfer is anamorphic, and in PAL format. This is a television movie made for the Hallmark Channel, and it looks exactly like you would expect a movie of this ilk to look - serviceable but nothing special. For a melodramatic Christmas film, the palette is quite dull, with lots of blacks, greys and greens. This does suit the tone of the film, with the story of a families son who was killed in the Gulf not really shouting out for bright Christmassy reds and light displays. Details are pretty good, especially facial close-ups, but what is surprising is that shadow details can be delightfully plentiful, especially when William Devane's character George is buying a Christmas tree at the last minute during a darkened evening. Unfortunately, the print isn't quite as clean as you would hope, and this really lets the disc down. There are several little scratches at various times, a few small nicks here and there, and even larger signs of damage lasting several frames a time towards the end. Nothing overly distracting, but certainly noticeable. There are no major issues with aliasing, banding or edge enhancement present. The feature is uncut and runs 84:07.
Audio
Odyssey have provided us with a single audio track; English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo which is indicative of the original television broadcast in 2002. Channel separation is virtually non-existant, with not much directionality of dialogue between the front speakers. Still, dialogue sounds clear at all times, and there's no problems with inconsistent volume levels, or mumbled delivery. The score is rather formulaic, but captures the film well, whilst the sound effects add depth where required, with the scene in which George spins his truck on the road one of the more notable segments. There are no signs of damage here such as scratches or drop outs, and I noticed no background hiss. No subtitles are available.
Extras
None.
Overall
As melodramatic as a film could possibly get, this is still a positive entry into the made-for-TV Christmas movie sub-genre. It's worth a look at least.
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