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Finding Vivian Maier
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Soda Pictures Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (1st November 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 mysterious nanny, who secretly took over 100,000 photographs that were hidden in storage lockers and discovered decades later, is now considered among the twentieth century’s greatest photographers. Maier’s strange and riveting life and art are revealed through never-before-seen photographs, films and interviews with dozens who thought they knew her.
Video
Independent distributor Soda Pictures have released the documentary "Finding Vivian Maier" on to Blu-ray in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The transfer is 1080p, and receives an AVC MPEG-4 encode. It looks great. Unlike the other documentary Soda are releasing on the 10th November, "Sacro GRA", 99% of the footage in "Finding Vivian Maier" is pre-prepared and there's little in the way of spur-of-the-moment footage. Because of this, the documentary makers have the ability to set shots up for lighting to a high standard, and the quality of the transfer is all the better for it. Details are excellent, especially in the facial blemishes and clothing of those being interviewed, with even slight details on lips becoming noticeable. Background details are also of a very high standard, even in outdoor shots, such as that of the bench looking over the water towards the end. Colours are strong, with blacks deep and inky, and even the slight natural discolouration in some of the black and white photos look absolutely perfect. Brighter colours show great depth, and skin tones are accurate. There are no signs of edge enhancement, or any other form of digital sharpening, nor signs of damage to the transfer. There is some very light banding along some lighter backgrounds, but it isn't too prominent. The feature is uncut, and runs 84:11.
Audio
There are two audio options included on this release: - English/French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English/French LPCM 2.0 Stereo For my viewing I opted to view the documentary using the English/French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, which is very basic, and very much centrally focused. With a large amount of interview footage, it comes as no surprise that there aren't too many situations during the feature where the surrounds get an opportunity to make themselves known, but they do get some subtle use when the feature allows. There are a couple of lines of dialogue that tend to have a slight echo when John Maloof is off to the side of the screen near the beginning, but apart from that, all dialogue shows a high level of clarity. There are no major issues with the audio such as drop outs or scratches, and I noticed no signs of background hiss. English subtitles are available for the hard-of-hearing. They are forced during French dialogue (which only makes up a maximum of ~5% of the feature), and optional for the English dialogue.
Extras
The main extra here is some 8mm footage shot by Vivian Maier (12:31). This footage looks surprisingly good considering its age, format, and the fact it was languishing in boxes for many years rather than a temperature controlled facility that she could have had access to had she been famous whilst she was alive. The footage is from 1970, and was taken on the streets of Chicago. Unfortunately, there is no sound present, but this is a welcome addition to the disc. The rest of the on-disc extras are self-explanatory. Start-up Trailers (5:46): - "Night Moves" (2:14) - "Pulp" (2:04) - "Watermark" (1:27) Theatrical Trailer (2:09) It should also be noted that initial pressings come packaged with some limited edition postcard prints.
Overall
Vivian Maier was such an interesting person, and it is amazing how much the filmmakers managed to find out about her. A fantastic unknown photographer, but a woman that was so eccentric and obviously suffering from mental health issues, this documentary is insightful and tells her story well - and yet her life is still surrounded by mystery. Although the film is worth the praise, it does stick in your mind slightly just how good of a marketer the director is, especially when he owns the vast majority of Maier's work.
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