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Night Train to Lisbon
R2 - United Kingdom - Spirit Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (8th January 2015). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and Extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Your life can change in an instant. Directed by critically acclaimed director Bille August (Pelle The Conqueror, The House of the Spirits), NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON takes us on two emotionally charged journeys revealing a man’s quest for self-discovery and the dying days of the Portuguese dictatorship. Based on the international best-selling novel by Pascal Mercier, the film also stars Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), Jack Huston (HBO’s Boardwalk Empire), Bruno Ganz (Downfall), Tom Courtenay (Quartet), Christopher Lee (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Charlotte Rampling (The Duchess). After having saved a beautiful Portuguese woman from leaping to her death, Latin Professor Raimund Gregorius (Jeremy Irons) stumbles upon a mesmerising book by a Portuguese author, which compels him to suddenly abandon his boring life and embark on an enthralling adventure. In search of the author, Gregorius acts as detective and begins to piece together an epic story of oppression and revolution, loyalty and betrayal, love and jealousy, all played out against the backdrop of a brutal fascist dictatorship. His exploration of the author’s life evolves into a liberating journey of self-discovery and Gregorius finds that life can change in an instant.
Video
"Night Train to Lisbon" arrives on to DVD in the United Kingdom courtesy of independent British distributor Spirit Entertainment. Spirit have licensed the movie from Bulldog Film Distribution, and present the movie in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The transfer is anamorphic, and is good but not great. Director of photography Filip Zumbrunn opted for a very muted palette here, filled with large swathes of greys and blues, which suits the tone of both interconnecting stories. Blacks are not always as deep as they should be, and occasionally slip into greys, but lighter colours don't exhibit any noteworthy problems. Skin tones can appear slightly orange at times, but that could be down to the hues used. Details are decidedly average for a relatively new feature, with facial close-ups distinguishing minute features well, and clothing often showing some surprising levels of details - especially Jeremy Irons' jacket. Details in the distance don't fare quite as well, though this is generally down the limitations of the DVD format, with some blockiness and fuzziness. There are no issues with image stability, or with damage such as scratches or dirt. Aliasing, edge enhancement, and other such possible problems like blooming, are also of no concern. The transfer is technically solid, but there is certainly room for improvement here. Hopefully Spirit will release the title on Blu-ray at some point. The feature is uncut and runs 106:38 PAL.
Audio
Two audio options are available: - English Dolby Digital 5.1 - English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo For my viewing I opted for the English Dolby Digital 5.1 track, though I should point out that the stereo track is what plays by default. "Night Train to Turin" is very much a dialogue driven film, but the sound design is quite pleasing, with various subtle effects throughout. From small crowds of people, passing cars, closing doors, and even light background chatter - all are replicated well here, never overpowering the dialogue or the score. Annette Focks' score is atmospheric and gives the film a much needed boost in all the right places. It's quite formulaic overall, but work's well. Dialogue shows no problems apart from one or two lines which come across a little mumbled. There are no issues with drop outs, scratches, pops or background hiss. No subtitles have been included.
Extras
None.
Overall
Bille August manages to get together a strong cast, but unfortunately the story moves along too slow, relying on too many subtle points to move things along. The technical presentation is solid, but the unfortunate lack of extras is a sour point.
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