With all the Hype over this
film and the death of Stanley Kubrick while making it I decided not to see it at the
cinemas. And to be honest I’m glad I didn’t. This is right up there with the
best "snooze movies" of all time. I think I was asleep by about ¾ the way
through the film. Really I think the story could have been compacted into 2/3rds the time.
So here goes, let me try and decipher the plot for you.
Dr William Harford (Tome Cruise) is a successful doctor who has what most people would
term as the perfect life. Success, Money, Magnificent city apartment, and of course a
stunningly beautiful wife Alice (Nicole Kidman).
Bill’s life starts to go horribly wrong though when his wife gets a little smashed
and starts to tell stories of how she fantasized an affair with another man. He has an
enormous amount of trouble dealing with this and in what seems like an effort of revenge
he finds himself in the bedroom of a prostitute one night.
The same night he runs into an old friend who reluctantly tells him about secret group
who meet in exotic locations all completely masked and, um, have a good time I guess would
be the best way to put it. There’s no chatting drinking and dancing at these masques.
Bill’s curiosity gets the better of him and he ends up at one of these gatherings.
One of the women there recognizes him and warns him to leave, but he ignores her warning.
Anything more from here would spoil the film, people dying and disappearing, sexual and
flesh encounters galore. (When I say lots of nudity... no exaggeration)
I personally didn’t enjoy the film that much. I found too many underlying issues,
which were very complex.
It is though an exquisite piece of work as an art form.
So How Does This Transfer Hold Up?
VIDEO
The 4:3 Non-Anamorphic Widescreen transfer is certainly a let down. For a
film of this vintage and reputation one would expect nothing but the best.
The film colour was amazing. The entire film bordered on being too bright but was
subtled by the blackest of blacks, which brings it back. There is an incredible amount of
lighting in some scenes which tend to give a washed out feeling but the colours are still
bright and clear, with no bleeding and still in areas where required: perfect blacks.
There are some very minor MPEG artefacts and some minor ailiasing.
Other than that the image is certainly note worthy. Some slight grain in some scenes is
evident but then when it comes to Kubrik Who knows whether this is intended or not.
The layer change at 82.01 is cleverly placed and certainly does not interrupt the film
at all.
AUDIO
This Dolby Digital 5.1 English track is superb.
The entire sound stage is used to great effect. Being a mainly dialogue driven film there
is not a lot of use of the surrounds or base channel but what use they do get is symbolic
of a great track. The center channel is highly active in the dialogue but this does not
detract from the sound stage at all. Dialogue is always crisp and clear.
There were no audio sync problems.
The soundtrack from Jocelyn Pook is fantastic. She gives some great mood to the music
with a little alternate edge to it, which makes it a fresh accompaniment. Not at all like
your normal classical moody movie music.
Look out for the sound schemes used in the cultic ceremony in the great hall.
EXTRAS
Cast and Crew Bio’s
2 quite long TV spots at around 35 minutes. Combo and Jealousy.
Interviews with Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise and Steven Speilberg. These are mostly
centered around Stanley Kubrik rather than some in-depth information into the film.
OVERALL
This film is really a mixed bag. If you love alternate types of films then this one is a
keeper. I usually flock to alternate movies, but this seemed to be dealing with too many
issues at once and the underlying meanings behind things can be a little overbearing.
But I’m sure you’ll enjoy it if you watch it just for entertainment value
alone.
