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BluRay/DVD Reviews

THE READER (BluRay)

By • Apr 29th, 2009 •

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In a film like this, which strove for importance, but fell short on most levels, what is left is the look, and maybe the score. Character motivations eluded me, sympathetic characters were limited to one – David Dross, but never outside of the glandular imperative was there any indication why he should be attracted to Kate Winslet’s arch, mercurial character of Hanna. And key decisions made by the players – particularly the character portrayed by Ralph Fiennes, who holds a critical piece of information that would lesson Ms. Winslet’s jail sentence – left me scratching my head for want of logic.

But the cinematography and art direction are awesome, and these BluRay delivers in a way that almost camouflages the deficiencies of the script and direction. In the female protagonist’s apartment, hanging curtains throw varying shades of autumnal color about, and in the streets, the texture of buildings, and the fertile bursts of nature, rivets us to the screen. The unfortunate part is that we’re able to devote that much time to admiring the sharpness, depth, and color that BluRay provides. The fortunate part is that if we’re investing time and money into this Academy Award Contender (and in Ms. Winslet’s case – winner), the virtues of the visual presentation is superior to what you would have seen in theaters, and almost justifies the investment.

One aspect that had me worried was Kate Winslet’s old age make-up, which took seven hours to apply, I’ve read, and could have been mitigated by the BluRay’s scrutiny. Remarkably, it holds up. Well done by the prosthetics department!

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