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Songcatcher
Trimark // PG-13 // October 23, 2001
List Price: $24.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Ever since "Tumbleweeds" appeared a year or two ago, I've been awaiting the next performance from Janet McTeer, a wonderfully talented actress who thankfully did gain some awards recognition for her performance. While "Songcatcher" will also likely see her passed by for an awards win, it's another respectable effort in a movie that's only slightly successful in its attempt to work too much into a story that would have done better with less.
McTeer plays Lily Penleric, a musicologist who has just been passed over for another promotion at the University that she teaches at. Furious, she heads for for the hills - literally. She finds herself visiting her sister in Appalachia, where she stumbles upon the fact that music is an enormous part of these people's lives, as they sing folk ballads that haven't been heard in years. Thrilled, Lily sets out to record and publish the beautiful music that the mountain folk sing.
I would have been perfectly satisfied if "Songcatcher" had focused on Lily's attempt to bring this wonderful music to the outside world. Of course, director Maggie Greenwald must add some drama into the movie in the form of Tom Bledsoe (Aidan Quinn), who is at first against Lily's involvement with recording the townsfolk. There's even another subplot involving a greedy mining-company employee (David Patrick Kelly) attempting to buy up the land for cheap. Those who guess that Lily and Tom eventually fall for one another don't get any bonus points, since the answer is rather obvious - but not entirely believable.
Unfortunately, obvious (predictable would work, too) is a word to describe much of "Songcatcher", which is dissapointing. The romance between the Quinn and McTier characters is of the TV-movie variety, and both actors are left rather stranded by the dialogue. "Songcatcher" should really have understood that less is more, cutting down heavily on all of the subplots and keeping the focus on the music, which is certainly the most entertaining and enjoyable element of the film.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Songcatcher" is presented in the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Unfortunately, like all releases from Trimark, it is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. I suppose I can be somewhat thankful that, although flawed, this is one of the studio's better efforts in terms of image quality. Sharpness and detail are generally very good, although the film occasionally uses a soft "period" look. Some of the outdoor sequences, with their beautiful scenery, offer nice detail into the backgrounds.
Yet, there were a few problems along the way. Some slight pixelation was noticed in a couple of scenes as well as some minor edge enhancement. Print flaws were infrequently noticed, as I did see the occasional speckle and mark, but these faults only appeared briefly and didn't cause a great deal of concern.
Colors remained the most appealing element of the visuals, as the greens of the trees in the surrounding areas looked rich and bold, while other colors also appeared bright and flawless. While it's unfortunate that Trimark continues to offer non-anamorphic transfers, this is probably the best effort I've seen from them.
SOUND: "Songcatcher" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, but as one might expect, the film's sound use is generally limited to the front channels. Surrounds do come in occasionally for the music and an adequate amount of ambient sounds in the outdoor sequences (insect sounds, birds), but they remain subtle at best. Audio quality was suprisingly good, as the music remained warm and clean, while dialogue remained crisp and easily understood.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus that essentially use film-themed images.
EXTRAS::
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Maggie Greenwald and composer/music director David Mansfield. Greenwald provides an interesting discussion of the research that she did about the music that the movie revolves around, as well as her opinion of the story and characters. While I didn't always agree with her statements on what worked, I found her opinions on the story elements interesting and informative. Her comments about working with the actors could have been a bit more in-depth than praise, but I thought this was the only weak element of the track. I also enjoyed hearing Mansfield's thoughts about providing the music and its role in the film, as well as his collaboration with Greenwald. Some minor gaps of silence at times, but overall, a good track.
Also: 3 extended scenes and interviews with Aidian Quinn, Maggie Greenwald, David Mansfield, Janet McTier, Dolly Parton. The DVD also includes an isolated score in 2.0.
Final Thoughts: While "Songcatcher" does provide some good performances and beautiful moments of song, the subplots weigh down what could have been a a better film about the music featured and less of a soap opera. Trimark's DVD presents fine audio/video quality and a decent helping of supplements. Worth renting.
Ever since "Tumbleweeds" appeared a year or two ago, I've been awaiting the next performance from Janet McTeer, a wonderfully talented actress who thankfully did gain some awards recognition for her performance. While "Songcatcher" will also likely see her passed by for an awards win, it's another respectable effort in a movie that's only slightly successful in its attempt to work too much into a story that would have done better with less.
McTeer plays Lily Penleric, a musicologist who has just been passed over for another promotion at the University that she teaches at. Furious, she heads for for the hills - literally. She finds herself visiting her sister in Appalachia, where she stumbles upon the fact that music is an enormous part of these people's lives, as they sing folk ballads that haven't been heard in years. Thrilled, Lily sets out to record and publish the beautiful music that the mountain folk sing.
I would have been perfectly satisfied if "Songcatcher" had focused on Lily's attempt to bring this wonderful music to the outside world. Of course, director Maggie Greenwald must add some drama into the movie in the form of Tom Bledsoe (Aidan Quinn), who is at first against Lily's involvement with recording the townsfolk. There's even another subplot involving a greedy mining-company employee (David Patrick Kelly) attempting to buy up the land for cheap. Those who guess that Lily and Tom eventually fall for one another don't get any bonus points, since the answer is rather obvious - but not entirely believable.
Unfortunately, obvious (predictable would work, too) is a word to describe much of "Songcatcher", which is dissapointing. The romance between the Quinn and McTier characters is of the TV-movie variety, and both actors are left rather stranded by the dialogue. "Songcatcher" should really have understood that less is more, cutting down heavily on all of the subplots and keeping the focus on the music, which is certainly the most entertaining and enjoyable element of the film.
The DVD
VIDEO: "Songcatcher" is presented in the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Unfortunately, like all releases from Trimark, it is presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. I suppose I can be somewhat thankful that, although flawed, this is one of the studio's better efforts in terms of image quality. Sharpness and detail are generally very good, although the film occasionally uses a soft "period" look. Some of the outdoor sequences, with their beautiful scenery, offer nice detail into the backgrounds.
Yet, there were a few problems along the way. Some slight pixelation was noticed in a couple of scenes as well as some minor edge enhancement. Print flaws were infrequently noticed, as I did see the occasional speckle and mark, but these faults only appeared briefly and didn't cause a great deal of concern.
Colors remained the most appealing element of the visuals, as the greens of the trees in the surrounding areas looked rich and bold, while other colors also appeared bright and flawless. While it's unfortunate that Trimark continues to offer non-anamorphic transfers, this is probably the best effort I've seen from them.
SOUND: "Songcatcher" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, but as one might expect, the film's sound use is generally limited to the front channels. Surrounds do come in occasionally for the music and an adequate amount of ambient sounds in the outdoor sequences (insect sounds, birds), but they remain subtle at best. Audio quality was suprisingly good, as the music remained warm and clean, while dialogue remained crisp and easily understood.
MENUS:: Basic, non-animated menus that essentially use film-themed images.
EXTRAS::
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Maggie Greenwald and composer/music director David Mansfield. Greenwald provides an interesting discussion of the research that she did about the music that the movie revolves around, as well as her opinion of the story and characters. While I didn't always agree with her statements on what worked, I found her opinions on the story elements interesting and informative. Her comments about working with the actors could have been a bit more in-depth than praise, but I thought this was the only weak element of the track. I also enjoyed hearing Mansfield's thoughts about providing the music and its role in the film, as well as his collaboration with Greenwald. Some minor gaps of silence at times, but overall, a good track.
Also: 3 extended scenes and interviews with Aidian Quinn, Maggie Greenwald, David Mansfield, Janet McTier, Dolly Parton. The DVD also includes an isolated score in 2.0.
Final Thoughts: While "Songcatcher" does provide some good performances and beautiful moments of song, the subplots weigh down what could have been a a better film about the music featured and less of a soap opera. Trimark's DVD presents fine audio/video quality and a decent helping of supplements. Worth renting.
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