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Victory
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment // R // November 19, 2002
List Price: $29.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
A 1995 German production that apparently only now is having its debut on home video, "Victory" is an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel. The film, which takes place in the Dutch East Indies in the early 1900s, stars Willem Dafoe (in one of his most low-key roles) as Heyst, a reclusive older man who is said to have a small fortune. When he visits another island nearby and sees a show at the local hotel, he falls in love with Alma (Irene Jacob), one of the women who plays in the orchestra at the hotel each night.
When it becomes apparent that Alma will be sold to someone else, she begs Heyst to let her join him when he returns to his island. Unfortunately, two criminals (Sam Neill, Rufus Sewell) are also right behind them. That's pretty much all there is to the story, which seems as if it must have been cut down considerably from Conrad's original novel.
It's difficult to know where to begin when describing the film's faults. For a cast of such high talent, it's disapointing to see rather uninspired performances. Dafoe is really the main concern, as this is probably the least interested I've ever seen him in a character. Jacob isn't much better, as she's given a thinly written character and has little chemistry with Dafoe. Given the fairly unengaging characters and presentation of the story, there's little tension within; in fact, there were stretches that I found rather dull.
In the end, "Victory" was a real disapointment. I was hardly involved with the story, found the direction to be lackluster and the performances unexpectedly uninteresting, given the level of talent involved. I'm not terribly surprised this one has spent the last five years on the shelf.
The DVD
VIDEO: Miramax presents "Victory" in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The cinematography by Bruno de Keyzer does offer some enjoyable compositions and captures the rich scenery quite well, but it's not always perfectly presented here. For starters, the picture seemed a little on the dark side. However, detail remained pleasant and a bit above standard, with a consistent level of clarity and sharpness.
Some other flaws also intruded. Edge enhancement was never severe, but a minor amount did show up in a few scenes, as did some trace amounts of pixelation. Print flaws are kept to a minimum, but there are a few little specks here and there. The film's color palette seems as if it should be a bit richer given the locations, but maybe that was the intent. A fairly decent transfer, but nothing memorable.
SOUND: This is merely an okay 2.0 track. Dialogue-driven throughout, there's little in the way of ambience or interesting score choices. Audio quality isn't particularly terrific, either - dialogue is a little unnatural and muddled sounding on occasion.
EXTRAS: 5 "Sneak Peek" trailers, including a new trailer for "Gangs of New York" in 5.1.
Final Thoughts: "Victory" offers some nice scenery, but does very little with a potentially interesting story and a good cast. Miramax's DVD is considerably overpriced at $29.99 and there's nothing really about the film or the DVD presentation that I can recommend, even as a rental.
A 1995 German production that apparently only now is having its debut on home video, "Victory" is an adaptation of Joseph Conrad's novel. The film, which takes place in the Dutch East Indies in the early 1900s, stars Willem Dafoe (in one of his most low-key roles) as Heyst, a reclusive older man who is said to have a small fortune. When he visits another island nearby and sees a show at the local hotel, he falls in love with Alma (Irene Jacob), one of the women who plays in the orchestra at the hotel each night.
When it becomes apparent that Alma will be sold to someone else, she begs Heyst to let her join him when he returns to his island. Unfortunately, two criminals (Sam Neill, Rufus Sewell) are also right behind them. That's pretty much all there is to the story, which seems as if it must have been cut down considerably from Conrad's original novel.
It's difficult to know where to begin when describing the film's faults. For a cast of such high talent, it's disapointing to see rather uninspired performances. Dafoe is really the main concern, as this is probably the least interested I've ever seen him in a character. Jacob isn't much better, as she's given a thinly written character and has little chemistry with Dafoe. Given the fairly unengaging characters and presentation of the story, there's little tension within; in fact, there were stretches that I found rather dull.
In the end, "Victory" was a real disapointment. I was hardly involved with the story, found the direction to be lackluster and the performances unexpectedly uninteresting, given the level of talent involved. I'm not terribly surprised this one has spent the last five years on the shelf.
The DVD
VIDEO: Miramax presents "Victory" in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The cinematography by Bruno de Keyzer does offer some enjoyable compositions and captures the rich scenery quite well, but it's not always perfectly presented here. For starters, the picture seemed a little on the dark side. However, detail remained pleasant and a bit above standard, with a consistent level of clarity and sharpness.
Some other flaws also intruded. Edge enhancement was never severe, but a minor amount did show up in a few scenes, as did some trace amounts of pixelation. Print flaws are kept to a minimum, but there are a few little specks here and there. The film's color palette seems as if it should be a bit richer given the locations, but maybe that was the intent. A fairly decent transfer, but nothing memorable.
SOUND: This is merely an okay 2.0 track. Dialogue-driven throughout, there's little in the way of ambience or interesting score choices. Audio quality isn't particularly terrific, either - dialogue is a little unnatural and muddled sounding on occasion.
EXTRAS: 5 "Sneak Peek" trailers, including a new trailer for "Gangs of New York" in 5.1.
Final Thoughts: "Victory" offers some nice scenery, but does very little with a potentially interesting story and a good cast. Miramax's DVD is considerably overpriced at $29.99 and there's nothing really about the film or the DVD presentation that I can recommend, even as a rental.
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