Adoption

Adoption  is presented in its original full frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The black-and-white transfer looks very agreeable, especially for a thirty-year-old Hungarian catalog title which isn't exactly in the highest of demand. The image is soft, almost filtered, but not entirely without detail. There is some minor but noticeable speckling and artifacts throughout the print, a bit of shimmering and line noise, and some only occasional compression noise is visible. Still, despite these drawbacks the transfer is mostly solid and enjoyable.

Audio:

The audio is presented in a Dolby Digital 1.0 soundtrack. There's nothing too much to report here, other than dialog is clean and respectable, free of hiss and distortion, and well delivered. Volume levels seemed a tad bit on the low side, but overall this is a serviceable soundtrack.

Extras:

There are no extras on this disc.

Final Thoughts

A rich and emotionally powerful work from start to finish, Adoption is one of the most fiercely humanistic films I've ever watched. With flourishes that are reminiscent of Italian neorealist cinema, Márta Mészáros's film is an incredible work. Although I can't say that I've seen all (or even most) of the sixty films she has directed since 1954, I would venture a guess that Adoption ranks as one of her finest. Although the DVD is utterly bare-bones and the transfer, while certainly good enough, isn't quite as sharp as one would hope, I still can give this disc a hearty Recommendation based on the quality of the film itself. Those who consider themselves true fans of world cinema owe it to themselves to give Adoption their time and attention.