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Ideal Husband, An
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
In Short: Should have been a special edition; great movie, but basic DVD. Good image quality, though.
The Movie:
Every Summer has its "art-film" hit and last Summer, it was "An Ideal Husband", a smart, funny film that deserved its success. The film tells the story of Sir Robert Chiltern (played well by Jeremy Northam), a member of the parlament who once leaked information about the government and now finds himself blackmailed by an old acquaintance Mrs. Cheveley (Julianne Moore), who has the letter. The resulting scandal would drive him out of public life and away from his wife(Cate Blanchett). If he doesn't change his mind on an upcoming decision about a law, she will reveal all. He begins to spin a plan to keep things balanced.
Chiltern has his best friend, Lord Goring(the excellent Rupert Everett) talk to his wife about the problems he has, but Goring falls for her sister(Minnie Driver) in the process. Not only that, but Mrs. Cheveley decides that Goring would make...well, an ideal husband. Of course, things don't go quite as planned, making for a series of hilarious moments.
The acting is nothing short of fantastic, as is the cast. Everett and Northam are charming as the two male leads, but Everett is especially smart and funny in his performance. Moore, Driver and and Blanchett are all excellent as well, especially Moore. Moore does "sly" well, and her talents are certainly on display as the blackmailer. It's all not particularly deep, nor is it supposed to be; it's a film that's impressively well-written and very funny. It's a joy to see great performers working with great material and "An Ideal Husband" certainly has a wealth of wonderful dialogue.
The DVD
VIDEO:
Stunning anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer from Miramax that accept for a few small bits, looks near perfect. Images are sharp, smooth and extremely "film-like", with good detail and at times, an almost "three-dimensional" feel. Colors are strong, bold and rich throughout, looking vibrant and well-saturated. Black level is strong and flesh tones are accurate and natural.
I noticed only the slightest flaw here and there; a scene or two looked slightly grainy and a mark or two are all that are wrong with this image, and even those problems are definitely not ones to distract much from what is otherwise excellent work. One can only hope that Miramax will continue in this fashion. Although this isn't quite as perfect as what Miramax was able to do with "Shakespeare In Love", it's certainly excellent work and will please most.
SOUND: Almost completely dialogue-driven; aside from a few light touches of score, there really isn't anything much else in the audio department. Dialogue is clear and clean without problems, and other than that, the audio simply gets the job done, no more, no less.
MENUS:: Stylish non-animated, film-themed menus. Nothing special, but enjoyable and easily navigated.
EXTRAS: A short featurette with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. No trailer.
Final Thoughts A great movie and a very good transfer. Recommended.
The Movie:
Every Summer has its "art-film" hit and last Summer, it was "An Ideal Husband", a smart, funny film that deserved its success. The film tells the story of Sir Robert Chiltern (played well by Jeremy Northam), a member of the parlament who once leaked information about the government and now finds himself blackmailed by an old acquaintance Mrs. Cheveley (Julianne Moore), who has the letter. The resulting scandal would drive him out of public life and away from his wife(Cate Blanchett). If he doesn't change his mind on an upcoming decision about a law, she will reveal all. He begins to spin a plan to keep things balanced.
Chiltern has his best friend, Lord Goring(the excellent Rupert Everett) talk to his wife about the problems he has, but Goring falls for her sister(Minnie Driver) in the process. Not only that, but Mrs. Cheveley decides that Goring would make...well, an ideal husband. Of course, things don't go quite as planned, making for a series of hilarious moments.
The acting is nothing short of fantastic, as is the cast. Everett and Northam are charming as the two male leads, but Everett is especially smart and funny in his performance. Moore, Driver and and Blanchett are all excellent as well, especially Moore. Moore does "sly" well, and her talents are certainly on display as the blackmailer. It's all not particularly deep, nor is it supposed to be; it's a film that's impressively well-written and very funny. It's a joy to see great performers working with great material and "An Ideal Husband" certainly has a wealth of wonderful dialogue.
The DVD
VIDEO:
Stunning anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer from Miramax that accept for a few small bits, looks near perfect. Images are sharp, smooth and extremely "film-like", with good detail and at times, an almost "three-dimensional" feel. Colors are strong, bold and rich throughout, looking vibrant and well-saturated. Black level is strong and flesh tones are accurate and natural.
I noticed only the slightest flaw here and there; a scene or two looked slightly grainy and a mark or two are all that are wrong with this image, and even those problems are definitely not ones to distract much from what is otherwise excellent work. One can only hope that Miramax will continue in this fashion. Although this isn't quite as perfect as what Miramax was able to do with "Shakespeare In Love", it's certainly excellent work and will please most.
SOUND: Almost completely dialogue-driven; aside from a few light touches of score, there really isn't anything much else in the audio department. Dialogue is clear and clean without problems, and other than that, the audio simply gets the job done, no more, no less.
MENUS:: Stylish non-animated, film-themed menus. Nothing special, but enjoyable and easily navigated.
EXTRAS: A short featurette with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. No trailer.
Final Thoughts A great movie and a very good transfer. Recommended.
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