Seven Oscar winners now on Blu-ray

 

“THE PIANO”


Blu-ray widescreen, 1993, R for sexuality and nudity

Best extra: None

“FRIDA” 


Blu-ray widescreen, 2002, R for sex, nudity, language

Best extra: “Real Locations” documentary

“THE ENGLISH PATIENT” 


Blu-ray widescreen, 1996, R for sexuality, violence, language

Best extra: Documentary on author Michael Ondaatje

“SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE” 


Blu-ray widescreen, 1998, R for sexuality

Best extra: Making-of documentary

“CHICAGO”


Blu-ray widescreen, 2002, PG-13 for sex, language, violence

Best extra: “When Liza Minnelli Became Roxy Hart”

“NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN”


Blu-ray widescreen, 2007, R for graphic violence and language

Best extra: Making-of documentary

“CRASH”


Blu-ray widescreen, 2004, unrated with violence, language and brief sexuality

Best extra: None

MIRAMAX/LIONSGATE STUDIOS have released a boatload of Academy Award-winning films on Blu-ray just in time to whet cinemaphiles’ appetites for that show we love to hate. You know ‒ the one with all the hairdos and designer gowns and sealed envelopes. Themes of love abound in the majority of these, from the passion of one Mexican artist for another to that of a mute mail-order bride for a Maori. The big exception is the Coen brothers’ masterpiece about a drug deal gone wrong and a psychopath’s bloody hunt for the guy who accidentally discovered and stashed the cash.

It should be noted that, with one exception, no new special features were made for the Blu-ray releases. 

“The Piano” – Scoring three Oscars: best actress (Holly Hunter); best supporting actress (Anna Paquin) and best screenplay (Jane Campion), “The Piano” seemed like the sort of art film that would never receive the establishment’s nod. A strange, dreamy period movie set in the wilds of New Zealand’s North Island, it’s the story of Ada, a mute Scotswoman forced by circumstances into an arranged marriage thousands of miles from her home. Rather than accept her domestic fate with her Kiwi farmer husband (Sam Neill), she becomes involved with a tattooed Maori (Harvey Keitel) who wants her to play piano for him, among other things.

The film looks splendid in Blu-ray, with painterly land- and seascapes and sharp close-ups. Skin tones are true and 19th century period details are excellent. The HD sound is also fine, putting viewers right there in the forests and on the seashores. A lyrical piano score by Michael Nyman is well-served and dialogue, limited as it is, is always understandable.

Surprisingly and sadly, there are no extras on the disc. 

“Frida” ‒ Nominated for many Oscars, but awarded only for original score and make-up, “Frida” is a thoroughly enjoyable Julie Taymor sensory extravaganza. Starring Salma Hayek (who also produced) as the iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, the film traces her life from the horrific bus accident that plagued the rest of her life, through her fiery on-and-off relationship with muralist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina).

Looking magnificent on Blu-ray, the film is a feast of deep, jewel-like colors and amazing imagery, enhancing the reproductions of Kahlo and Rivera’s work, as well as the inventions of Taymor’s artists and animators (there is even a segment designed by the wacky brothers Quay). Skin tones are realistic and details (much copied from life) are terrific. The soundtrack in HD is also great, full of lively original and traditional music. Dialogue is clear and audible above the instrumentation.

Extras abound on this disc (all in SD), but if you have a low tolerance for Taymor’s hefty ego, beware. She’s in most of them. My favorite is the one she’s not in, in which the Mexican art director discusses the real Kahlo’s home and studio and how he re-created both on soundstages. Otherwise, viewers can choose from a commentary by Taymor; an interview with Hayek; an AFI Q&A with Taymor; Bill Moyers interviewing Taymor; two interviews with singers from the film; Taymor and the DP discussing the film; a brief interview with the production designer; another brief piece with composer Elliot Goldenthal (Taymor’s boyfriend); Hayek’s recording session for a song she does in the film; a long promo piece; a brief feature on one of the animation sequences; and another brief segment on the Quay brothers’ animation. 

“The English Patient” – Sweeping the Oscars with nine statues, including best picture, director (Anthony Minghella), and supporting actress (Juliette Binoche), this fascinating World War II saga is told in a series of flashbacks. It begins with a plane crash in which the pilot, a Hungarian count (Ralph Fiennes) is severely burned, loses his memory and ends up in a hospital where he is mistaken for an English soldier.

Looking beautiful on Blu-ray, the exquisite cinematography, varied landscapes (from the North African desert to the hills of Tuscany), and amazing details are shown to their advantage. Skin tones are true and close-ups reveal every hair and drop of moisture. The HD soundtrack, including the haunting score, the delicate tinkling of an Arabic healer’s glass bottles, or the filing of a morphine ampoule before it is snapped open, is sharp and clear, as is the dialogue.

The treasure-trove of (SD) extras includes two commentaries; interviews with cast and crew; a profile of producer Saul Zaentz; a feature on the real Hungarian Count Almásy; separate brief interviews with Minghella, Zaentz, writer Michael Ondaatje, and editor Walter Murch; a brief piece on the production design; still photos; deleted scenes with commentary by Minghella; and a making-of documentary. The interview with Ondaatje, about the evolution of his Booker prize-winning novel, with comments by his editors, is especially interesting. It includes a lovely reading from the book by the author. 

“Shakespeare in Love” – Another Oscar sweep, with seven awards including best picture, best actress (Gwyneth Paltrow), and supporting actress (Judi Dench), this delightful romantic comedy is hard to resist. The fictional tale of a young, writing-blocked Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes), his struggle to earn money and figure out the plot to “Romeo and Juliet,” and his frustrated love of a beautiful, bequeathed-to-another aristocrat (Paltrow) is so well-written, directed, produced and acted, the awards are more than justified.

The Blu-ray transfer is excellent, showing the 16th century-style costumes, period details and natural skin tones to perfection. The soundtrack is pristine, with sound effects, Elizabethan music and dialogue all clear and crisp.

SD extras include two enjoyable commentaries, an interview with the costume designer and some deleted scenes. The making-of documentary contains the usual interviews with cast and crew, but is very entertaining as when the writers (Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman) describe the young Shakespeare character as being like all writers: “broke, horny, and starved for ideas.”

“Chicago” – This stage-to-screen musical earned six Oscars, including best picture and supporting actress (Catherine Zeta-Jones), about two 1930s-era women (Zeta-Jones and Renèe Zellweger) in jail for murder and the lawyer (Richard Gere) who represents them.

The film looks great on Blu-ray, with all the theatrical details and features having excellent depth and contrast. Details are sharp and skin tones realistic – everything one could ask for in a sparkly musical like this. The HD audio track is also just right, delivering a rich, clear sound when it comes to singing voices, musical background and sound effects.

Extras (in SD) include a deleted scene/musical number with commentary; extended scenes and more songs; rehearsal performances; a documentary called “From Stage to Screen: The History of Chicago”; a feature on director Rob Marshall; one on the production designer and another on the costume designer, and a commentary with Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon. The one new feature is the “Movie Showcase,” which presents three HD scenes to show off the Blu-ray improvements. Most fun is the piece about how Liza Minnelli stood in for Gwen Verdon on Broadway because Verdon swallowed a feather from a costume and a resulting throat infection took her out of the show. It’s a great theater story of a production being literally saved from closing by a rising star. A clip from an old “Dinah Shore” show contains Minnelli singing one of the hit songs from “Chicago.” 

“No Country for Old Men” – Four Oscars came to this brilliant Coen brothers’ film: best picture, best director(s), screenwriting (Coens), and supporting actor (Javier Bardem). Based on Cormac McCarthy’s novel, the story is set in the 1980s, and follows a rather ordinary Texan (James Brolin) who stumbles onto the scene of a foiled drug deal and walks away with a suitcase full of money. What happens after that, in a few words, ain’t pretty.

The Blu-ray version of this film is spectacular. From the claustrophobic trailer where Llewellyn (Brolin) and his wife live, to the sprawling, scrubby Texas landscapes, every detail is sharp and clear. Skin tones are true and close-ups can be so real you may want to look away (as when Bardem’s character treats his own wounds – ugh). The HD soundtrack is also excellent. There is a lot of silence in this film, but every noise and bit of dialogue is essential and comes through crisply and clearly.

There are only three extras, but all are worthwhile: “Working with the Coens”; “Diary of a Country Sheriff”; and the making-of documentary. The last is the best, containing interviews with actors and crew about the nature of the film – is it horror? Comedy? A chase flick? ‒ the casting choices and the challenges for production designers creating a “period piece” from the ’80s. The Coens weigh in, calling it “the most violent movie we ever made.”

“Crash” – Oscar winner for best picture, original screenplay and editing, this contrived, multi-cultural, multi-storied film begins with a car-jacking in L.A. and branches out to show how a diverse group of (mostly obnoxious) people affect each others’ lives.

The Blu-ray transfer looks pretty good, but there is some unevenness in the contrast and colors. The sound quality is also passable, with dialogue mostly audible, but occasionally hard to differentiate when there is a lot of background noise. Sound effects and music, however, work well.

There are no extras on this disc.

— Peggy Earle

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