Directed by Michel Gondry
USA 2004
A unique romantic comedy, unfettered by the normal expectations of the genre,
is a rare and wondrous thing. That's precisely what director Michel Gondry,
working from a screenplay by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich,
Adapatation), delivers. Without being too offbeat or esoteric, Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind nevertheless manages to convey romance without
forcing the mind to shift into neutral or dragging the characters through a
formulaic structure where chemistry becomes the most important asset.
That's not to say that there's no non-verbal connection between stars Jim Carrey
and Kate Winslet; merely that the success of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind does not rely upon it. The writing is strong enough and the approach
embodies ample originality for the effectiveness of the interaction to serve as
an enhancement. Plus, this isn't a romance in the traditional sense of boy meets
girl, boy loses girl, boy gets back girl. It's more of a Woody Allen kind of
love affair, where the trajectory from beginning to end is bumpy and unpaved.
Excerpt from James Berardinelli's review located HERE
Posters
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Theatrical Release: March 19th, 2004
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DVD Comparison:
Alliance Atlantis Canada - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Constantin Film Germany - Region 2 - PAL vs. Universal USA - Region 1 - NTSC vs. IVL Hong Kong - Region 3 - NTSC
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Distribution |
Alliance Atlantis Canada - Region 1 - NTSC |
Constantin Film Germany - Region 2 - PAL |
Universal USA - Region 1 - NTSC |
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The transfers come from the same clean source print. The German, Canadian and the US transfer's aspect ratio of ~ 1,85:1 is true to the theatrical presentation of the movie while the Hong Kong transfer is opened at the top and bottom to an aspect ratio of ~ 1,78:1 losing approximately 4% of the image. Compression is very good with no notable artifacts (background, pic#1). The steep contrast level and occasional grain is intentional. Some shots appear soft, but they are out of focus (pic#4). The HK transfer sports the highest vertical detail resolution of all transfers (e.g. Carrey's face in pic#1, jacket details in pic#2, Winslett's eyes and brows in pic#3, facial skin in pic#4), but we find the differences negligible. A virtual tie all round. |
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NOTE: For details on the extras, subtitles and audio options of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind please see our friends at
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These captures are courtesy of DVD-Compare, now hosted by DVDBeaver, and very special thanks to Thomas Koeberl (version captures appreciation noted at bottom). They are captured using the "Forced Weave" method with a set resolution (1024 wide), no bi-cubic filtering and jpeg compression of 90%.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Alliance Atlantis Canada - Region 1 - NTSC
(NOTE: Alliance captures are slightly smaller)
Vergiss mein nicht - Constantin Film Germany - Region 2 -
PAL
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Universal USA -
Region 1 - NTSC
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - IVL Hong Kong -
Region 3 - NTSC
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Alliance Atlantis
Canada - Region 1 - NTSC
Vergiss mein nicht - Constantin Film Germany - Region 2 -
PAL
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Universal USA -
Region 1 - NTSC
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - IVL Hong Kong -
Region 3 - NTSC
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Alliance Atlantis
Canada - Region 1 - NTSC
Vergiss mein nicht - Constantin Film Germany - Region 2 -
PAL
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Universal USA -
Region 1 - NTSC
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - IVL Hong Kong -
Region 3 - NTSC
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Alliance Atlantis
Canada - Region 1 - NTSC
Vergiss mein nicht - Constantin Film Germany - Region 2 -
PAL
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - Universal USA -
Region 1 - NTSC
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind - IVL Hong Kong -
Region 3 - NTSC
screen captures of Alliance - eric portelance
screen captures rc1 by
wolfram meidlinger
screen captures rc2 by bernhard schneider
screen captures rc3 by lars fernhomberg
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Distribution |
Alliance Atlantis Canada - Region 1 - NTSC |
Constantin Film Germany - Region 2 - PAL |
Universal USA - Region 1 - NTSC |