Jane Campion's - An Angel at My Table - DVD Review Jane Campion An Angel at My Table DVD Review Jane Campion An Angel at My Table DVD Review Jane Campion An Angel at My Table DVD Review Criterion Jane Campion An Angel at My Table DVD Review Jane Campion An Angel at My Table DVD Review Jane Campion An Angel at My Table DVD Review Jane Campion An Angel at My Table DVD Review Jane Campion An Angel at My Table DVD Review

(aka "Un ange a ma table" )

directed by Jane Campion
New Zealand/Australia/UK 1990

After several remarkable short films and a quirky full-length debut, Sweetie (1989), Jane Campion presents in her second theatrical feature a biography of poet Janet Frame. Frame's life is depicted in episodic form, covering her pre-teen, teen, and young adult years -- each of these three periods features a different actess as Frame (Alexia Keogh, Karen Fergusson, Kerry Fox), and all do an excellent job of capturing Frame's awkwardness, self-doubt, and self-discovery as she struggles to develop as a human being and as an artist in a sometimes inhospitable world. The imagery is striking throughout the film, and limiting myself to just the screenshots below was painful.

Donald Brown

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 20, 1990 - Australia/USA

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DVD Comparison:

Criterion - Region 1- NTSC vs. Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL vs. Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL

Big thanks to Donald Brown for all the Screen Caps!

(Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT vs. Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL - MIDDLE vs. Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers			Also comes in this highly recommended Boxset:
Distribution	Criterion Collection Spine # 301 Region 1 - NTSC	Artificial Eye Region 0 - PAL	Studio Canal Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	2:38:10	2:31:15 (4% PAL speedup)	2:31:15 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.15 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.32 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.33 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Criterion
Bitrate: Artificial Eye
Bitrate: Studio Canal
Audio	5.1	Mono 2.0	Mono 2.0
Subtitles	English, none	none	French, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Audio commentary featuring Campion, Dryburgh, and actress Kerry Fox • A 10-minute documentary about the making of An Angel at My Table • Six deleted scenes • My Say, an audio interview with Janet Frame from 1983 • Original theatrical trailer • Stills gallery • 40-page liner notes booklet featuring a new essay by film critic Amy Taubin and excerpts from Frame's autobiography, on which Campion based her film DVD Release Date: September 20th, 2005 Keep case Chapters 31	Release Information: Studio: Artificial Eye Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Trailer 1:40 • Making of documentary 10:23 • 6 deleted scenes that were in the original mini-series • Biographies • Photo and poster gallery DVD Release Date: November 18, 2002 Keepcase Chapters 28	Release Information: Studio: Studio Canal Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Trailer 1:40 • Making of documentary 10:23 • 6 deleted scenes that were in the original mini-series • Biographies • Photo and poster gallery DVD Release Date: June 11, 2003 Keepcase Chapters 28

Comments

ADDITION- Criterion - September 05': Well, the Criterion is certainly darker, but you don't need me to tell you that, it is obvious. It is also sharper and I think the colors are far more accurate. Zooming-in I can detect some brightness boosting in the PAL editions (which should be treated as the same issue ie. port). They all have the same 'Making of..' documentary and 6 deleted scenes but the Criterion has the commentary and wins the extras contest easily. There is a bit of cropping on all editions - Criterion on top and bottom and PAL releases on the sides. I haven't heard the PAL editions but the Criterion 5.1 is very good, although hardly tested. I don't know what the original audio was.

For this release the Criterion is tops but we still like the French Coffret.

- Gary Tooze

*****

As can be seen from the bitrates, screenshots, and features, the French disc is simply a port of the Artificial Eye DVD with optional French subtitles added. The film was shot in 16mm and exhibits the typical grain and texture for that format, which is not at all displeasing. Colors are generally rich and lean toward the warm side, and the sharpness is as good as one could expect, with a stray dust speck here and there. Instead of buying either disc, I would recommend the Coffret Jane Campion from France HERE, which includes this disc, plus the features Sweetie, Two Friends, and four short films. Note that the Artificial Eye packaging states Region 2, yet the disc is actually Region 0.

- Donald Brown

DVD Menus

Criterion - Region 1 - NTSC

(Artificial Eye - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT vs. Studio Canal - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)

Screen Captures