NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Janus Contemporaries Blu-ray (July 2024): Janus Contemporaries have transferred Wim Wenders' Anselm to Blu-ray. The package has 2 discs; one Blu-ray 3D disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features. Wenders shot Anselm at 6K resolution and in the 3D format, which he previously utilized for his 2011 documentary Pina. It was shot over the course of almost three years, in Germany, France and Italy. We will review the second disc 2D version.

"Janus Contemporaries releases Blu-ray and DVD editions of first-run films, fresh from theaters, in association with Criterion." The first slate offered Jafar Panahi's No Bears, Jerzy Skolimowski's EO and Louis Garrel's The Innocent. The second wave of Janus Contemporaries Blu-rays included the Darndenne's Tori and Lokita, Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch's brilliant The Eight Mountains and Hlynur Pálmason's Dreyer-like Godland - next Christian Petzold's brilliant Afire and Lynch / Oz. A wonderful series so far.

It's not only that the 1080P image is as pristine as you may have anticipated for a modern film (dual-layered - max'ed out bitrate) but the Franz Lustig cinematography (also Wenders' Perfect Days) is awe-inspiring filled with poetic, floating, shots and pans of art and breathtaking landscapes with lush forests, strewn leaves, sun breaking through cliff peaks etc.. A stunningly beautiful film looking very impressive in 2-D on Blu-ray.

NOTE: We have added 32 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Janus Contemporaries use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original German, with some English. Anselm has no aggressive moments. German composer Leonard Küßner who has composed for other award-winning documentary films. His compositions for theaters and concert repertoire can be heard in many live performances and have also been recorded on CD and Vinyl (as is Anselm available HERE. There are a few separations but nothing head-turning-ly dynamic. The sparse dialogue sounds consistent and the music frequently inspiring. Janus Contemporaries offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-rays.

The Janus Contemporaries second Blu-ray offers a new 'Meet the Filmmakers' 1/4 hour interview with director Wim Wenders who talks about his motivation behind the production, the length time it took to shoot and much of the documentary's history. There is also a trailer for the film and the package has liner notes with an essay by Michael Joshua Rowin.

Wim Wenders' Anselm is unusual, if compared to most documentarians, although Wenders also did "Pina," about choreographer Pina Bausch, in 3D. There are portrayals of the younger German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer - played, by his son Daniel Kiefer, and as a lad by Anton Wenders, Wim's great-nephew. His art incorporates raw materials like straw, ash, clay, lead, shellac and has themes of 20th century German history and the horrors of the Holocaust while touching on Jewish mysticism. The documentary brilliantly fuses Anselm Kiefer's art with Wim Wenders cinematic expression seen most recently in Perfect Days. The Janus Contemporaries Blu-ray is another worthy entry in their series with a 3-D option for those keen on that format. Recommended!

Gary Tooze