The Whale Blu-ray - Brendan Fraser

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Darren Aronofsky
USA 2022

From Darren Aronofsky comes The Whale, the story of a reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption. Starring Brendan. Fraser and based on the acclaimed play by Samuel D. Hunter.

***

Fraser’s sentimental portrayal of Charlie is mesmerizing, and the character’s yearning to talk to his daughter takes over the whole narrative. But Fraser doesn’t overshadow the other actors in The Whale. Sink delivers a phenomenal performance, coming across as more confident and charismatic than when she was on Stranger Things. Her fuming rage, profanity, and no-nonsense attitude add a ferocious shine. Charlie’s metaphorical emotions wouldn’t have had the same impact without Ellie. Her walk, vicious and mean expressions, and conversations perfectly depict the abandonment she has grown up with.

Excerpt from FilmThreat located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 4th, 2022 (Venice Film Festival)

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Review: Lionsgate - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Bonus Captures:
Distribution	Lionsgate - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:56:51.462
Video	1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 33,675,971,421 bytes Feature: 26,412,183,552 bytes Video Bitrate: 31.93 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 3504 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3504 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	English (SDH), Spanish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Lionsgate 1.33:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 33,675,971,421 bytes Feature: 26,412,183,552 bytes Video Bitrate: 31.93 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • People Are Amazing: Making The Whale (24:33) • Sounds of the Sea: Scoring The Whale (7:41) • Also from A24 (5:15) Blu-ray Release Date: March 21st, 2023 Standard Blu-ray Case inside slipcase Chapters 16

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Lionsgate Blu-ray (March 2023): Lionsgate have transferred Darren Aronofsky's The Whale to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a high bitrate. The film is intentionally very dark - almost exclusively shot in a claustrophobic, dimly lit, apartment. The dull, muddy image quality works for the film's tones and moods juxtaposing that in the finale. It was shot in 1.33:1 aspect ratio and the, almost greenish sepia, 1080P image is consistent and authentic.

NOTE: We have added 58 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Lionsgate use a robust DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English language. The Whale is fairly passive audio-wise and the track exports few separations. The somber score is by Rob Simonsen (Foxcatcher, (500) Days of Summer ) supporting the film gently in the lossless transfer. Lionsgate offer optional English (SDH) or Spanish subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

There are two featurettes on the Lionsgate Blu-ray. People Are Amazing: Making The Whale spends 25-minutes with director Darren Aronofsky, writer Samuel D. Hunter, Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Ty Simpkins and Hong Chau discussing the film. Sounds of the Sea: Scoring The Whale is an 8-minutes video piece with composer Rob Simonsen and developing The Whale's score. There are also 2 advert trailers from A24 (Everything, Everywhere All At Once and The Inspection.)

Darren Aronofsky's The Whale is incredibly touching. Aronofsky is known for the intense impact of his films (Black Swan, Requiem For a Dream) but while he may be more restrained here - it remains gut-wrenchingly emotional. While all the performances are to be commended, Brendan Fraser's obesity prosthetics add a significant layer to his impressive acting with facial gestures, bulging eyes, grunts and an air of gentle control. My son occasionally watches television shows like "My 600-lb Life" with fascinating curiosity. It can be easy to withhold compassion for this class of eating-addicted individuals but that dam broke in The Whale. I thought it was brilliant with soul-crushing themes of grief, depression, abandonment, religious conviction... exported with expert effectiveness by Aronofsky. The Lionsgate Blu-ray gives an authentic HD presentation, and a 1/2 of extras. The film itself is very strongly recommended.

Gary Tooze