Zeitgeist

Region 1 - NTSC

2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.1 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

2.35:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.76 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.

Zeitgeist

Artificial Eye

English (Dolby Digital 51. or 2.0)

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• The Making of The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes
• Locarno Film Festival Press Conference
• U.S. theatrical trailer

DVD Release Date: April 24th, 2007
Transparent Keepcase

Chapters 15
 

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.35:1

Edition Details:
• Making 'The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes' (49:15)
• Theatrical Trailer (1:10)
• Deleted Scene (2:12)
• Image Gallery
• Quay Brothers Biography

DVD Release Date: June 26th, 2006
Keep Case

Chapters 9

Addition: The first thing to note about the 2006 release from Artificial Eye is that its color palette is both slightly lighter than the Zeitgeist disc and tends to have a more grayish hue while the Zeitgeist tends toward more sepia tones. The end result is that while the Artificial Eye release has greater detail (see the face in fifth captions), the skin tones look more natural to me in the Zeitgeist. However, since the production is so highly stylized, I cannot say with any degree of confidence which color scheme is closer to the directors' original intent. As far as audio, I can only assume (since I don't have the Zeitgeist disc, I can only go on what the previous reviewer wrote) that the Artificial Eye is the clear winner. The 5.1 Dolby Digital is borderline flawless and picks up on details that the 2.0 Dolby track missed out on. The disc also contains optional English subtitles (not pictured) that are unobtrusive and easy to read. Finally, the extras also present some differences. While I strongly suspect that the 'making of...' documentary is the same on both discs, the Artificial Eye release lacks the Zeitgeist's Lorcarno press conference. Although I haven't seen this particular extra, it sounds fascinating and I'm sorry that I've missed it. The remaining extras on the Artificial Eye are all pretty standard fare (including the short deleted scene) and add little to the experience.

So which release should you consider? If you're a fan of the film, then I doubt that you'd go wrong with either. However, if forced to choose, I'd go with the Artificial Eye for it's noticeable increase in sharpness.

ON THE ZEITGEIST:
Video:
Shot with high-def video cameras, the 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen is very soft and very dark. A lot of the movie is set at night, so you will need to watch The Piano Tuner in total darkness. The contrast levels are probably intentional to augment the chilly/chilling imagery, though the cinematographic processes used by the Quays yields much less detail than one usually gets with 35mm film. You’ll also see halo effects in many sequences. (For a variety of reasons, I get the feeling that the transfer may’ve been created with a film print instead of directly from the digital master.)

Audio:
Though minimalist in style, the Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo English track does a more-than-adequate job of reproducing the movie’s eerie, claustrophobic sound design. The dynamic range isn’t very wide, though given the nature of the movie, you don’t really need high highs or low lows. Some of the actors’ heavily-accented English may require you to strain your ears, though this is as much a general communication issue as it is a technical one.

Optional English subtitles support the audio.

Extras:
“The Making of The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes” is a 50-minute interview with the Quay Brothers and co-writer Alan Passes interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage. “Locarno Film Festival Press Conference” is a videorecording of the Quays and some cast members promoting the movie. As expected given their output, the Quays’ comments are sometimes rather abstract in nature, though how they answer questions reveals as much about their processes as their actual answers do. You also get the movie’s U.S. theatrical trailer.

--Miscellaneous--
A foldout insert provides chapter listings, excerpts from an interview with the Quays, and movie and DVD credits. Once again, Zeitgeist is using transparent keepcases for one of its DVD titles.

- David McCoy