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Artificial Eye

Region 2 - PAL

16:9 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.5 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.

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 16:9

Edition Details:
• Theatrical Trailer
• Emir Kusturica Filmography and Biography

DVD Release Date: May 22nd, 2006
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Chapters 14

Those inclined to seek out Emir Kusturica's cult comedy Black Cat, White Cat have a few options. First, there are a pair of French releases, one from mk2 HERE and another now out of print from tf1 Vidéo HERE, which while lacking English subtitles, allegedly has the best picture quality and sound of the lot. In the Great Britain, there's a region 2 edition from the Australian company Madman HERE and this Artificial Eye's release, which is also region 2 PAL. Here we'll examine the latter release, but if I ever get my hands on a copy of any of the others, I'll be sure to do a comparison.

So, how is the Artificial Eye edition? On the whole, it's not a bad release at all. It's dual layered and is a competent presentation of Kusturica's film, but let's talk specifics. Image wise the disc seems to suffer from a few problems but is fairly decent in the end. Since the film is relatively recent, the image quality is free of scratches and dust, but the colors seem a bit muted. While I haven't ever seen the film projected, I can only assume that the colors were more vibrant in the theatrical prints. What's more, the image tends to blur during motion. While the effect isn't dramatic, it is at times distracting. Overall though, there isn't too much to complain about. The image probably could have looked better than it does, but as evidenced by the captures below, it's decent enough to merit viewing.

The sound here is also quite good. Elsewhere I've seen the complaint that the sound mix isn't Dolby Digital 5.1, when this track exists on the tf1. However, this was never a concern for me as the Dolby 2.0 master used here is reasonably good. The sound is quite crisp and there are no discernible hisses, pops, crackles or other background noise. The dialogue is clear and the lovely Roma music sounds wonderful here. The subtitles are clearly presented, never contrast with the background, and are easy to read.

Unfortunately the extras here are rather limited, consisting only in a North American trailer and a short biography/filmography. While some more in the way of extras would have been appreciated, it’s certainly not necessary.

Those who enjoy the work of Kusturica, won’t be disappointed in this disc. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the film, there was enough here to enjoy and the generally upbeat and jovial themes of the movie make it a likely candidate if you’re ever in need of a pick-me-up. Recommended.

 - Brian Montgomery

CLICK to order from:

Artificial Eye

Region 2 - PAL