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Winter in Wartime aka Oorlogswinter [Blu-ray]
(Martin Koolhoven, 2008)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Isabella Films B.V. Video: Sony Home Video
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:43:27.201 Disc Size: 32,359,255,077 bytes Feature Size: 27,902,472,192 bytes Video Bitrate: 28.11 Mbps Chapters: 16 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: July 26th, 2011
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio Dutch 3556 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3556 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) DTS-HD Master Audio French 2239 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2239 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
Subtitles: English (SDH), none
Extras: • The Making of Winter in Wartime (24:24) • Theatrical Trailer (2:06)
Bitrate:
Description: Near the end of World War II, 14-year-old Michiel becomes involved with the Resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded British soldier. With the conflict coming to an end, Michiel comes of age and learns of the stark difference between adventure fantasy and the ugly realities of war. *** January 1945. Nazi occupied Holland lies under a blanket of snow. A young man, Michiel, defiant in his hatred for the Nazis, inadvertently receives a map detailing the hiding place of a crashed RAF pilot and sets off to prove his worth. He finds the pilot, Jack, badly injured, but the situation becomes more desperate when a dead Nazi trooper is found and the hunt for the killer commences. Unaware of the terrible consequences that await his family, Michiel decides to help Jack escape, undertaking a perilous journey that could cost him everything he has ever known. From the Producer of the multi-award winning Black Book, and co-starring Jamie Campbell Bower (Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows & Twilight New Moon), Winter in Wartime is a breathtaking cinematic masterpiece that shows the true human cost of a terrible conflict. In the darkest days of the coldest winter, a hero will be made.
The Film:
The film, adapted from John Terlouw’s novel, plays with stereotypes of
Nazi brutality, so although the invaders are often vicious, they can
also be helpful and charming, which adds to the young hero’s confusion. Excerpt from Susan Cole at Now Toronto located HERE
Enjoyable, well acted and emotionally engaging wartime coming-of-age
drama with striking photography and strong performances. Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Oorlogswinter (Winter in Wartime) appears to be a strong transfer on Blu-ray from Sony. One issue that I tried to research was the heavy green and blue hue that seems cast over much of the outdoor scenes. I looked at other images on the Net and even some on Amazon, example:
most of what I uncovered shows the same 'look' so I can only assume that it is either intentional - or part of the original production. I may pick-up one of the European versions to see if it has the duplicate color scheme. Regardless it looks quite tight, clean and impressive in this dual-layered treatment from Sony. This Blu-ray has some occasional depth sneaking into unexpected scenes and Guido van Gennep's cinematography should be noted as a major-ly positive contributor to the film experience. Art direction captured the period very well and the consistency was a key to building the suspension of disbelief.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :The original Dutch is delivered via a competent DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a healthy 3556 kbps . Being a solid war-adventure tale there is the expected aggression and a supportive original score by Pino Donaggio. Nothing really stands out but everything audio-wise is done without a notable flaw. Depth and subtle range are there is sparingly minor portions There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : There is only one major extra entitled The Making of Winter in Wartime which runs 25-minutes in Dutch with English subtitles. It is more-or-less standard with brief interviews and behind the scenes footage. There is also a theatrical trailer running just over 2-minutes.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze July 22nd, 2011 |
About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 3500 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
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