Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Adventure Pictures

Video: Artificial Eye

 

Disc:

Region: 'B' (as verified by the Momitsu region FREE Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:29:51.427

Disc Size: 45,381,523,235 bytes

Feature Size: 22,644,971,520 bytes

Video Bitrate: 24.95 Mbps

Chapters: 12

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: February 11th, 2013

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1659 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1659 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Commentary:

LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
 

Subtitles:

None

 

Extras:

• Commentary with director Sally Potter

• Cast (37:37) Crew Interviews (55:03)

• Sally Potter Interview (35:20)

• Making of (30:30)

• Deleted Scenes (5:09)

• Trailer (1:50)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: Sally Potter's latest film is an evocative and beautifully shot portrait of post-war Britain, as seen through the eyes of Elle Fanning's impressionable young teenager. She plays Ginger, who finds herself increasingly estranged from her mother (Christina Hendricks) and drawn further into the world of her pacifist and anti-nuclear activist father (Alessandro Nivola). However, her friendship with the fiery Rosa (Alice Englert) is severely tested by his unconventional lifestyle and their relationship threatens to explode like the bomb that threatens them all... The result is a passionate, moving and intelligent examination of political and personal responsibility, portrayed in exquisite detail by some of the greatest acting and directing talents.

 

 

The Film:

Rebellious London teens Ginger and Rosa find their friendship tested against the backdrop of the Cuban Missile Crisis in this period drama from writer/director Sally Potter (Yes, Rage). The year is 1962. As the international dispute between the Soviet Union and the U.S. threatens to cast a shadow over the entire world, Ginger (Elle Fanning) seeks solace in the arts as Rosa (Alice Englert) favors such distractions as cigarettes and boys. Meanwhile, as the bond between the two girls is strengthened by their shared disdain for their respective mothers, Ginger's free-spirited father Roland (Alessandro Nivola) encourages his daughter to protest while sparking a twinkle in the eye of smitten Rosa. But for Ginger, the pain of her parents' breakup becomes too much to endure, eventually driving her into the company of a compassionate gay couple (Timothy Spall andOliver Platt) and their good friend Bella (Annette Bening), a poet. As the future of mankind begins to look increasingly grim, Ginger and Rosa both realize that the days of their friendship might be numbered whether the world ends in nuclear annihilation or life continues on as usual.

Excerpt from MRQE located HERE

'Can’t you be a girl for a moment or two longer?’ That’s kindly, avuncular Mark (Timothy Spall) talking to his deadly-serious teenage goddaughter, Ginger (Elle Fanning), in Sally Potter’s intimate, intense coming-of-age drama. It’s set during the Cuban Missile crisis – as the world teeters on the edge of nuclear war. Ginger is on the brink too, and Fanning’s genuinely breathtaking performance, bare and brave (she was 13 at the time) beautifully captures innocence at the moment of its passing – that shiver of teen expectation. What a shame then, that ‘Ginger & Rosa’ is dampened by some ponderous, self-conscious scenes.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

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

Ginger & Rosa gets an impressive transfer to Blu-ray from Artificial Eye.  The feature plus the many extras push the disc solidly into dual-layered territory and has a supportive bitrate for the 1.5 hour feature. There is a thick, heavy style to many of the sequences. The forest greens, earthy browns and drab grays of the art direction export the period and location that the film is set (London, 1960s).  The 1080P supports solid contrast exhibiting healthy, rich black levels which adds some impressive detail in close-ups.  It's pristinely clean and there are really no flaws with the 2.39:1 aspect ratio rendering. This Blu-ray probably looks like exactly the theatrical version of the film Ginger & Rosa. Personally I loved the camera angles and the entire appearance of the film. It is gorgeous.

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

We get an option (this is commonplace for Artificial Eye) of a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track at 1659 kbps or a flatter linear PCM stereo transfer at 1536 kbps. I chose the surround and while there wasn't an abundance of crisp separations - there were a few though - that added to the atmosphere plus a few instances of depth were notable. Dialogue was clear and consistent. There are no optional English subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.

 

Extras :

There are quite a lot of extras including a commentary by director Sally Potter where she emphasizes her story as well as touching on production details and the performances. There are extensive (38-minutes worth) of Cast interviews with Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks, Alessandro Nivola and others - plus almost an hour of Crew Interviews which is really its own little feature entitled “Anatomy of a Film”. It goes through the stages of production in fairly cohesive detail. I was intrigued by the 'compartmentalized flowchart' style. Sally Potter gives another interview - running about 35-minutes. There is a more generic 'Making of' piece with behind-the-scenes footage running 1/2 an hour, 5-minutes of deleted scenes and a delightful trailer.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
I really enjoyed watching Sally Potter's Ginger & Rosa. The appearance and style were a huge part of my appreciation. I found the film/story itself interesting and very well-acted. It asked some pertinent questions and it is a pleasure to see a filmmaker so in control despite what some may construe as Ginger & Rosa's weaknesses. The Blu-ray provides an excellent a/v presentation with many valuable supplements. I would certainly recommend it. 

Gary Tooze

March 19th, 2012