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A view on Blu-ray by Gary W. Tooze

The Hunt aka Jagten [Blu-ray]

 

(Thomas Vinterberg, 2012)

 

 

Review by Gary Tooze

 

Production:

Theatrical: Zentropa Entertainments

Video: Magnolia

 

Disc:

Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player)

Runtime: 1:55:36.512

Disc Size: 43,820,525,189 bytes

Feature Size: 36,143,511,552 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.98 Mbps

Chapters: 12

Case: Standard Blu-ray case

Release date: December 10th, 2013

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps

Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio Danish 3515 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3515 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit / DN -5dB)

 

Subtitles:

English (SDH), English, Spanish, none

 

Extras:

Alt-Ending (1:29)

Outtakes/Deleted/Extended Scenes (12:23)

• The Making of The Hunt (6:59)

• Trailer (2:09)

 

Bitrate:

 

 

Description: THE HUNT is a disturbing depiction of how a lie is taken as truth when gossip, doubt and malice are allowed to flourish and ignite a witch-hunt that soon threatens to destroy an innocent man's life. Lucas is just starting to get his life back together after losing his job and facing a difficult divorce, when his life is shattered by an untruthful remark throwing his small community into a collective state of hysteria. As the lie spreads, Lucas is forced to fight a lonely battle for his life and dignity.

 

 

The Film:

A child's lie threatens to destroy the life of a divorced day-care worker attempting to reconnect with his teenage son in this emotionally charged drama from director Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration, Submarino). In the wake of a fractured marriage, 40-year-old Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) gets a new girlfriend and a new job in a day-care center while fighting to win custody of his teenage son. Lucas is a respected figure in his close-knit community, and the kids at the center where he works all look up to him. When Lucas repeatedly finds young Klara (Annika Wedderkopp) roaming the streets alone as her parents engage in angry shouting matches, he becomes something of a protector to the frightened young girl, often walking her home once the arguments have died down. When Klara attempts to repay Lucas' kindness with a kiss on the lips, the shocked teacher quickly corrects her by telling her that such a display of affection is not appropriate. Upset over being rebuffed by the man she so admires, Klara responds by telling the inexperienced manager of the day-care center that she saw Lucas engaged in inappropriate activity. Before long the rumor has caught fire, and as Christmas approaches mob mentality prevails. Everyone close to Lucas, including his two best friends and his son, quickly become pariahs in the community. Meanwhile, the desperate Lucas wages a losing battle to reclaim his dignity in a town that would sooner see an innocent man crucified than admit their mistake.

Excerpt from MRQE located HERE

This is lean, fast-paced storytelling from director and writer Thomas Vinterberg, who made ‘Festen’ in 1998 (about a paedophile father who raped his children). This has the same stripped back docu-drama style. Which focuses our attention on the acting – and it’s flawless. We watch the story play out in the reactions of everyone involved. As the only man working at the nursery, the kids adore Lucas. After hearing the allegations, a teacher watches him rough-play with some boys. We see the scene through her eyes. It looks suspicious. It really does.

These are all good people, and there’s a kind of moral puzzle here. We always have to listen to children. Always. But what if your best friend was accused? Would you believe him? At the other end of the scale, what kind of world is it when a man can’t hold hands with a child who isn’t his own – in case someone accuses him of being a paedo?

Excerpt from TimeOut located HERE

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

The Hunt looks beautifully crisp on Blu-ray from Magnolia.  Shot with the Arri Alexa Plus HD camera at 2K and transferred to 35 mm print format for theatrical. This appears to be directly from the digital source and has all the benefits of that format (clean, super-tight visuals) and none of the weaknesses (flaring etc.) Colors are very bight and depth prevalent. This is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate and detail is consistently as sharp as I have seen in a while. There is no noise. Contrast is notably strong and this Blu-ray provides an exceptional video presentation. It may not even looked this good theatrically!

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio :

Like the video, the sound is... perfect. We get a DTS-HD Master in 5.1 surround in original Danish at 3515 kbps. The Hunt is a reasonably passive film audio-wise with dialogue and impacting silent pauses. Nikolaj Egelund's (Accused) score builds tension well, in subtleties that are picked up by the robust transfer's strong depth and adept high-end. There are optional subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

 

Extras :

We get a brief, 1.5-minute, Alt-Ending, about a dozen minutes of Outtakes/Deleted/Extended Scenes - a generic Making of piece in English and a trailer. Not bad but the brilliant film probably deserves more.

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Firstly, The Hunt is a masterfully realized film. There are so many attributes, even beyond the great direction and performances.  I though this Magnolia Blu-ray is one of their best visually - if not 'the' best to date. This is a film to see - despite the uncomfortable topic - we fully endorse this package! 

Gary Tooze

December 2nd, 2013

 

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 5000 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.

Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction.

Gary's Home Theatre:

60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD

Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD Player
Momitsu - BDP-899 Region FREE Blu-ray player
Marantz SA8001 Super Audio CD Player
Marantz SR7002 THX Select2 Surround Receiver
Tannoy DC6-T (fronts) + Energy (centre, rear, subwoofer) speakers (5.1)

APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V

Gary W. Tooze

 

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