Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

DTS-HD Master Audio Polish 1680 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1680 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Polish 1755 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1755 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)

English, French, none

• Q + A with Director Pawel Pawlikowski (21:19)
• On the Set of Ida (11:27)
• Pawel Pawlikowski Interview (6:52)
• Theatrical trailer (1:57)

Bitrate:

 

Description: Anna is a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland who, on the verge of taking her vows, discovers a dark family secret dating back to the years of the Nazi occupation. Award-winning Polish born director Pawel Pawlikowski (Last Resort - BAFTA award, My Summer of Love) returns to his homeland for this moving and intimate drama.

 

 

The Film:

Preternaturally fresh-faced newcomer Agata Trzebuchowska makes an astonishing screen debut in “Ida,” an exquisitely rendered political drama by Pawel Pawlikowski set in 1960s Poland.

In this austere black-and-white character study — framed in the boxy aspect ratio of another era — Poland is a country and culture locked in the twin tragedies of World War II and postwar communism. As a place painfully suspended in time, it makes the perfect backdrop for people weighed down by personal and political histories so heavy and oppressive that they threaten to crush them not just psychically, but also physically.

Excerpt from the Washington Post located HERE

 

Spare, haunting, uncompromising, "Ida" is a film of exceptional artistry whose emotions are as potent and persuasive as its images are indelibly beautiful.

The first film in his native Poland by the gifted Britain-based director Pawel Pawlikowski, "Ida" is by design simultaneously simple and complex, timely and outside of time. It tells the story of one specific young woman's search for identity in 1962, and in so doing effortlessly brings in issues roiling contemporary Poland as well as themes of trauma and redemption that are as old as the ancient Greeks.

Excerpt from the LA Times located HERE

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

Ida gets an impressive transfer to Blu-ray from Artificial Eye.  It is only single-layered but has a high bitrate for the less-than-1.5 hour, black and white, feature. Contrast is much stronger than SD could relate and there is no noise in the darker sequences. It is, actually, a very bright film. The 1080P supports solid exhibiting healthy, rich black levels and tight lines in the 1.33:1 frame.  It's pristinely clean showcasing some hi-def detail and there are really no flaws, at all, with the rendering. This Blu-ray provides a superb video presentation.

The Music Box, North American, 1080P release is a shade lighter than its UK counterpart. I wouldn't say it was overly noticeable in-motion, but technically the Artificial Eye - with the higher bitrate - gains a slight edge in video presentation.

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

1) Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Music Box Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Music Box Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Music Box Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

1) Artificial Eye - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - TOP 2) Music Box Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

More Artificial Eye Blu-ray Captures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Artificial Eye use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at 2500 kbps in original Polish. There are a few deft separations that add to the atmosphere - nothing aggressive but appreciated by this reviewer. There is a score by Kristian Eidnes Andersen who has composed for some documentary and short-film work but also, I see, was sound engineer on such films as Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac II. Everything sounds impressive, especially the silence. :) There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'B'-locked.

Music Box, also has the DTS-HD Master 5.1, but adds the option of a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel, that is fairly robust and works well for those who don't support, or want, a 5.1 soundstage. The US edition has both optional English or French subtitles and the Blu-ray disc is coded region 'A'.

Extras :

 

 

Music Box Films - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Wow - a modern masterpiece, or what? Ida is brilliant and those who appreciate minimalist cinema should run (not walk) to get this in their library. I had only seen Pawlikowski's The Woman in the Fifth previously, but this ratchets up to another full level. What an amazing film experience.  The Artificial Eye Blu-ray provides a strong a/v presentation - supporting the rewarding film with pristine beauty. This is easy to put in the 'must-own' and 'don't hesitate' category for world cinema home theatre owner and cinephiles everywhere.

 

Being such a great film - I was encouraged to compare it to the US Blu-ray release, which is favorable for the supplements, but I'm not strongly in favor of one over the other. I think it is more important to see the film in whatever location you can get it the cheapest. One of the best film experiences of the year!  

Gary Tooze

November 21st, 2014

December 12th, 2014

 

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