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Winter Sleep aka 'Kis Uykusu' [Blu-ray]
(Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2014)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Zeynofilm Video: Adopt Film
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 3:16:29.000 Disc Size: 40,366,419,380 bytes Feature Size: 39,379,224,576 bytes Video Bitrate: 25.24 Mbps Chapters: 20 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: May 5th, 2015
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 Resolution: 1080p / 24 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: Dolby Digital Audio Turkish 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps
Subtitles: English (burned-in)
Extras: • None
Bitrate:
Description: In Palme d'Or winner Winter Sleep, Aydin, a former actor, runs a small hotel in central Anatolia with his young wife Nihal with whom he has a stormy relationship and his sister Necla who is suffering from her recent divorce. In winter as the snow begins to fall, the hotel turns into a shelter but also an inescapable place that fuels their animosities… *** Directed by the Turkish cinema master, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, this enthralling, brilliantly photographed film won the top prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and was Turkey's entrant in the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film category. Ceylan's Once Upon A Time in Anatolia had shared the top prize at Cannes in 2011. Set in the amazingly picturesque Cappadocia region in central Turkey, the exterior scenes strikingly capture the remarkable topography a World Heritage site while the interior scenes bring Rembrandt to mind. A retired actor has inherited a small hotel where he is ensconced with his recently divorced sister, his much younger and growingly discontented wife. A seemingly trivial incident sets in motion a drama of personalities at odds with each other and the paths their lives have taken. The superb cast of actors quickly takes your attention and won't let it go.
The Film:
Nuri Bilge Ceylan's drama Winter Sleep stars Haluk Bilginer as Aydin, a one-time actor of some renown who runs a hotel in a remote part of Central Anatolia. Although he believes himself to be a good and kind man, he has a series of interactions that force him to consider the lies he tells himself in order to construct his life and identity. Challenging his perceptions of himself and his life are his younger wife, his sister, and a local family who pay Aydin rent. Winter Sleep won the Palme d'or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and screened at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Excerpt from MRQE located HERE
Bundle up and walk, don’t run, to Winter Sleep, if you possibly
can. This is a mid-January film that offers little escape from the chill
but lots of enrichment over its unhurried 196-minute running time. Think
of it as dramatic slow-cooking where the ingredients take their time to
come together.
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Winter Sleep is a beautiful film filled with amazing cinematography and has made it to Blu-ray in Region 'A' from Adopt Films. We may compare to the UK BD edition. This is dual-layered with a reasonable bitrate for the 3 1/4 hour film. It looks quite strong with kudos to the production (shot in Central Anatolia, Turkey) and the 1080P transfer. It is super clean, a bit glossy, but the visuals are hypnotic in the higher resolution. I'll reserve any further comments till we see it in another HD edition, but it looks excellent in the 2.39:1 frame with tight, and realistic, colors. I had no issue with this video presentation.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :A couple of points in the negative for this release; the audio is lossy Dolby 2.0 channel and it sounds fine but no depth or range. It has few aggressive effects but subtleties (wind) are not as robust as they might have been exported theatrically. The film has a couple of Franz Schubert piece (Sonata in A major D959 - Andantino and Piano Sonata No. 20 A Major) and L. Michelini's Desolation. I believe a lossless transfer would have benefitted the film's atmosphere significantly. Secondly, the subtitles are burned-in and many cinephiles prefer the ability to remove them is possible. M y Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : None. While the film is lengthy - there is space on the disc to add some discussion about this incredible film.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze May 3rd, 2015
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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.
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