|
We have started a Patreon page with the hopes that
some of our followers would be
willing to donate a small amount to keep DVDBeaver
alive. We are a tiny niche, so your
generosity is vital to our
existence.
We are talking about a minimum of
$0.10 - $0.15 a day, perhaps a
quarter (or more) to those who won't
miss it from their budget. It
equates to buying DVDBeaver a coffee
once, twice or a few times a month.
You can then participate in our
monthly
Silent
auctions,
and have exclusive access to many 'bonus' High Resolution screen captures - both
4K UHD
and
Blu-ray
(see
HERE).
|
|
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
|
|
Barcelona [Blu-ray]
(Whit Stillman, 1994)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Castle Rock Entertainment Video: Criterion Collection Spine #807
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:41:41.095 Disc Size: 46,529,584,715 bytes Feature Size: 30,602,532,864 bytes Video Bitrate: 35.82 Mbps Chapters: 23 Case: Transparent Blu-ray case Release date: April 19th, 2016
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 2034 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2034 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles: English (SDH), none
Extras: • Audio commentary from 2002 featuring Stillman and actors Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols • New video essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme about the trilogy made up of Metropolitan, The Last Days of Disco and Barcelona (20:50) • The Making of “Barcelona,” a short documentary from 1994 featuring behind-the-scenes footage and on-set interviews with Stillman and cast members (5:31) • 4 Deleted scenes and alternate ending, with commentary by Stillman, Eigeman, and Nichols (2:52 + 4:25) • Segment from a 1994 episode of the Today show featuring Stillman (5:08) • Episode of The Dick Cavett Show from 1991 with Stillman (24:31)
•
Episode of
Charlie Rose
(13:31)
Bitrate:
Description: Whit Stillman followed his delightful indie breakthrough Metropolitan with another clever and garrulous comedy of manners, this one with a darker edge. A pair of preppy yet constitutionally mismatched American cousins—a salesman and a navy officer—argue about romance and politics while working in the beautiful Spanish city of the film’s title. Set during the eighties, Barcelona explores topics both heady (American exceptionalism, Cold War foreign policy) and hilarious (the ins and outs of international dating, the proper shaving method) while remaining a constantly witty delight, featuring a sharp young cast that includes Taylor Nichols, Chris Eigeman, and Mira Sorvino.
The Film: The second film from writer/director Whit Stillman, Barcelona is a smart, urbane comedy of manners set in Spain at the tail end of the Cold War. Taylor Nichols stars as Ted, an American salesman living in Barcelona. Out of the blue, he is visited by his acidic cousin Fred (Chris Eigeman), a U.S. Navy officer sent abroad to work damage control on rising anti-American sentiment. The textbook "Ugly American," Fred travels through the city in full military regalia, impervious to the constant taunts of "Fascist!" Like the similarly self-absorbed Ted, who has become involved with political activist Monsterrat (Tushka Bergen), Fred also finds romance, with a party girl played by Mira Sorvino. A brittle fish-out-of-water comedy, Barcelona is literate and sophisticated, a knowing essay on cultural identity and perception. Excerpt from B+N located HEREWriter/director Stillman again casts an affectionate eye on the foibles of preppy young Americans, this time two cousins all at sea in the sexual, moral and political whirl of a changing Old World. It's the 'last decade of the Cold War'. Ted (Nichols) is a young, serious-minded car-company executive getting over a failed affair, his recovery hardly helped when Fred (Eigeman) - a brash naval officer - turns up uninvited to stay in his Barcelona flat. When Fred starts 'borrowing' money from his host and meddling in his encounters with various girls, tensions between the pair come to a boil. An incisive comedy of misplaced American manners, this is for the most part a very funny portrait of immaturity deceived by its own ignorance and blinkered obstinacy. Agreed, it's harder to like or care about Ted and Fred as much as their younger (and therefore more forgivably deluded) counterparts in Stillman's earlier Metropolitan, and the story's sudden shift into life-and-death melodrama in the final reel is a little clumsy. But the film looks good, the performances are sharp and droll, and there's more than enough originality here to confirm Stillman as a distinctive, beguiling talent.Excerpt from TimeOut located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Barcelona looks predictably strong on Blu-ray from Criterion - much like their other two Stillman films in 1080P. There are rich grain textures from the tight, blemish-free visuals. This dual-layered Blu-ray, with max'ed out bitrate, reproducing a very strong 1080P, 185:1, presentation. Colors are true without unnecessary exuberance and their is no noise. Essentially flawless.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Criterion use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel stereo track at 2034 kbps (24-bit) in the original English. The film is almost exclusively dialogue-driven with some rain and car sounds. The score by Mark Suozzo (Metropolitan, The Last Days of Disco and many documentaries). It sounds clean and supportive. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A' disc.
Extras : Criterion include the audio commentary from 2002 featuring Stillman and actors Chris Eigeman and Taylor Nichols, previously found on the Warner DVD. It still has relevancy in talking about the film's themes are production process. There is a new, 20-minute, video essay by film critic Farran Smith Nehme about the trilogy made up of Metropolitan, The Last Days of Disco and Barcelona and how they connect together. The Making of “Barcelona,” a 5.5-minute documentary from 1994 featuring behind-the-scenes footage and on-set interviews with Stillman and cast members. There are four deleted scenes and alternate ending taken from a rough cut of the film (without the usual final editing, sound mixing etc.), with optional commentary by Stillman, Eigeman, and Nichols. We get a 5-minute segment from a 1994 episode of the Today show featuring Stillman talking to host Katie Couric about making Barcelona after the success of his first film, Metropolitan. There is a 25-minute episode of The Dick Cavett Show from 1991 with Stillman talking about Metropolitan and his future filmmaking plans. There is a July 29th, 1994, 13-minute, episode of Charlie Rose featuring an interview with Stillman and lastly we have a trailer. The package has an essay by film scholar Haden Guest.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze March 18th, 2016
|
|
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. 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 APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V Gary W. Tooze ALL OUR NEW FORMAT DVD REVIEWS
|
CLICK PayPal logo to donate!
|
Gary Tooze
|
|
Thank You!
