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Cemetery of Splendor aka "Rak ti Khon Kaen" [Blu-ray]
(Apichatpong
Weerasethakul,
2015)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production:
Theatrical:
Kick the Machine
Blu-ray: Strand Releasing
Disc:
Region: 'A'
(as verified by the
Oppo Blu-ray player)
Runtime: 2:00:40.000
Disc Size: 48,693,485,712 bytes
Feature Size: 34,111,994,496 bytes
Video Bitrate: 32.17 Mbps
Chapters: 8
Case: Standard Blu-ray case
Release date: June 28th, 2016
Video:
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p / 24 fps
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio:
DTS-HD Master Audio Thai 3633 kbps 5.1 / 48
kHz / 3633 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48
kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles:
English, none
Extras:
• Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (17:46)
•
Deleted Scenes (13:12)
•
Other Apichatpong Weerasethakul Trailers
•
Original Theatrical Trailer (1:43)
•
Mekong Hotel (59:10)
Bitrate:
Description:
Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred
to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled
space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer
Jenjira, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no
family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng who uses
her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the
comatose men. Doctors explore ways, including colored light
therapy, to ease the mens' troubled dreams. Jen discovers
Itt's cryptic notebook of strange writings and blueprint
sketches. There may be a connection between the soldiers'
enigmatic syndrome and the mythic ancient site that lies
beneath the clinic. Magic, healing, romance and dreams are
all part of Jen's tender path to a deeper awareness of
herself and the world around her.
The Film:
In this surreal drama from visionary Thai
director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, a rural
school is converted into a makeshift clinic
for a group of soldiers that have fallen
into a mysterious coma. A kindhearted
volunteer nurse (Jenjira Pongpas) develops
feelings for one of the soldiers, and
enlists the help of a psychic (Jarinpattra
Rueangram) in order to communicate with him.
Cemetery of Splendor made its world
premiere at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
Excerpt from MRQE located HERE
Freud waited for the turn of the 20th
century to roll around before he released
his Interpretation of Dreams. The watershed
study of our unconscious drives heralded a
new modern moment: All of a sudden, what
happens when we sleep became worthy of
reflection. Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s
latest feature, the mesmerizing and
lingeringly paced Cemetery of Splendour,
picks up where Freud left off. A gauzy
dreamscape of life in a rural Thai hospital,
Apichatpong’s camera rests calmly on
comatose soldiers and the quirky women who
look after them. Nestling into the nooks of
Thai superstitions and playing with both
natural and LED light, Apichatpong, who
rightfully won the Palme d’Or for his 2010
drama
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,
offers an enchanting interpretation of where
our sleeping and waking minds wander.
Excerpt from The Globe and Mail located HERE
Image:
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
Strand give us an impressive dual-layered
1080P transfer with a very high bitrate of
Apichatpong Weerasethakul's, much
anticipated on Blu-ray,
Cemetery of Splendor.
I can't imagine it looking any better
than it is exported by this BD. It's in the
1.78;1 aspect ratio - colors are
authentic, detail very
pleasing and frequent depth is noted. It was
shot on digital (DCP)
and has the attributes of that versatile process. The
camera does not move much and the static
sequences are very crisp and tight. There
are no flaws, whatsoever, with this HD video
image.
CLICK EACH
BLU-RAY
CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio & Music:
Perfectly rendered video is supported with
perfectly transferred audio. A DTS-HD Master
5.1 surround (although I believe the
original was 7.1) at a whopping, and
unnecessarily robust, 3633 kbps (24-bit) in
the original Thai with some English. There
is no score or demonstrative effects and the
film is basically dialogue-driven. There are
optional English subtitles in a large font. My
Oppo
has identified
it as being a region 'A' disc.
Extras:
A very cool surprise in Strand's supplements
with, firstly, the usual
Behind-the-Scenes featurette running
almost 18-minutes, 13-minutes of deleted
scenes, four Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Trailers including an original one for
Cemetery of Splendor but we also get
Apichatpong Weerasethakul's, hour long, 2012
Mekong Hotel in 1080P. Shifting
between fact and fiction in a hotel situated
along the Mekong River, a film-maker
rehearses a movie expressing the bonds
between a vampiric mother and daughter.
Great addition!
Bottom line: Cemetery of Splendor
is more of the director's magic. There are
no comparable filmmakers like him today.
It's connection to the narrative is more
tenuous than in some of his other films, but
the value is still here - in spades.
The Strand
Blu-ray
offers an impressive presentation and we
give a very strong recommendation - the
included Mekong Hotel only adds further
value - making this worthy of a strong
recommendation! Great
film and BD production by Strand! Keep'em
coming.
Gary Tooze
June 16th, 2016
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