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Man Facing Southeast aka "Hombre mirando al sudeste" [Blu-ray]
(Eliseo Subiela, 1986)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: Transeuropa S.A. Cinematografica Video: Kino Lorber
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:48:38.136 Disc Size: 49,047,306,260 bytes Feature Size: 31,390,021,632 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.98 Mbps Chapters: 9 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: December 13th, 2016
Video: Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish 1590 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1590 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles: English, None
Extras:
• Interviews with: Director Eliseo Subiela (19:58), Lead actor Hugo
Soto (21:44), Director of Photography Ricardo De Angelis
(25:31)
Bitrate:
Description: Man Facing Southeast is Argentine director Eliseo Subiela's 1986 cult classic, a powerfully moving science-fiction parable of a saint-like stranger in an even stranger land our Earth. This critically-acclaimed gem has not been available on DVD or Blu-ray in the United States, until now.
The Film:
This Argentine film freshens up an old cinematic device: juxtaposing science fiction and religion. A Buenos Aires mental hospital is thrown into an uproar when a mysterious male patient appears out of nowhere. As the psychiatrists grill the stranger, he sticks to a story that suggests that his origins are far from earthly. In fact, if his seemingly supernatural powers are any proof, he may well be a space alien. Unable to comprehend the incomprehensible, the authorities decide to lock the visitor away from public view, maybe even put an end to his life--and the analogies to Christ and Christianity are lost on no one.
At their most profound, the wit and wisdom of the screenplay sound like
borrowings from a lesser J. B. Priestley play. The movie has the arty
look of a book for the cocktail table. It's full of religious-type
lighting, the sort that bathes silhouettes in golden halos. It also
contains many fond, intense close-ups of the impassive face of Hugo
Soto, the actor who plays Rantes, in which any truism can be read at
will.
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. The dual-layered Kino Lorber Blu-ray of Man Facing Southeast looks very strong in 1080P. It has a max'ed out bitrate and the overall image is dark with texture. It can look a shade saturated at times but I have no reason to believe that this is not a totally accurate representation of the film's theatrical appearance. Skin tones have some warmth, detail - as notable in close-ups - is impressive and the HD transfer exports a very film-like expression. The source is clean, and I noticed no noise. This Blu-ray gave me a very watchable, and pleasurable, viewing in regards to the picture quality.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :Kino Lorber use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel track at 1590 kbps (24-bit) in the original Spanish language. There are some effects in the film - but nothing very demonstrative. There is some depth notable in the score by Pedro Aznar. It drifts around the narrative in a haunting, mysterious fashion. It sounds quite impacting in the lossless. The dialogue was mostly clear and there are optional English subtitles. My Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : The supplements include interviews with director Eliseo Subiela - running juts shy of 20-minutes, lead actor Hugo Soto for 21-minutes, and DoP Ricardo De Angelis for 25-minutes - all in Spanish with English subtitles. They discuss various facets of the production from its evolution, creativity etc. There is also a 16-page liner notes booklet with director's statement and essay by film historian Nancy J. Membrez .
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze December 12th, 2016
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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.
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
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