Amores Perros Blu-ray - Gael García Bernal

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Mexico 2000

Sending shock waves through the Mexican film industry and the world, this blistering feature debut from Alejandro G. Iñárritu brought the director’s electrifying visual style and bravura multistrand storytelling to the screen with the heart-stopping impact of a primal scream. In Mexico City, the lives of three strangers—a young man mixed up in the gritty underworld of dogfighting, a glamorous woman who seems to have it all, and a mysterious assassin who is desperate to reconnect with his estranged daughter—collide in a tragic twist of fate that forever alters their personal journeys. A tour de force of violence and emotion captured in a rush of kinetic handheld camera work, Amores perros is an unforgettable plunge into a world of brutality and aching, interconnected humanity.

***

The most populous sprawl on earth proves a vivid barometer for the state of 21st-century civilisation in this feverish Mexico City triptych. González Iñárritu's Rottweiler of a movie slams street-level toughs up against glamorous, high society celebrity, then picks over the carnage. In the first story, lovelorn Octavio (García) turns to dogfighting to scrape enough money together to steal away his brother's wife. In the second, a magazine editor leaves his family for beautiful model Valeria (Toledo), just as an accident lands her in a wheelchair. The aftermath - involving an urban legend about a dog trapped under the floorboards - turns their lives inside out. The final story centres on an ex-Communist revolutionary (Echevarría) who prefers the companionship of mutts to people. Steeped in disgust, he accepts a contract to murder a businessman, but even as he confronts the worst, he somehow summons a shred of dignity and hope. Recalling Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction - but edgier than both - this is a hell of a first film. For all its bonecrunching savagery, it's also a fundamentally moral work. The love of animals is one redeeming grace note, even as González Iñárritu makes it clear that the love of mankind is a far greater challenge.

Excerpt from Timeout located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release Date: May 14th, 2000 (Cannes Film Festival)

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Comparison:

LionsGate - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Filmax (Spain)- Region 2 - PAL vs. Madman (Australia) Region 0 - PAL vs. LionsGate - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Ole of DVDBasen for the R2 and R4 - PAL Screen Caps!

Box Covers
Distribution	Lions Gate Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC	Filmax (Spain) Region 2 - PAL	Madman (Australia) Region 4 - PAL	LionsGate - Region 'A' - Blu-ray	Criterion - Spine #1060 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	2:33:45	2:27:27 (4% PAL Speedup)	2:27:30 (4% PAL Speedup)	2:34:09.240	2:34:24.296
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.63 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.75:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate:6.90 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.75:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.40 PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 40,079,308,866 bytes Feature: 37,341,935,616 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 25.99 Mbps	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,476,675,329 bytes Feature: 34,463,920,128 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 24.35 Mbps
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: Lion's Gate
Bitrate: Filmax
Bitrate: Madman
Bitrate: LionsGate - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Bitrate: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Audio	Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, DUB: Dolby Digital 2.0 French track	Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, or DTS (768 Kbps)	Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1	DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish 4213 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4213 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB	DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish 3840 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3840 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	English and French (yellow and Not removable "on the fly" or with DVD remote controls, but in set-up only)	None	English, (yellow and removable)	English (SDH), English, Spanish (SDH), none	English, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Lions Gate Home Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: All of the extras on this disc are all presented in their original Spanish language… with no English dubbing. Director’s • Commentary, also presented in Spanish with English subtitles Deleted scenes (16:35) • Two featurettes (7:39 , 5:51) • Three music videos • 9 Photos in Gallery • 10 Storyboards DVD Release Date: February 18, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 24	Release Information: Studio: Filmax (Spain) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.75:1 Edition Details: (Not subtitled!) • Making of (7:38) Interviews: Alejandro González Iñárritu(1:40), Rodrigo Prieto (0:24), Goya Toledo (0:14), Gael García Bernal (0:44) and Emilio Echevarría (0:52). • Trailer (1:46) • Cast/crew biographies TV spot (0:20) • Music video DVD Release Date: September 9, 2001 Keep Case Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: MadMan (Australia) Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.75:1 Edition Details: • 12 deleted scenes Making the film (15:36) • Behind the scenes(7:37) • 3 music videos • Trailer (1:51) • Press kit: Information of cast/crew/awards/soundtrack , some notes about the film from William Friedkin Trailers for "Mullet", "Shadow of the Vampire" and "The Bank" DVD Release Date: March 19th, 2002 Click Case Chapters 18	Release Information: Studio: LionsGate Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 40,079,308,866 bytes Feature: 37,341,935,616 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 25.99 Mbps Edition Details: • Commentary with director Alejandro González Iñárritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga in Spanish with English subtitles • Deleted Scenes with optional commentary (17:45) • Featurette (8:09) • Los Perros (6:19) • 3 Music Video (4:07), (3;30) (4:03) Blu-ray Release Date: October 10th, 2017 Blu-ray Case Chapters 12	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,476,675,329 bytes Feature: 34,463,920,128 bytes Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Total Video Bitrate: 24.35 Mbps Edition Details: • New conversation between Iñárritu and filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski (28:20) • New conversation among Iñárritu and actors Adriana Barraza, Vanessa Bauche, and Gael García Bernal (35:25) • Perros, amores, accidentes, a new documentary on the making of the film featuring behind-the-scenes footage (43:09) • Rehearsal footage with reflections by Iñárritu (5:33) • New interview with composer Gustavo Santaolalla (10:11) • New video essay by film scholar Paul Julian Smith (23:42) • Deleted scenes, with optional commentary by Iñárritu and Prieto • Music videos for songs from the film’s soundtrack by Control Machete, Café Tacvba, and Julieta Venegas (3:57) • Trailer (2:45) PLUS: Essays by critic Fernanda Solórzano and author Juan Villoro New cover by Pedro Reyes) Blu-ray Release Date: December 15th, 2020 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 17

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (November 2020): Criterion have transferred Alejandro G. Iñárritu's Amores perros to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and director of photography Rodrigo Prieto, with new 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio Soundtrack on the Blu-ray, supervised by Iñárritu". Bottom line; Criterion, in comparison to the Lions Gate 2017 Blu-ray, have restored Alejandro González Iñárritu and DoP Rodrigo Prieto's 'bleach-bypass process on the camera negative' technique to attain a certain, rough-hewn image. This grittier appearance is both intended and important to the film's visual expression. It is supposed to look this way - almost dirty and less crisp. It is now in the correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio. I see some minor teal infiltration (that I did not find distractive or invasive) but overall the experience of seeing the film as the filmmakers intended was quite a difference from the original 1080P.

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a very robust 5.1 DTS-HD Master track (24-bit) in the original Spanish language. It has some deft separations - in the many aggressive sequences of the film jumping out of the rear speakers effectively. The score is by Gustavo Santaolalla (Wild Tales, Brokeback Mountain, 21 Grams, Biutiful) and does a stupendous job running beside the narrative supportively. Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray offer many new extras although we lose the Spanish-language commentary. Firstly is a new 1/2 hour conversation between Iñárritu and filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski about his experience directing Amores perros, his first feature film. It was recorded remotely in L.A. and Hydra in 2020. There is also kind of a reunion interview via a 35-minute, remotely recorded, conversation among Iñárritu and actors Adriana Barraza, Vanessa Bauche, and Gael García Bernal. Nice to see this. Criterion include 5-minutes of rehearsal footage with reflections by Iñárritu (like all foreign-language supplements - with optional English subtitles). Fans of the film may be very interested in the 45-minutes worth of behind-the-scenes footage of the film entitled "Perros, amores, accidentes" a new documentary on the making of the film. We spend 10-minutes with composer Gustavo Santaolalla discussing his role in the production. I really enjoyed the new, 24-minute, video essay by film scholar Paul Julian Smith who explores the innovative filmmaking techniques utilized in Amores perros. Criterion also add, as found on the 2017 Lions Gate and their 2003 DVD, the three deleted scenes, with optional commentary by Iñárritu and Prieto and the three music videos for songs from the film’s soundtrack by Control Machete, Café Tacvba, and Julieta Venegas. Lastly, there is a trailer and the package has liner notes with essays by critic Fernanda Solórzano and author Juan Villoro.

Amores perros is alive with vérité tensions, stark realism, human emotion, love and survivalism. So great to have the intended filmmaker presentation in HD. Plus all the new extras are an important addition in making this an essential Blu-ray package. The film has retained its inventive cinematic relevance and we given it a strong recommendation!

P.S. I also loved the cover by Pedro Reyes!

***

ADDITION: Lionsgate - Region 'A' - Blu-ray October 2017: The new 1080P has removed the film's harsh look found on the DVDs. Colors shift - skin tones looking more accurate, there is more information in the frame, there is a higher level of detail and depth. When shooting Amores Perros, director Alejandro González Iñárritu and DoP Rodrigo Prieto used a special technique - a 'bleach-bypass process on the camera negative'. This is gone. Amores Perros was shot with the Moviecam SL (SL stands for SuperLight) and while the benefits are a more versatile, hand-held, camera - it can create a smeary softness in fast pans that still exists in the higher resolution, but I don't know if this HD transfer has removed an intentional visual style of the original appearance... or this new Blu-ray is more theatrically accurate. It looks sharper and more passive... but is that more authentic? I tend to doubt it.

The audio transfer is very robust - a strong DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround at 4213 kbps (24-bit) in the original Spanish language. Effects - dogs barks etc, - have depth and we get another impacting score by Argentine musician Gustavo Santaolalla (Wild Tales, Brokeback Mountain, 21 Grams, Biutiful.) Audio is excellent with some deft separations and seething intensity. There are optional English or Spanish subtitles (see sample below) on the Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc.

In the extras - nothing new from Lionsgate's DVD release of over 14-years ago with the commentary with director Alejandro González Iñárritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga in Spanish with English subtitles, the deleted scenes with optional commentary, featurette, Music Video s etc.

The price sure is right at less than $10 but there is a lack of production investment in the package that is troubling...

***

ON THE DVDs (2003): The picture quality is pretty much the same in all three versions. I certainly can't tell an obvious difference, although the Australian Madman may be slightly sharper. Unfortunately. the video transfer for this film has had a number of intentional processing effects applied which effect things like the colors appearing washed out. As the Spanish Filmax version does not have English subs, we will pass on that edition. The menus, I am leaning toward the Lion's Gate edition, ditto for the Extras as it has a nice Directors commentary with both Eng and Spanish subs. If you are going to buy this one, I would suggest the Region 1 - Lion's Gate Signature Series although I am not happy about non-removable "on the fly" subtitles.