Morning Light (DVD)

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As is, we really don't learn enough about each "character" to get the feeling that we know them. With a crew of 11 (half of whom seem to be named Chris) and people in constant motion, we get more of a feel for what it's like to run the Transpac. Maybe that was the point, but high drama it's not. And it goes on too long once the race is over, with weepy goodbyes milked for every last emotion. We also get the 411 on what each crew member went on to do afterwards: Genny Tulloch graduated from Harvard in 2005, sailed on the Tahiti Race 2008, and is looking toward the 2012 Olympics; Charlie Enright graduated from Brown in 2008 and is working as a sailmaker in Portsmouth, Rhode Island; Chris Schubert graduated from the Naval Academy in 2007 and is in flight school in Pensacola, Florida; Mark Towill is now a sophomore at Brown, active on the sailing team and in ocean conservation; Chris Clark is majoring in geography and pre-med at the University of Mary Washington; Graham Brant-Zawadzki got his graduate degree from Stanford in 2008 and is working on health policy research in San Francisco; Robbie Kane is a senior studying landscape architecture at the University of Rhode Island; Kate Theisen is studying astrophysics at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology; Chris Branning is a 1st classman in the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; Chris Welch is a senior at Michigan State University; Steve Manson is a sophomore at the State University of New York Maritime College, where he's studying naval architecture; Kit Will graduated from Connecticut College and will take a year off to sail before beginning his career in business; Piet Van Os graduated from Cal Maritime Academy in 2008 and is working as a professional yacht captain; Jesse Fielding is an econ major and captain of the University of Rhode Island sailing team; and Morning Light captain Jeremy Wilmot is a senior at St. Mary's College of Maryland and is now sailing professionally.

For a time, like the Mouseketeers and countless casts of Disney TV shows and movies, they came together to form a group and share an experience that obviously meant a lot to each of them and, perhaps most of all, producer Roy Disney. As presented, though, their story just doesn't have the same impact for audiences. Considering the direction, I can't help but wonder if Disney might not have used one rookie too many for this project.

Video:
"Morning Light" looked uneven in Blu-ray because of the different conditions and types of filming--HD digital cameras, standard cameras, night-vision cameras, and archival films--and ironically the inconsistencies are more apparent in Blu-ray. In standard definition it all blends together a little better. Though there aren't any dramatic Hi-Def moments (as we do get in the Blu-ray), this is a title that's almost as enjoyable in standard def as it is in 1080p. "Morning Light" is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen, and "enhanced" for 16x9 televisions.

Audio:
Listening options are English or French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, which delivers a decent and full-toned audio. Though it's not as rich as the DTS-HD on the Blu-ray, it's still a soundtrack that has few distortions (given the conditions) and awfully good sound editing to modulate the voices against the sound of the ocean and working conditions. Subtitles are in French and Spanish.

Extras:
There are two bonus features, and watching them both makes you realize just how non-dramatic "Morning Light" is. In terms of structure, approach, and overall feel, the two bonus features are awfully similar to the feature film. The difference is that "Morning Light: Making the Cut," a 42-minute special which aired on ESPN, concentrates solely on the trials and selection process. There's more footage here than in the film, so in some respects we get more depth and information than in the feature. Meanwhile, "Stories from the Sea with Host Jason Earles" does something sneaky. The "Hannah Montana" co-star acts as host on the front end of what feels like outtakes from the film--including whole sections on Manson, etc. There may be additional behind-the-scenes interviews added to this roughly half-hour making-of feature, but in terms of visual style, narrative style, pacing, and structure, it's all very similar to the film.

Bottom Line:
"Morning Light" is an interesting film, but by no means a compelling one. You walk away from it with some idea of what it's like to sail across the Pacific Ocean, but the film pulls in too many different directions to be a winner.

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