Last Samurai, The (HD DVD)

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The battles in "The Last Samurai" are graphic and bloody and the violence is intense, warranting the film's R rating but showing up vividly in high definition. Oddly, though, there are very few shots of the entire panorama of conflict, the director preferring to stay in close on individual sections of the battlefield. I would liked to have seen a larger, wider scope to the canvas in high-def. Again, though, this close-up action is probably an attempt to make something more intimate of the actions.

The movie ends in guts and glory, the conclusion playing out like "The Charge of the Light Brigade," with Captain Algren passing into legend. Nevertheless, I think we can forgive the film its Hollywood trappings; melodrama and hyperbole always make for good theater. As I say, in the last analysis we remember the film largely for its polished blend of beauty and barbarity.

Video:
As on the standard-definition edition, the HD picture is presented in some commendably wide dimensions, measuring a 2.40:1 theatrical-release ratio. As before, the colors are vivid and solid, with blacks especially stable. Much of the color palette appears to emulate an exquisite Japanese painting or mural, and the video transfer captures the feeling nicely. Much of the imagery is a joy to look at. In high definition, grain and moiré effects, jittery, wavy lines, are even less an issue than ever. And WB do not appear to have applied any copy-protection restraints on the disc, meaning it can be played through component video connections with no down-conversion.

The big advantage of high-def, though, is the definition, the object clarity and inner detailing, and here is where the HD version of "The Last Samurai" shines. I watched the movie in its full 1080 horizontal lines of output through my television's HDMI input, and if you haven't seen high definition before, it can be mighty impressive. I had found the definition in the standard-resolution, 480-line edition only so-so, but in comparison the HD picture is quite good. You can walk up to several HD images on screen and see every hair on a samurai warrior's face (if that's your idea of a good time). However, no amount of added clarity can overcome minor defects in the original print, and I still think some scenes are soft, and overall image is often overly lit, particularly faces, making for a fairly glassy appearance, with minor backlighting haloes and faces literally radiating light (perhaps or perhaps not the intent of the cinematography). Then, too, the image can sometimes be on the dark side, making faces not only glassy but also dusky.

One last thing: It really isn't fair to rate the picture quality of a high-definition DVD with that of a standard-definition disc; apples and oranges and all that. If we rated one against the other, every HD disc would get a 10/10 score, which wouldn't allow for comparisons among various HD DVDs. Therefore, the 8/10 I assigned to this disc would probably be the equivalent of a 9/10 or 10/10 score for a standard-def disc. I hope this makes sense to readers, and I won't get accused of saying that this disc looks no better than a lot of standard-def discs. It is noticeably better than its SD equivalent.

Audio:
The English soundtrack available on the HD-DVD is in Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 (regular Dolby Digital 5.1 is not a part of the HD-DVD spec). DD+ is Dolby labs' newest addition to the Dolby Digital family, providing, they say, the benefits of up to 7.1 channels and maintaining quality at more efficient bit rates. I listened through the analogue audio 5.1-channel surround outputs of my Toshiba HD-A1 because the player has only a core DTS encoder, which outputs a DD+ signal that my Dolby Digital-only receiver does not recognize. Not worry: Dolby Labs claims that the sound through the 5.1 analogue outputs is cleaner and clearer than through the composite digital output in any case.

Now, here's the thing: WB's disc appears to be mastered at some 10 db or so lower than the SD disc. Be careful about turning up the volume. After adjusting the SD and HD discs for equal output, I preferred the sound of the HD-DVD's DD+ through the analogue outputs. It seemed clearer, more open, and more extended than the regular DD 5.1 track on the SD disc, just as Dolby Labs claimed. Of course, increasing the overall volume means that you'll have to turn down the sound the next time you play a standard-definition disc with its greater gain, or you may endanger your speakers or your ears.

As in the standard-definition version, there is a strong dynamic impact throughout the film; a good deep bass, never overused even during combat sequences; and a realistic tonal balance. In addition, the surround channels are used to good effect from the very beginning of the film with the sound of streetcar bells and noises behind and to the sides of the listening area. Then, the expected sounds of gunshots, rain, and thunder later envelope the room. In comparison to the regular DD 5.1 on the SD disc, the DD+ seemed a little more open, equally dynamic, with maybe slightly more top end.

Extras:
One of the additional advantages of HD-DVD is that there is enough room on a single disc for not only as long a movie as this one (154 minutes) and its various soundtracks, but for a good number of extras as well (although the extras here are in standard-definition, 480i, just as before). This single HD disc contains the same bonus contents included in the standard-edition two-disc set. There is a lot to digest, but one can't help feeling after watching the bulk of these extras that a good deal of it is repetition and hype. Nevertheless, most of it is worth watching, if only once. The first things up are an audio commentary with director Edward Zwick; an abundant forty-one scene selections (but no chapter insert, only a promo for other WB HD-DVD titles); English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; and English, French, and Spanish subtitles.

Next is a twenty-one minute History Channel Documentary, "History vs. Hollywood: The Last Samurai," which attempts to separate fact from fiction in the movie. Unfortunately, it plays mostly like another promo for the film, about the only meaningful conclusion being that Hollywood has romanticized the samurai by turning them into "good" guys fighting the "bad" Imperial Army of Japan. It really doesn't take long into the film for the viewer to figure that one out for himself. The next major items are a twenty-six minute segment called "Edward Zwick: A Director's Video Journal," a behind-the-scenes production record narrated by Zwick and Cruise; a twelve-minute discussion of the film and the star's role in it, "Tom Cruise: A Warrior's Journey"; and seventeen minutes of "Making an Epic: A Conversation with Edward Zwick," self explanatory.

The rest of the extras are given over to a series of short, five-to-seven minute featurettes, which I liked best of all. "A World of Detail: Production Design with Lilly Kilvert" shows us how the sets were built; "Silk and Armor: Costume Design with Ngila Dickson" tells us about the costuming; and "Imperial Army Basic Training: From Soldier to Samurai: The Weapons" explains how the film's many extras were drilled in combat and tactical maneuvers. Finally, there are two deleted scenes lasting about five minutes, with optional director commentary; film of the Japan premieres in Tokyo and Kyoto; and a widescreen theatrical trailer.

Because HD also offers the ability to pop menus up right on the screen while the movie is playing, it's kind of fun not having to keep going back to the disc menu at the top of the program every time you want to access something different. Finally, I should note that the HD-DVD keep case, which Warner Bros. call an "elite red HD case," is smaller than a normal keep case, thinner by a third, and about three-quarters of an inch less tall. You'll have no trouble recognizing it on your shelf.

WB also provide a feature that lets you zoom in or pan a scene in various close-up settings. I'm not sure why a person would want to do this, but it might be fun for a moment's distraction.

Parting Thoughts:
As a thoughtful, well-photographed, and reasonably well-filled-out epic, "The Last Samurai" makes a good choice for high-definition viewing. No doubt there will be those people who find the movie boring and pretentious, while others will find it exceptionally violent and bloody. Nevertheless, taken on its own terms as a piece of Hollywood entertainment rather than as a history or philosophy lesson, the film works quite well. It may come off as typically glamorizing war and heroism, but there is no questioning its passion and craftsmanship. Nor is there any questioning the movie looks better on HD-DVD than it did in standard definition.

"The Last Samurai" was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound. To the dismay of its many fans, the movie won none.

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