In the Valley of Elah [HD DVD and DVD Combo]

Trivia note: Hank explains in one segment of the movie that the Valley of Elah is where David met and killed Goliath. Viewers are free to relate the film's theme to the Bible story as they choose.

Video:
Since this is an HD DVD and DVD Combo disc, Warner Bros. offer the film transfer in both high definition and standard definition on opposite sides of the same disc. In standard definition, the studio uses a reasonably high bit rate for its 2.40:1 theatrical ratio transfer and enhances it for widescreen TVs. The movie's colors are never bright or flashy, just very natural and lifelike, if a bit subdued. The screen always looks clear of noise or artifacts, with only a fine print grain in evidence, normal to any modern film. Shadow detail can be a touch murky, however; object delineation is not quite the match of high-definition; and there are a few moiré effects in closely spaced horizontal lines. Still, it's a good presentation, probably well capturing the movie's theatrical appearance.

In high definition, the VC1-encoded, 1080-resolution transfer looks better--sharper and clearer--than its standard-definition counterpart but not by a significant margin. The fact is, the film, as I say, looks rather modest and unassuming in its appearance, with no big special effects or gaudy adornment. Thus, in HD there is only a small improvement in outlines and clarity of detail. Put it this way: The HD is nice, but it is not exactly the material to show off a home-theater system. Maybe the differences are also not so distinct because the SD transfer is already good. In any event, while I had the luxury of separate SD and HD DVD discs to compare, viewers can decide for themselves how much better or how much the same the two versions are by simply flipping over the disc and making the comparison for themselves.

Audio:
Like the video, the movie's soundtrack also seems rather subdued. Most of the film is dialogue, so, naturally, the midrange is all important. In the standard-definition version's Dolby Digital 5.1, we find good, clean sound, supplemented by good, strong bass impact when needed. In high definition, we get a choice of Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 and TrueHD 5.1. Since most owners of HD DVD players have by now upgraded their machines to TrueHD capability, I can't imagine why anyone would want to listen to the DD+ track, which is only a marginal improvement over regular DD at best. But the moment one switches to THD, one notices a smoother response, with a midrange more transparent and more natural than ever and a slightly greater tautness to the bass. There is still not a lot going on in the surrounds in any of the audio formats, however, beyond some ambient musical bloom, which is nevertheless quite pleasant.

Extras:
The disc includes only two primary extras, and the disc repeats them on both sides in standard definition. The first item is a forty-two-minute documentary divided into two parts: "In the Valley of Elah: After Iraq" and "In the Valley of Elah: Coming Home." It is uncommonly serious and straightforward, as befitting a film of serious intent, and it features comments from the filmmakers and actors, many of whom served in the military, plus the parents of the young man upon whom Haggis based the story. The second item is what the disc describes as an "additional scene," which is actually an additional sequence of scenes lasting well over seven minutes.

Things conclude with twenty-seven scene selections; trailers on the SD side at start-up only for other Warners, New Line, and HBO releases; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages and subtitles; and English captions for the hearing impaired. Additionally, the HD DVD side contains pop-up menus, bookmarks, a zoom-and-pan feature, and a guide to elapsed time.

Parting Thoughts:
Some people have criticized Paul Haggis as the director of "Crash" for too blatantly manipulating his audience, and he is not above using some degree of manipulation here, too. But this time it's no more so than most good directors would employ, and he's working with a script that eschews the kind of overstated interrelationships and coincidences we found in "Crash." In fact, "In the Valley of Elah" appears grounded in reality from start to finish, understandable since Haggis based his story on real-life events. The result is a good mystery, with some thought-provoking observations on the effects of war on the minds of its combatants.

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