...the movie is more than a spine tingler; it's an adept psychological study of a mother's loss.
While "The Orphanage" moves along at a leisurely pace, it builds to a terrifying climax. Viewers expecting something quicker and more gruesome may not like it, and viewers who don't speak Spanish may resist it for its English subtitles. Frankly, I didn't notice the movie even had subtitles, so engrossed was I in the goings on.
Video:
New Line transferred the 2.35:1 ratio picture to Blu-ray disc at 1080 resolution using an VC-1 codec with splendid results. The video is about as clear and well delineated as that of any high-definition disc I've watched. Colors are bright and vivid when necessary, although often they have an intentionally cold, subdued, iron-gray pastel cast to them. While there is a slightly shiny appearance to the image, it usually helps to distinguish and clarify objects. Black levels are deep, yet even in darker scenes the detailing is above par. Shots of the old house, set on a cliff between a rocky coastline and a woods, are sometimes stunningly beautiful, the greens of the foliage, the blues of the ocean, and the whites of the snow creating a panorama of gorgeous portraits. I saw zero artifacts and just the merest hint of normal film grain in an otherwise immaculate print. Needless to say, object delineation is unusually sharp, except in shots where the director intended a degree of softness.
Audio:
The Blu-ray edition provides a single Spanish soundtrack in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. If you haven't heard a good Master Audio 7.1 track, even in 5.1 as I listened to it, then you've missed something. However, if you've heard "Pan's Labyrinth" in DTS MA, then you'll get the idea. The audio for "The Orphanage" is very atmospheric, thanks to the widely dispersed channel information and the abundance of eerie surround sounds, like creaking doors, groaning boards, dripping water, rain, thunder, voices, and footsteps, which are now more pinpoint accurate in their directionality than ever. More important, though, is the clarity of the midrange. There were times during this film when I thought some of the movie's noises were real and in the room with me, and I actually put the film into pause to check them out. Then, too, you'll find exceptionally wide dynamics, a taut bass, and a quick transient response. This is not a particularly "blockbuster" type soundtrack, just an effective one.
Extras:
The extras are the same as on New Line's SD version of the movie, and they are quite welcome, consisting primarily of four useful featurettes on the making of the film. The first is "When Laura Grew Up: Constructing The Orphanage," seventeen minutes and especially enlightening insofar as these things go. The second is "Tomas' Secret Room," ten minutes specifically on sets, special effects, art direction, and the like. The third is "Horror in the Unknown: Makeup Effects," nine minutes, self-explanatory. And the fourth is "Rehearsal Studio: Cast Auditions and Table Read," about three-and-a-half minutes. All are in standard definition.
The extras conclude with an extensive set of still galleries covering the cast, make-up effects, design, black-and-white photography, production, and conceptual art. Then, there are twenty-four scene selections (but no chapter insert); a "Marketing Campaign" that includes two Spanish and two U.S. theatrical trailers and teasers and posters; Spanish as the only spoken language; and English and Spanish subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
Viewers who don't appreciate a good ghost story and would rather watch a mad slasher use a stainless-steel machete to tear his way through a dozen hapless teenagers will probably find "The Orphanage" disappointing, even boring. For the rest of us, the movie will be a quiet and disquieting thriller, made all the more fascinating for the beauty of its high-definition picture and sound.
Video:
New Line transferred the 2.35:1 ratio picture to Blu-ray disc at 1080 resolution using an VC-1 codec with splendid results. The video is about as clear and well delineated as that of any high-definition disc I've watched. Colors are bright and vivid when necessary, although often they have an intentionally cold, subdued, iron-gray pastel cast to them. While there is a slightly shiny appearance to the image, it usually helps to distinguish and clarify objects. Black levels are deep, yet even in darker scenes the detailing is above par. Shots of the old house, set on a cliff between a rocky coastline and a woods, are sometimes stunningly beautiful, the greens of the foliage, the blues of the ocean, and the whites of the snow creating a panorama of gorgeous portraits. I saw zero artifacts and just the merest hint of normal film grain in an otherwise immaculate print. Needless to say, object delineation is unusually sharp, except in shots where the director intended a degree of softness.
Audio:
The Blu-ray edition provides a single Spanish soundtrack in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. If you haven't heard a good Master Audio 7.1 track, even in 5.1 as I listened to it, then you've missed something. However, if you've heard "Pan's Labyrinth" in DTS MA, then you'll get the idea. The audio for "The Orphanage" is very atmospheric, thanks to the widely dispersed channel information and the abundance of eerie surround sounds, like creaking doors, groaning boards, dripping water, rain, thunder, voices, and footsteps, which are now more pinpoint accurate in their directionality than ever. More important, though, is the clarity of the midrange. There were times during this film when I thought some of the movie's noises were real and in the room with me, and I actually put the film into pause to check them out. Then, too, you'll find exceptionally wide dynamics, a taut bass, and a quick transient response. This is not a particularly "blockbuster" type soundtrack, just an effective one.
Extras:
The extras are the same as on New Line's SD version of the movie, and they are quite welcome, consisting primarily of four useful featurettes on the making of the film. The first is "When Laura Grew Up: Constructing The Orphanage," seventeen minutes and especially enlightening insofar as these things go. The second is "Tomas' Secret Room," ten minutes specifically on sets, special effects, art direction, and the like. The third is "Horror in the Unknown: Makeup Effects," nine minutes, self-explanatory. And the fourth is "Rehearsal Studio: Cast Auditions and Table Read," about three-and-a-half minutes. All are in standard definition.
The extras conclude with an extensive set of still galleries covering the cast, make-up effects, design, black-and-white photography, production, and conceptual art. Then, there are twenty-four scene selections (but no chapter insert); a "Marketing Campaign" that includes two Spanish and two U.S. theatrical trailers and teasers and posters; Spanish as the only spoken language; and English and Spanish subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
Viewers who don't appreciate a good ghost story and would rather watch a mad slasher use a stainless-steel machete to tear his way through a dozen hapless teenagers will probably find "The Orphanage" disappointing, even boring. For the rest of us, the movie will be a quiet and disquieting thriller, made all the more fascinating for the beauty of its high-definition picture and sound.
![Quark [TV Show]](/images/displaymedia.php?id=24990&sizew=70&cat=3)
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[release]23251[/release]