The White Queen Blu-Ray Review
There are five mind blowing errors in this shot alone. I'll give you one: They did not have handicap accessible rails on the stairs in 1464.The series for me becomes a wild drinking game. How far can I go as the number of laughable errors pile up. Items that couldn't exist in the time frame make their way into the shots with incredible frequency and turn a multi-milliondollar production into an error ridden laugh fest that reminds me of what would happen if the High School propmaster were given a budget and a major production. If I had a drinking game built around historical errors in a series that marketted itself as an attempt to show us history, well, I'd be hammered drunk by the end of episode 2.Sometimes it's nit picky
Wait, isn't that a sewing machine button?And sometimes it's VERY annoying. Look through that first shot; by the time you figure out three or four of the major errors, you'll get what I'm talking about.The actors live up to their parts, but thanks to a series of rather foolish errors it just never worked for me. I kept having a much greater temptation to laugh as opposed to embracing the narrative.Like the rainbow effect in a projector though, many may never notice these differences. What they will notice is the differences between the UK version and the US version. It's mostly a few minutes here and there - and almost all of those minutes involve seeing people naked. Nothing wrong with that, but if you want a version of this that is basically the exact same production with all the same errors and fewer naked bodies, you can find the original issued Blu-Rays.
The BBC is really stepping up it's game in putting out quality Blu-Rays, and putting these ten episodes across three discs allows the titles much more breathing room. I wish more companies put this much effort into making the most of the bit rate on a disc and getting the best picture possible for the viewer. Because this was filmed and designed in 1080I, leaving it in the original broadcast form is the right idea.The title has a very video look to it, but it since that is how it was when originally aired, this transfer seems to be a great rendering of what the designers of the program wanted.
When BBC One announced a co-production of the story of the War of the Roses with StarZ picking up a more R Rated version to be aired state side, there was immediate interest. The production would be given great resources, tons of money and would have a top flight cast. Considering BBC's recent successes, there were all sorts of grounds for people to have very high expectations.For the most part, the series succeeded; critical reviews were very positive, performances were good, and the filmography was great. With an intro like that you know that there is a 'but' coming. And here it is: for all the polish of a series as good as The White Queen, from the moment it aired it also became an easy target for derision thanks to a series of laughable anachronistic mistakes that still stand out like a sore thumb, no matter how good the rest of the production is.In the same way that some people never notice the Rainbow Effect in a projector, a lot of people will never notice all the anachronisms. But for those of us that do, it results in what works as a great beginning for a drinking game.
Studio: BBC
Distributed By: Other
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080I/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Rating: Not Rated
Run Time: 56 Min. Per Episode Average
Package Includes: Blu-ray, Digital Copy, UltraViolet
Disc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region:
Release Date: 02/04/2014
MSRP: $59.99
The Production Rating: 3.5/5
There are five mind blowing errors in this shot alone. I'll give you one: They did not have handicap accessible rails on the stairs in 1464.The series for me becomes a wild drinking game. How far can I go as the number of laughable errors pile up. Items that couldn't exist in the time frame make their way into the shots with incredible frequency and turn a multi-milliondollar production into an error ridden laugh fest that reminds me of what would happen if the High School propmaster were given a budget and a major production. If I had a drinking game built around historical errors in a series that marketted itself as an attempt to show us history, well, I'd be hammered drunk by the end of episode 2.Sometimes it's nit pickyWait, isn't that a sewing machine button?And sometimes it's VERY annoying. Look through that first shot; by the time you figure out three or four of the major errors, you'll get what I'm talking about.The actors live up to their parts, but thanks to a series of rather foolish errors it just never worked for me. I kept having a much greater temptation to laugh as opposed to embracing the narrative.Like the rainbow effect in a projector though, many may never notice these differences. What they will notice is the differences between the UK version and the US version. It's mostly a few minutes here and there - and almost all of those minutes involve seeing people naked. Nothing wrong with that, but if you want a version of this that is basically the exact same production with all the same errors and fewer naked bodies, you can find the original issued Blu-Rays.
Video Rating: 4.5/5 3D Rating: NA
The BBC is really stepping up it's game in putting out quality Blu-Rays, and putting these ten episodes across three discs allows the titles much more breathing room. I wish more companies put this much effort into making the most of the bit rate on a disc and getting the best picture possible for the viewer. Because this was filmed and designed in 1080I, leaving it in the original broadcast form is the right idea.The title has a very video look to it, but it since that is how it was when originally aired, this transfer seems to be a great rendering of what the designers of the program wanted.
Audio Rating: 4/5
Special Features Rating: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed By: MattCR
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