- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,394
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
I have been aware of Showtime's The Affair, but with the exception of viewing the first episode in broadcast, haven't found the time to take a serious look at the series.
Those familiar with Rashomon will find comfort here, as reality, perception and perspectives of various characters, blossom as the series gains speed, and more interrelationships and points of view arrive.
The name of the show, The Affair, actually gives us little to go on, as the series is less about an affair, than about the tendrils of that affair, and how it affects multiple relationships.
Woven throughout, almost like a wonderful McGuffin, or to some, MacGuffin, of a police procedural regarding something that may or may not have occurred, and what that actually might be wafts across the surface of the series, much like a bit of vermouth over a martini.
There is a danger to this series, as once you get through the first couple of episodes, it's far to easy to get hooked.
But that's where the Paramount / CBS release comes in handy.
Binge viewing.
Let's go into some specifics.
The series has been shot substantially by Steve Fierberg, who has quite a CV. One might compare the style here to that of Entourage, although some feel that an DP should not have a style.
The series has been shot with an Alexa, and finished in 2k for HD broadcast, and here's where it gets interesting.
Somewhere along the food chain, a decision was made to release the series for disc consumption, not on Blu-ray, but down-rezzed to DVD. While I originally found this questionable (and I'd still prefer BD), the eye adjusts, and even on a large screen via projection, seated at a nominal distance, the images look superb.
While one can never be certain where the overall style of the show comes from, a quick look at the list of directors can at least be instructive, and you'll find some interesting names.
Episode 1 was directed by Mark Mylod, who among his many other credits, has 44 episodes of Shamless, and 37 of Entourage to his credit. Episode 2 has Jeffrey Reiner in the director's chair, and he has helmed the majority of the shows.
But then, as you look further, you'll find some interesting "guest" directors.
Carl Franklin, Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, Laura Innes, Michael Clovis, Scott Winant, and one of my personal favorites, John Dahl. Not heard of some. Look them up.
One further point of discussion, and something that I brought up in another thread.
Since the beginnings of entertainment, most notably the Elizabethan era, casts were made up totally of men, in early films, actors in blackface portraying blacks, various and sundry white and Hispanic actors in the roles of Native Americans -- think Henry Brandon (born in Germany) as Scar.
When I call tech support, or customer service, especially during normal business hours here in the Colonies, I like to find myself connected to someone stateside, and not sent off to Indonesia, India or elsewhere. To many people here without jobs. Try calling Samsung sometime, and you'll generally find yourself speaking to someone on the other side of the world, with zero ability to actually discuss the products of the company they represent -- 4k players, anyone?
That concept continues with actors from different parts of the globe, being imported, and forced to speak in tongues unnatural to their daily life. I believe I noted poor Daniel Radcliffe, who did such a wonderful job in Hot to Succeed, being asked to do a British accent in Now You See Me 2, and not quite pulling it off -- even when playing against actors with very defined Amurican accents, such as Mark Ruffalo and Wood Harrelson.
This occurs all the time, with actors being imported from the UK to fill roles that could easily go to domestic players.
Consider Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, being put upon to not only work with a very foreign accent, but then to lower his tonality by fourteen octaves.
I make note of this in regard to The Affair as both leads, Dominic West and Ruth Wilson, both superb talents, are asked to play Americans.
The problem here, for American actors, to whom the roles might have gone, is that they do it so perfectly (well, almost -- I do feel that within one of the 22 episodes, I did detect a single word, as spoken by Ms Wilson, that seemed a bit more British in pronunciation, that Amurican), that I cannot imagine anyone else in their roles.
Perfect? I believe so. Much like the other players, Maura Tierney, Joshua Jackson, the newly minted Julia Goldani Telles, Colin Donnell, Josh Stamberg, Victor Williams, Mare Winningham, Kathleen Chalfont, and one of my favorites, Richard Schiff, who before becoming a staple on The West Wing, was in a myriad of other shows.
The bottom line here, is that The Affair is an intelligent, multi-layered entertainment,with a wonderful catch -- multiple perspectives.
Watch closely, and you'll begin to notice sometimes, extremely tiny differences in words, inflection, and on a larger scale, costume, hair, lighting, location...
And we realize that the characters are sometimes seeing the same occurrences in totally different ways.
The show may be a bit of a soap opera, and has enough nudity to offend the entire Counsel of Bishops, but always intelligent, always keeping the audience guessing, and always just a step ahead.
Would I prefer it on Blu-ray?
Absolutely. But we have what we have.
Image - 3.5
Audio - 5
4k Up-rez - 4
Pass / Fail - Pass
Highly Recommended
RAH
Those familiar with Rashomon will find comfort here, as reality, perception and perspectives of various characters, blossom as the series gains speed, and more interrelationships and points of view arrive.
The name of the show, The Affair, actually gives us little to go on, as the series is less about an affair, than about the tendrils of that affair, and how it affects multiple relationships.
Woven throughout, almost like a wonderful McGuffin, or to some, MacGuffin, of a police procedural regarding something that may or may not have occurred, and what that actually might be wafts across the surface of the series, much like a bit of vermouth over a martini.
There is a danger to this series, as once you get through the first couple of episodes, it's far to easy to get hooked.
But that's where the Paramount / CBS release comes in handy.
Binge viewing.
Let's go into some specifics.
The series has been shot substantially by Steve Fierberg, who has quite a CV. One might compare the style here to that of Entourage, although some feel that an DP should not have a style.
The series has been shot with an Alexa, and finished in 2k for HD broadcast, and here's where it gets interesting.
Somewhere along the food chain, a decision was made to release the series for disc consumption, not on Blu-ray, but down-rezzed to DVD. While I originally found this questionable (and I'd still prefer BD), the eye adjusts, and even on a large screen via projection, seated at a nominal distance, the images look superb.
While one can never be certain where the overall style of the show comes from, a quick look at the list of directors can at least be instructive, and you'll find some interesting names.
Episode 1 was directed by Mark Mylod, who among his many other credits, has 44 episodes of Shamless, and 37 of Entourage to his credit. Episode 2 has Jeffrey Reiner in the director's chair, and he has helmed the majority of the shows.
But then, as you look further, you'll find some interesting "guest" directors.
Carl Franklin, Ryan Fleck, Anna Boden, Laura Innes, Michael Clovis, Scott Winant, and one of my personal favorites, John Dahl. Not heard of some. Look them up.
One further point of discussion, and something that I brought up in another thread.
Since the beginnings of entertainment, most notably the Elizabethan era, casts were made up totally of men, in early films, actors in blackface portraying blacks, various and sundry white and Hispanic actors in the roles of Native Americans -- think Henry Brandon (born in Germany) as Scar.
When I call tech support, or customer service, especially during normal business hours here in the Colonies, I like to find myself connected to someone stateside, and not sent off to Indonesia, India or elsewhere. To many people here without jobs. Try calling Samsung sometime, and you'll generally find yourself speaking to someone on the other side of the world, with zero ability to actually discuss the products of the company they represent -- 4k players, anyone?
That concept continues with actors from different parts of the globe, being imported, and forced to speak in tongues unnatural to their daily life. I believe I noted poor Daniel Radcliffe, who did such a wonderful job in Hot to Succeed, being asked to do a British accent in Now You See Me 2, and not quite pulling it off -- even when playing against actors with very defined Amurican accents, such as Mark Ruffalo and Wood Harrelson.
This occurs all the time, with actors being imported from the UK to fill roles that could easily go to domestic players.
Consider Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, being put upon to not only work with a very foreign accent, but then to lower his tonality by fourteen octaves.
I make note of this in regard to The Affair as both leads, Dominic West and Ruth Wilson, both superb talents, are asked to play Americans.
The problem here, for American actors, to whom the roles might have gone, is that they do it so perfectly (well, almost -- I do feel that within one of the 22 episodes, I did detect a single word, as spoken by Ms Wilson, that seemed a bit more British in pronunciation, that Amurican), that I cannot imagine anyone else in their roles.
Perfect? I believe so. Much like the other players, Maura Tierney, Joshua Jackson, the newly minted Julia Goldani Telles, Colin Donnell, Josh Stamberg, Victor Williams, Mare Winningham, Kathleen Chalfont, and one of my favorites, Richard Schiff, who before becoming a staple on The West Wing, was in a myriad of other shows.
The bottom line here, is that The Affair is an intelligent, multi-layered entertainment,with a wonderful catch -- multiple perspectives.
Watch closely, and you'll begin to notice sometimes, extremely tiny differences in words, inflection, and on a larger scale, costume, hair, lighting, location...
And we realize that the characters are sometimes seeing the same occurrences in totally different ways.
The show may be a bit of a soap opera, and has enough nudity to offend the entire Counsel of Bishops, but always intelligent, always keeping the audience guessing, and always just a step ahead.
Would I prefer it on Blu-ray?
Absolutely. But we have what we have.
Image - 3.5
Audio - 5
4k Up-rez - 4
Pass / Fail - Pass
Highly Recommended
RAH
