? Any reviews of Branagh's "Shackleton" ? (1 Viewer)

[Enrique B Chamorro]

Any reviews of Branagh's "Shackleton" 3 disc DVD coming out on 04/09/2002 ?

 

[Bob_Mandel]

Well, Enrique, I am still writing my review, but I think this is a winner. I think Branagh is at his best, and I am not a fan of Ken's non-Shakespearean roles--except for "Peter's Friends." What the filmmakers and cast went through to bring this amazing story to the screen is pretty amazing, too. I need to rewatch (or listen) to speak to the audio quality, but I think it's pretty good. The image quality is well above average for the network's releases (it is anamorphic widescreen), but it's not without some faults.
The supplements are by far the best on any A&E release to date, and this helps explain why this has already become their no. 6 best seller! My major complaint disc-wise is AGAIN the lack of English subtitles... this drives me bonkers. How are we yanks supposed to understand those subjects of the UK? There is one scene where I still, after 3 attempts, have no idea what Shackleton's wife is saying. It's interesting, but I became slightly disappointed in the film after seeing Biography's Shackleton episode... there is so much more to this story that is missing from the film... but seeing the excellent behind-the-scenes doc makes it clear that it would have been impossible to film his entire story... even of this expedition. It's not a bad thing that they focused on the most essential piece...
I did have the same sense that I had after reading then seeing "Into Thin Air" and "Perfect Storm," neither of which really portray the exhaustive struggles as well as the books do, either.
Oh, and I really dig the new slim-lined cases!

 

[Enrique B Chamorro]

I have a friend who is deaf in one ear and wanted the

Shackleton set. He needs subtitles or closed captions.

Does the movie have closed captions?

Thanks,

EBC

 

[SteveGon]

Bob, I'll be looking for that review! I just picked up Shackleton the other day. It does look like a nice set though I'm not going to watch any of it until I'm on vacation next week. I didn't figure the movie would cover everything so I'm not disappointed in regards to that. Besides, I've done some reading on the subject and won't be missing anything. Come on, Monday!

 

[Enrique B Chamorro]

Does the extra documentary have any of the original footage

from Frank Hurley's filming of the actual 1914 trip?

How does the extra doc compare with the movie

I always wanted thats on DVD called "South"?

South was restored by the National Film and Television Archive

of the British Film Institute using original nitrate materials,

surviving prints and original glass slides.

Their four-year effort has returned this beautiful film

to its original glory, and South is now ready to be seen

for the first time in 80 years.

Features;

Audio Commentary by Luke McKernan of the British Film Institute's National Film & Television Archive

Excerpt from the Film Southward on the Quest

Commentary by Shackleton on His Nimrod Expedition of 1907

Separate Stereo Music Track

runs 81 min.

 

[Bob_Mandel]

Yes, indeed, Enrique. There are closed captions. Good new indeed! I am now off to find that scene and what the heck the overly patient Mrs. Shackleton is saying...
I had this page open all this time and only now just saw your newest questions. There are 3 "docs" on disc 3. From what I remember: 1) Breaking the Ice: The Making of Shackleton- A nearly 50-minute doc on the making-of Shackleton, which is very, very good. Contains only a few snippets of the Hurley film. 2) Biography's Ernest Shackleton: Looking South- 43 minute episode on Shackleton that has a bit of film (some the same as above) and several beautiful photographs. An excellent doc... one of the best episodes I can remember. 3) The History Channel's "Antartica: A Frozen History" 1.5 hours doc on Antartica... which I haven't but watched a few minutes. It's part of what I need to finish to complete my review of the set.
I haven't seen "South," but you've got me excited about seeing it.

 

[Malcolm Cleugh]

Please can anyone let me know if its w/s or p/s

The UK release is 16:9 anamorphic which is the broadcast ratio when it was shown in the UK on C4.

The downside is that all you get is the film, all the documentaries are missing as they only wanted to use 1 DVD9 and a second would be required for these. Also the making of documentary was in 16:9 when shown on TV.

A review at the time mentioned the UK distributor VCI thought it would not be popular enough in the UK to justify a 2 disk set ! when he is one of our most famous explorers and at web retailers 2 disk sets are only usually around £3 (or $5) more than a 1 disk. Just being mean.

 

[Robert Crawford]

According to my sources there are two versions available for purchase. One version is movie only with a MSRP of $39.95 and the other is a 3 disc special edition with a $49.95 MSRP. Also, from what I can gather, the aspect ratio is 1.33:1

Crawdaddy

 

[Dave Scarpa]

This is on A&E Sunday and Monday, boy iy hit DVD Fast.

 

[Enrique B Chamorro]

I am very happy to hear about the closed captions!
If you want more info about "South" the restored
silent film made by Hurley during the expedition;
Press release from Milestone Films, current dist. of South
http://www.milestonefilms.com/pdf_press/south.pdf
DVD review at dvdangle
http://www.dvdangle.com/reviews/review.php?Id=1058
I had a chance to see the Endurance exhibit at the Field Museum last year.
One of the most impressive things was a mock up of the row
boat they used from the South Pole 850 miles to South Georgia.
The museum had three large curved screens around the boat.
One in front and one on each side, on the screens was timed
footage of what the sea waves would look like.
On the right side the wave would rise high, on the left the
wave would drop low and across the front would be the insane
slope of the water, and then the film would have the waves
rise and fall. It made me feel sick just standing at the
back of the rowboat, I can't imagine doing it.
I wonder if the IMAX films of the Endurace wil come out?

 

[Bob_Mandel]

The film in the 3-disc set is definitely in widescreen. As I thought, upon rewatching now the DD stereo track is very good, with clean, crisp dialogue anchored in the center channel, with the musical utilizing the front soundstage and rear channels well. Not as well as a discrete 5.1 mix would have been, but quite powerful.

None of the 3 supplemental docs are widescreen.

 

[GlennH]

As is usual with A&E DVD product, DeepDiscountDVD has the lowest price on this release (the collector's edition is $26.57, 47% off MSRP). That's almost $11 cheaper than Amazon.com and DDD has free shipping if you don't mind slower MediaMail.
By the way, while all the retailers show this as being "Full Frame," the A&E webstore itself notes that it is anamorphic widescreen:
Link Removed

 

[David Illingworth II]

I saw this set at Best Buy last week for about $27, so you might not want to wait for DDD.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Glad you guys liked it. However, I've got to say that the Brit critics were only lukewarm about it when it was shown on TV over here. Personally I didn't like it - apart from anything else, the accents were utterly, totally *wrong*. They made Shackleton and the 'upper crust' members of the team sound like middle class suburbia (in reality the class divide was much more pronounced than this). And Bob, if you had trouble with the accents as they are ... I also thought that parts one and two of the movie (when shown on Brit TV it was divided into two parts - the preparation on one evening, the expedition on the other) didn't really link up.

Overall, a disappointment; Shackleton has always been one of my heroes and I think this film did him a great disservice. They showed his faults but I don't think his leadership and resilience really showed through; he just seemed to react to things and otherwise seemed to be driven by megalomania. It also presented the crew as a bigger bunch of complainers than they were in reality.

 

[Bob_Mandel]

Andrew, I share your disappointment... to a degree (although less and less the more I think about). I think it's funny that a man who came up 97 miles short was hailed as a hero... (a fact the movie ignores). I don't think that even sat well with Shackleton... which stirred him on the rest of the life to earn it. So why was he a hero? He didn't find anything. He didn't do anything faster or better. He failed in every attempt... What makes him heroic, I think, was his ability to save those men under unbelievable conditions. (Making a hut out of boats and tarp in the Antartic?!) To focus, to motivate and achieve under duress. In that regard, the film focuses (in the 2nd half) on this. True they may have altered the characters, and he does seem meglomaniacal, but what manager isn't?

 

[SteveGon]

What David said. I got my copy of Shackleton at Best Buy for $27.99. Pretty good buy if you ask me.

 

[Paul D G]

If I may enquire - what is it about Shackleton these days? I've been hearing a lot about him (anniversary perhaps?)
The A&E special is on TV Sunday night and this past week PBS aired Endurance, a film using the original film shot by the crew - which also had a brief theatrical run recently. Haven't watched it yet, tho I'm planning a Shackleton Day soon.
-paul

 

[Robert Crawford]

Picked up my copy of Shackleton today for $27.99 and I have a copy of "South" on the way to me.

Crawdaddy

 

[GlennH]

That is indeed a good price at BestBuy. Here it is on their website:
http://www.bestbuy.com/movies/produc...270&e=11101450
But, what's the deal with you guys already getting this? Have all the BestBuy B&M stores messed up and put these out early or something? Release isn't until Tuesday 4/9.
Oh well, I probably wouldn't watch it right away anyway, so I can wait for the DDD order I placed.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I never said I got my copy from Best Buy which means I will probably be editing some posts in this thread.

Crawdaddy