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Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (1 Viewer)

Richard Gallagher

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You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Year: 2010
Rated: R
Program Length: 99 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080p
Languages: English, French LCR 5.1 DTS-HD (Discrete Surround)
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French

The Program

Woody Allen's latest film, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, is a minor effort which likely will disappoint even his most devoted fans. The film is set in London, but the locale could just have easily been Paris or New York or Los Angeles. One of the usual charms of Allen's films is the way he integrates the character of the principal location into the story. However, apart from the occasional scene of a car driving on the left side of the road, there is little in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger which is quintessentially London. This is unfortunate, because the plot is not particularly compelling. On the other hand, the film boasts a first-rate cast which does its best to bring the characters to life.

Alfie Shepridge (Anthony Hopkins) is a wealthy man who, after forty years of marriage to Helena (Gemma Jones), is experiencing a late-life crisis. He wants to have a son, but Helena obviously is too old to provide him with another child. Their daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) is having marital problems of her own. She is married to Roy (Josh Brolin), a medical school graduate who decided that he would rather be a novelist than a doctor. Roy wrote a promising first novel which was well-received, but for years he has been struggling to complete his second manuscript. Sally wants to have a child, but Roy's lack of income requires them to depend upon Helena's largesse to make ends meet. A family is out of the question unless and until Roy can complete his manuscript and have it published.

Alfie tries to reclaim his lost youth by working out and going to a tanning salon. When he informs Helena that he wants a divorce, she is crushed. Alfie buys a sports car and begins looking for a new mate, with disappointing results. Helena, who is fond of dropping in unannounced on her daughter and son-on-law, is distraught until she is introduced to a Crystal (Pauline Collins), a psychic who is successful in convincing Helena that her future is bright. Sally, in the meantime, lands a position as the assistant to a successful art dealer, Greg (Antonio Banderas, in a low-key, subdued performance), although her real professional ambition is to have a gallery of her own.

One day, while laboring on his manuscript, Roy notices that a beautiful young woman, Dia (Freida Pinto), has moved into an apartment directly across the way from his home office. After a period of silently admiring Dia through their respective windows, Roy strikes up a conversation with her and eventually they begin to meet for lunch and take long walks together. Dia has a fiancé and has plans to get married in a few months, but she finds herself strongly attracted to Roy. She in turn inspires Roy to complete his manuscript, but it is unclear if his publisher will want it. As Roy's marriage continues to disintegrate, Sally finds herself drawn to her new boss, Greg.

Alfie's initial efforts to find love go badly, but that all changes when he falls for Charmaine (Lucy Punch), a call girl who is less than half his age. Alfie then stuns his ex-wife and daughter when he announces that he and Charmaine are going to be married. Helena experiences an emotional rebound when her psychic assures her that she will meet a tall stranger who will sweep her off her feet.

The convoluted relationships create a number of comic opportunities, but You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is surprisingly humorless. There are a few interesting twists, particularly in regard to Roy's efforts to be published again, but ultimately the plot revolves around a group of self-centered individuals who are difficult to care about. The one exception is Helena, who is annoying and judgmental but also vulnerable and bit ditzy.

I cannot recommend You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, although Woody Allen fans (as well as admirers of the principal actors) will probably want to rent it. Leon Redbone sings "When You Wish Upon a Star" over the opening and closing credits. The moral of Allen's story seemingly is "be careful about what you wish for," but that is not a particularly original concept.

The Video

This 1.78:1 1080p Blu-ray transfer is up to Sony's usual high standards. The images are sharp and detailed. Colors and flesh tones are accurate, black levels are solid and shadow detail is every good. A moderate level of film grain has been retained to give this transfer a pleasing, film-like appearance.

The Audio

The lossless 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio is satisfactory, although the source material does not give it an opportunity to be distinguished. The audio specs state that the presentation is in "discrete surround," which is another way of saying that most of it is confined to the center channel [Edit: Forum member Mark-P points out that it is actually three-channel stereo, so the specs listed at the top of the review have been corrected]. It opens up a bit with another of Woody Allen's typically eclectic musical soundtracks. There is not a hint of distortion and every word of dialogue is clear and intelligible.

The Supplements

The only extra on this Blu-ray disc is the original theatrical trailer. Also included is the trailer for the Paul Giamatti film Barney's Version, which thus far has gotten only a limited release in the United States.

BD-Live features will be enabled on the release date. 

The Packaging

The single Blu-ray disc is packaged in a standard Blu-ray keep case.

The Final Analysis

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger is a Woody Allen feature which lacks humor and witty dialogue. It also is populated with mostly unsympathetic characters, which makes it difficult for the viewer to care about how their life choices turn out. The best thing about the film is the acting, which is uniformly excellent.

Equipment used for this review:

Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player
Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display, calibrated to THX specifications by Gregg Loewen
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable

Release Date: February 15, 2011
 

 

Mark-P

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Actually the specs say LCR DTS-HD Master Audio, meaning left-center-right. If it's like Woody's last 3 movies it's 3-channel stereo (no rear channels). Prior to "Casandra's Dream" all Woody Allen's movies were mono.

The audio specs state that the presentation is in "discrete surround," which is another way of saying that most of it is confined to the center channel.
 

Richard Gallagher

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Senior HTF Member
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Rich Gallagher
Originally Posted by Mark-P

Actually the specs say LCR DTS-HD Master Audio, meaning left-center-right. If it's like Woody's last 3 movies it's 3-channel stereo (no rear channels). Prior to "Casandra's Dream" all Woody Allen's movies were mono.

The audio specs state that the presentation is in "discrete surround," which is another way of saying that most of it is confined to the center channel.

Thanks for the clarification. I missed the 'LCR" notation, but you are correct.
 

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