For your PC needsWatcher
06-10-2002, 09:19 PM
<I><B>ROADSHOW ENTERTAINMENT</I>
<center>
<h2>BRIEF ENCOUNTER: Special Edition </h2>
Release Date: October 16, 2002
Rating: M 15+
RRP: $24.95
<UL>DISC FEATURES AND SPECS:</b></center>
<LI>A Profile Of Brief Encounter Documentary.
<LI>Original Theatrical Trailer.
<LI>Biography.
<LI>Stills Gallery.
<LI>Audio: English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono.
<LI>Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Full Frame (4:3)
<LI>Subtitles: English for the Hearing Impaired
<LI>Running Time: 82.27 minutes</UL>
<center><b>CAST:</b></center>
Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond.
<b>DIRECTED BY: </b> David Lean
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER: </b></center>
<i>Noel Coward's BRIEF ENCOUNTER remains one of the most poignant love stories ever brought to the screen. TREVOR HOWARD and CELIA JOHNSON play middle class suburbanites who in the course of their regular routines, meet and gradually move form casual nods of recognition to an acquaintanceship which ripens into deep affection. Nominated for two Academy Awards ® -Best Actress and Best Director - in 1946, few films over the years have equaled the compassion and realism of Brief Encounter.
In a Profile of brief Encounter producers Anthony Havelock-Allan and Ronald Neame, actress Margaret Barton and Celia Johnson's daughter Lucy Fleming give special behind-the-scenes insights while fans Sheridan Morley and actor John Sessions explain why it remains everyone's favourite film romance.</i>
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL:</b></center>
Audio:
There isn't too much to say here as the audio is pretty basic, which is to be expected.
Brief Encounter has Dolby Digital 1.0 mono sound, which is adequate enough, with no irritating hiss or crackling that you can experience in movies of a similar vintage.
The movie is driven by its dialogue and those old English accents are quite clear and easy to follow throughout the movie.
Noel Coward only wanted the one piece of music used for the entire film, which was from Rachmaninov. The music sounds o.k, but is obviously limited by the merit of the mono track.
Video:
There isn't really much to say about the video quality either.
The movie is in black & white and has a considerable amount of scratches which doesn't sound too good, but believe it or not, they really didn't distract too much at all. Grain is also apparent at times, but yet again, it didn't really distract.
The rest of the picture had an acceptable amount of clarity to it and it looks pretty descent for a movie made in 1945.
Brief Encounter has an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame (4:3).
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES:</b></center>
A Profile Of Brief Encounter Documentary -
Running for 23.55 minutes, this excellent documentary should not be missed by anyone with an interest in Brief Encounter.
It includes scenes from the movie, provides information on the origins of Brief Encounter, locations used for filming and has surviving cast and crew speaking on camera on a variety of subjects such as the film, cast and music.
People speaking on camera about Brief Encounter include, Margaret Barton who was cast as a teenager working in the cafeteria, Lucy Fleming (daughter of Celia Johnson), Producers Sir Anthony Havelock-Allan and Ronald Neame and an actor of more recent history, John Sessions.
Original Theatrical Trailer -
It's good to be able to see the original Theatrical Trailer for Brief Encounter, but the audio and visual quality is very average with the black and white picture looking faded in comparison to the main feature, as well as having a considerable amount of marks and blemishes popping up all over the place.
The audio is full of hiss and crackling, making the period of the trailer even more obvious.
It runs for 2.32 minutes and features clips from the movie. Having said that, the trailer's definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of this British classic.
Biography -
This feature offers 2 pages of text on the following people.
The two lead actors Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, the Director David Lean and Playwright Noel Coward. Each biography provides some information on their careers and the biography on David Lean actually goes on to a third page.
Stills Gallery -
Here you have 15 still photographs that mostly include pictures of the cast, but does also show some promotional material. You can sit back and watch them change automatically, or you can progress through them faster by using the button on your remote.
<center><B>MY MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM THIS DVD:</b></center>
Celia Johnson! No wonder she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Brief Encounter! Her role in this movie is nothing short of sensational.
<center><B>OVERALL:</b></center>
Brief Encounter is an excellent story that is played out with excellence by its two lead actors, Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. Brief Encounter really is a must see if you have a soft spot for romantic movies.
Serious film buffs will surely know of this British classic, but for those who don't, I can recommend it whole heartedly.
Anyone who knows me would tell you that movies of this genre are not my cup of tea, yet I found myself enjoying every minute of Brief Encounter and can see myself watching it again in the near future.
Audio and video qualities are good for a movie of this vintage and the extra features offer some good information on the movie and its cast.
The Documentary was the highlight of the extra features for me.
Brief Encounter has a release date of October 16, 2002 and a RRP of $24.95
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B><center>Rating out of 5</b></center> </b> </td>
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>3.5</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>3.5</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>3</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>4 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>3.5</b></td></tr></table>
<center>
<h2>BRIEF ENCOUNTER: Special Edition </h2>
Release Date: October 16, 2002
Rating: M 15+
RRP: $24.95
<UL>DISC FEATURES AND SPECS:</b></center>
<LI>A Profile Of Brief Encounter Documentary.
<LI>Original Theatrical Trailer.
<LI>Biography.
<LI>Stills Gallery.
<LI>Audio: English Dolby Digital 1.0 mono.
<LI>Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Full Frame (4:3)
<LI>Subtitles: English for the Hearing Impaired
<LI>Running Time: 82.27 minutes</UL>
<center><b>CAST:</b></center>
Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond.
<b>DIRECTED BY: </b> David Lean
<center><B>FROM THE BACK COVER: </b></center>
<i>Noel Coward's BRIEF ENCOUNTER remains one of the most poignant love stories ever brought to the screen. TREVOR HOWARD and CELIA JOHNSON play middle class suburbanites who in the course of their regular routines, meet and gradually move form casual nods of recognition to an acquaintanceship which ripens into deep affection. Nominated for two Academy Awards ® -Best Actress and Best Director - in 1946, few films over the years have equaled the compassion and realism of Brief Encounter.
In a Profile of brief Encounter producers Anthony Havelock-Allan and Ronald Neame, actress Margaret Barton and Celia Johnson's daughter Lucy Fleming give special behind-the-scenes insights while fans Sheridan Morley and actor John Sessions explain why it remains everyone's favourite film romance.</i>
<center><b>AUDIO/VISUAL:</b></center>
Audio:
There isn't too much to say here as the audio is pretty basic, which is to be expected.
Brief Encounter has Dolby Digital 1.0 mono sound, which is adequate enough, with no irritating hiss or crackling that you can experience in movies of a similar vintage.
The movie is driven by its dialogue and those old English accents are quite clear and easy to follow throughout the movie.
Noel Coward only wanted the one piece of music used for the entire film, which was from Rachmaninov. The music sounds o.k, but is obviously limited by the merit of the mono track.
Video:
There isn't really much to say about the video quality either.
The movie is in black & white and has a considerable amount of scratches which doesn't sound too good, but believe it or not, they really didn't distract too much at all. Grain is also apparent at times, but yet again, it didn't really distract.
The rest of the picture had an acceptable amount of clarity to it and it looks pretty descent for a movie made in 1945.
Brief Encounter has an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame (4:3).
<center><B>EXTRA FEATURES:</b></center>
A Profile Of Brief Encounter Documentary -
Running for 23.55 minutes, this excellent documentary should not be missed by anyone with an interest in Brief Encounter.
It includes scenes from the movie, provides information on the origins of Brief Encounter, locations used for filming and has surviving cast and crew speaking on camera on a variety of subjects such as the film, cast and music.
People speaking on camera about Brief Encounter include, Margaret Barton who was cast as a teenager working in the cafeteria, Lucy Fleming (daughter of Celia Johnson), Producers Sir Anthony Havelock-Allan and Ronald Neame and an actor of more recent history, John Sessions.
Original Theatrical Trailer -
It's good to be able to see the original Theatrical Trailer for Brief Encounter, but the audio and visual quality is very average with the black and white picture looking faded in comparison to the main feature, as well as having a considerable amount of marks and blemishes popping up all over the place.
The audio is full of hiss and crackling, making the period of the trailer even more obvious.
It runs for 2.32 minutes and features clips from the movie. Having said that, the trailer's definitely worth seeing if you are a fan of this British classic.
Biography -
This feature offers 2 pages of text on the following people.
The two lead actors Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard, the Director David Lean and Playwright Noel Coward. Each biography provides some information on their careers and the biography on David Lean actually goes on to a third page.
Stills Gallery -
Here you have 15 still photographs that mostly include pictures of the cast, but does also show some promotional material. You can sit back and watch them change automatically, or you can progress through them faster by using the button on your remote.
<center><B>MY MEMORABLE MOMENT FROM THIS DVD:</b></center>
Celia Johnson! No wonder she was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in Brief Encounter! Her role in this movie is nothing short of sensational.
<center><B>OVERALL:</b></center>
Brief Encounter is an excellent story that is played out with excellence by its two lead actors, Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. Brief Encounter really is a must see if you have a soft spot for romantic movies.
Serious film buffs will surely know of this British classic, but for those who don't, I can recommend it whole heartedly.
Anyone who knows me would tell you that movies of this genre are not my cup of tea, yet I found myself enjoying every minute of Brief Encounter and can see myself watching it again in the near future.
Audio and video qualities are good for a movie of this vintage and the extra features offer some good information on the movie and its cast.
The Documentary was the highlight of the extra features for me.
Brief Encounter has a release date of October 16, 2002 and a RRP of $24.95
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" ALIGN="center" BORDER="1">
<tr><td><B><center>Rating out of 5</b></center> </b> </td>
<tr><td><B>VIDEO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>3.5</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>AUDIO QUALITY</b> </td><td><B>3.5</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>EXTRAS</b> </td><td><B>3</b> </td></tr>
<tr><td><B>THE MOVIE</b> </td><td><B>4 </b></td></tr>
<tr><td><B>OVERALL</B> </td><td><B>3.5</b></td></tr></table>