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| Category | Fantasy | Theatrical Trailer(s) | None |
| Rating |  |
Other Trailer(s) | None |
| Year Released | 1997 | Commentary Tracks | None |
| Running Time | 83 minutes | Other Extras | None |
| RSDL/Flipper | No/No |
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| Start Up | Language Selection then Menu | ||
| Region | 0 | Director | Peter Hewitt |
| Distributor |
Polygram |
Starring | John Goodman
Jim Broadbent Mark Williams Hugh Laurie Bradley Pierce |
| RRP | $34.95 | Music | Harry Gregson-Williams |
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| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Pan & Scan | MPEG | None |
| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Dolby Digital | 5.1 |
| 16x9 Enhancement | Yes | Soundtrack Languages | English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
German (Dolby Digital 5.1) Dutch (Dolby Digital 5.1) |
| Theatrical Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | ||
| Macrovision | ? | ||
| Subtitles | English Hard of Hearing
German Hard of Hearing Dutch |
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Unfortunately, the Borrower family, consisting of Pod Clock (Jim Broadbent), Homily Clock (Celia Imrie), and their children Arrietty Clock (Flora Newbigin) and Peagreen Clock (Tom Felton), are about to lose their house, as the dastardly lawyer Ocious P. Potter (John Goodman) is about to knock it down to put up an apartment block. But not if the younger Clocks have anything to do with it!
There are some great special effects in this movie, and it is a movie that the entire family can enjoy. Just don't expect a plot that is too deep and meaningful since there are a number of glaring plot holes - just enjoy the ride.
The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1,
16x9 enhanced. Also present on the other side of the disc is a Pan &
Scan version of the movie. I watched the widescreen version of the
movie.
The transfer was reasonably sharp and clear, but not quite as good as the very best transfers. Shadow detail was acceptable.
The colours tended to be oversaturated, especially early on in the movie. Colour bleeding was not a problem, but reds in particular were very strong indeed.
No MPEG artefacts were seen. Film-to-video artefacts consisted of small amounts of aliasing, but nothing out of the ordinary. Film artefacts went unnoticed.
Dialogue was easy to hear at all times, and there were no audio sync problems.
The music suited the on-screen action, though I felt that it could have been present more often during the movie, particularly given the style of the movie.
The surround channels were used for music and for some special effects. They were used reasonably well, but not spectacularly.
The .1 channel supported the music and the special effects.
The video quality is acceptable, though you may have to back down on your colour control a little to watch it since it is so highly saturated.
The audio quality is also quite acceptable.
The extras are very limited indeed.
| Video |  |
| Audio | |
| Extras | nil |
| Plot |  |
| Overall | |
© Michael Demtschyna
4th May 1999
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| DVD | Pioneer DV-505, using S-Video output |
| Display | Loewe Art-95 95cm direct view CRT in 16:9 mode, via the S-Video input. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials. |
| Audio Decoder | Denon AVD-2000 Dolby Digital AddOn Decoder, used as a standalone processor. Calibrated with the NTSC DVD version of Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | 2 x EA Playmaster 100W per channel stereo amplifiers for Left, Right, Left Rear and Right Rear; Philips 360 50W per channel stereo amplifier for Centre and Subwoofer |
| Speakers | Philips S2000 speakers for Left, Right; Polk Audio CS-100 Centre Speaker; Apex AS-123 speakers for Left Rear and Right Rear; Yamaha B100-115SE subwoofer |