Madeline

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General		Extras
Category	Children's	Theatrical Trailer(s)	Yes, 1 - 1.33:1 non-16x9, Dolby Digital 5.1
Rating		Other Trailer(s)	Yes, 2 - DVD Teaser #2, Dolby Digital City
Year Released	1998	Commentary Tracks	None
Running Time	85:30 minutes	Other Extras	Cartoon-Madeline 1952 (6:42) Biography-Author Photo Gallery
RSDL/Flipper	Dual Layer	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Aspect Ratio selection / Menu
Region	2,4	Director	Daisy Von Scherler Mayer
Studio Distributor	Columbia TriStar	Starring	Frances McDormand Nigel Hawthorne
RRP	$34.95	Music	Michel LeGrand

    Frances McDormand is very well cast as the nun schoolteacher, and the brilliant Nigel Hawthorne is welcome in any movie.

    One suggestion - watch the cartoon FIRST, and then watch the movie. The movie itself starts and ends in the same style as the cartoon, and is very well done. This will be sure to give you appreciation for the movie proper and I don't mind admitting that I myself quite enjoyed this movie - but just don't tell everyone!

Video

    The transfer is presented in dual aspect ratios on the one dual layered disc. The disc starts with a very nice prompt to choose your preferred ratio. We have a widescreen 1.78:1 16x9 enhanced version, and a 1:33:1 Pan & Scan version. Comparisons between the two reveal that some side information is lost on the Pan & Scan version. There were times where the 1.78:1 version seems a little bit cramped also, which leads me to believe that the theatrical aspect ratio is greater. I watched the 1.78:1 widescreen transfer.

    The picture is at all times sharp and clear, with plenty of detail. Shadow detail is good, but could have been slightly better. There is no low-level noise at all.

    The colours are nicely captured, and being a children's movie this is important. Plenty of strong primary colours at times, but never garish or oversaturated.

    There were no MPEG artefacts during this movie. There are no film-to-video artefacts at all. There are no film artefacts, not surprising given the youth of this movie.

    This disc is Dual-Layered, with the Pan & Scan and the Widescreen versions of the movie on separate layers of the disc.

Audio

    Dialogue was at all times clear and easy to understand.

    There were no problems with audio sync during the movie.

    The musical score by Michel LeGrand is wonderfully recorded, and perfectly suits the flavour of the movie. The sound is rich, full and detailed.

    Although this mix is 5.1, I would have had a hard time picking it had I not known. There is little to no use of the surrounds, giving a very front-heavy soundstage to the presentation. Whilst this is not of major concern given the target audience of this film, there were times when the surrounds should have been used more.

    The subwoofer got little use, and there were no low-frequency surprises here.

Menu

U.S. Theatrical Trailer (1:44)

   Presented in 1.33:1, it is not 16x9 enhanced. It does however have Dolby Digital 5.1 sound.

Cartoon - Madeline (6:42)

    This is a charming cartoon made in 1952. It is in very good condition, and is a great addition to the disc.

Biography - Author

Photo Gallery

• Biography - Author

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio is very good, only let down by the lack of surround usage.

    A nice assortment of extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall