The Bridge-Complete Series One (Bron/Broen) (2011)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2011
Running Time	580
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (3)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Henrik Georgsson Charlotte Sieling Lisa Siwe
Studio Distributor	SBS Madman Entertainment	Starring	Kim Bodnia Sofia Helin
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$39.95	Music	Patrik Andrén Uno Helmersson Johan Söderqvist

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Swedish Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English (Burned In)	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     You may have missed the showing of this Swedish/Danish police thriller television series on SBS recently, however you have really missed something special if you did. It is called The Bridge in English however its original title is Bron/Broen which are the Swedish and Danish words for bridge respectively. This title actually reveals much more about the series than the English one does as the series focuses on a case which crosses the border between Sweden and Denmark requiring the police forces of the two countries to team up to solve the case. This series is excellent and is already being remade into a TV movie in the US starring Diane Kruger (USA/Mexico) and there are plans for an English remake as a TV series (England/France). A second season of this original series has already been commissioned as well.

     Between the cities of Copenhagen in Denmark and Malmo in Sweden is the Oresund bridge which stretches for nearly 8 kilometres. The border between the two countries is in the middle of the bridge. This series kicks off with a body being left in the middle of the bridge at night, right on the border while the bridge's lights are mysteriously extinguished. Two detectives, one from Denmark and one from Sweden attend the scene. From Sweden comes Saga Noren (Sofia Helin) an abrupt, analytical, by-the-book and somewhat anti-social single woman in her thirties and from Denmark Martin Rohde (Kim Bodnia), a relaxed and intuitive middle-aged man with multiple children and wives. Initially it seems to be the body of a Swedish politician, however it quickly becomes evident that the body is in fact two halves of two different bodies, one from Sweden and one from Denmark. Initially, Martin finds it hard to understand Saga's very analytical and cold approach but soon realises that beneath her personality is an excellent detective. They need to work together to unravel a complex case which involves many threads and possible suspects. A variety of sub-plots are introduced and some take a while to join into the main storyline, which adds to the intrigue and the compelling nature of the series.

     This is a top quality thriller television series involving an interesting case which has lots of twists and turns but also brings in personal dramas of the people involved which adds more interest for the audience. The cinematography is also excellent with some very stylish shots of nighttime Copenhagen and Malmo (including the bridge) which show the stark beauty of the area. The two leads are excellent especially Sofia Helin in the difficult role of Saga Noren, who is a very different and interesting character for a series such as this. The character is quite unlikeable early in the series and the audience needs to get used to her quirks and bluntness as the series progresses. The music plays a big part in the atmosphere of the production combined with the excellent cinematography. The music includes a score by three composers and a variety of Scandinavian pop and electronica. The theme tune is excellent, Hollow Talk by the Choir of Young Believers. My only slight criticism would be that some of the plot points seem to rely greatly on coincidence, however, this is a minor problem.

     This DVD set includes all ten, one hour episodes spread over 3 DVDs.

     This is a gritty, gripping, compelling and atmospheric police thriller which deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Check out the original before the remakes start to appear. Highly Recommended.

Video

     The video quality is very good.

     The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was quite clear and sharp throughout. The shadow detail was very good.

     The colour was well rendered reflecting the bleak colour scheme as intended.

     There were no noticeable artefacts.

     There are subtitles available in English which are clear and easy to read. They are in a stream so may be turned off for Swedish/Danish speaking viewers.

     There are no obvious layer changes during playback.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is good.

     These discs contain a Swedish & Danish soundtrack in Dolby Digital 2.0.

     Dialogue seemed clear and easy to hear and understand.

     The music sounds great and is a highlight of the production as mentioned above.

    The surround speakers and subwoofer were not used.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu included music.

    This show is available in the UK in the same format but not in Region 1. There is also an all region Blu-ray available in Sweden.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall