In the Shadow (Ve Stinu) (2012)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Trailer-30+ Accent Entertainment trailers
Rating
Year Of Production	2012
Running Time	101:32
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	David Ondrícek
Studio Distributor	Accent Film Entertainment	Starring	Ivan Trojan Sebastian Koch Sona Norisova Jiri Stepnicka David Svehlik Marek Taclik
Case	Amaray-Opaque
RPI	?	Music	Jan P. Muchow Michal Novinski

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	Czech Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English (Burned In)	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Spring 1953: Czechoslovakia is under the firm grip of Communist rule, enforced by the agents of the State Security Bureau (SSB). However, the main worry for most citizens is the impending devaluation of the Czech currency that would render most people’s savings worthless. When police Captain Janata Hakl (Ivan Trojan) investigates a jewel store robbery the clues point to a Jewish safecracker called Kirsh, and when he is arrested part of the jewellery haul is found in his room. A Zionist organisation is suspected of orchestrating the robbery but Hakl has his doubts and feels Kirsh was set up, yet before he can investigate further the case is taken away from him by the SSB, with Major Zenke (Sebastian Koch) now the lead investigator. Zenke is a German ex-SS officer who has been investigating the smuggling of gold and currency by Jewish organisations out of the country to support Israel and he has been brought to Czechoslovakia by the Russians to ensure the arrest and trial of the Jewish group.

     Hakl is not prepared to leave things alone and he continues to search for those he believes responsible for the robbery. Following up a lead on a safecracker called Janata, he stumbles into the site of a Post Office robbery in which four men have been killed, and before the SSB arrive he manages to conceal a spent bullet. Meanwhile, the members of the Zionist organisation have been arrested by the SSB and have confessed their crimes and a show trial to sentence them to death is commencing. However Hakl’s suspicions are confirmed when the lab tests establish that the bullet found by Hakl came from a pistol that is only issued to the SSB, knowledge that will put his own life, and the lives of his wife Jitka (Sona Norisova) and young son in grave danger.

     In the Shadow (Ve Stinu) cleaned up at the 2013 Czech Lions film awards winning the categories of best film, director, music, actor (Ivan Trojan), editing, screenplay, cinematography, design and sound. In the Shadow is indeed a good looking film, an atmospheric noir thriller filmed set in the dark and rain swept streets of Lodz, Poland, standing in for Prague full of shadows by cinematographer Adam Sikora. There is a sense of claustrophobia and paranoia throughout the film, partly because In the Shadow concentrates upon the character of Hakl and his relationship with his wife and son, so that when because of his honesty he comes under threat from the SSB the audience is in no doubt that he has a lot to lose, professionally and personally. As the honest man in a corrupt world, Ivan Trojan is excellent and his scenes with Sebastian Koch, whose Zanke may not be who he seems, are excellent..

     In the Shadow is well made, well-acted and well plotted as it moves towards a tragic climax. The film looks real, the locations evoking the desolation and gloom of Eastern Europe post WWII under the control of the Communists. It seems fitting that at the end of In the Shadow there is a dedication acknowledging all those who were condemned by the Czech Communist regime’s show trials.

Video

     In the Shadow is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the original ratio, and is 16x9 enhanced.

     Right from the opening scene of dark, rainy streets and men in shadows, it is clear In the Shadow is operating in noir territory. Although shot in colour, there is nothing colourful about the film. This is post-war Central Europe under austere Communist control; there are no vibrant colours in the clothing or sets, where browns, dull yellows and greys dominate. Much of the film is also shot in shadow and while some shadow detail may be lost, this seems to be what the film maker intended and we see what we are intended to see. Otherwise the film is sharp in close-up detail, blacks are solid, contrast and brightness consistent.

     The print shows some motion blur against curtains or wire fences and there is occasional glare when the light source is behind the actor. Otherwise there are no marks or other artefacts.

     The layer change at 77:16 created a slight pause during a scene change.

     The burnt in English subtitles are in a clean white font. I did not notice any spelling or grammatical errors.

     A nice print.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

     Audio is a Czech Dolby Digital 5.1 track at 448 Kbps, although there is a lot of German dialogue was well.

     Dialogue is clear and centred. This is not a film with a lot of action but the surrounds are constantly in use for music and ambient effects, such as the rain. There are some panning effects, such as cars passing, and during the robbery at the Post Office the shots are sharp and have depth. The sub-woofer added bass to the thunder, trolley car wheels, gunshots and the music without overdoing it.

     The original music by Jan P. Muchow and Michal Novinski won a Czech Lion film award, but to my mind it was frequently loud and strident and tended to undermine the ominous mood the visuals were establishing. I think something more subtle would have worked better, but that is obviously just my view!

     Lip synchronisation is fine.

     The audio track did what was required.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Trailers

     On start-up there were trailers for The List, At Preston Castle, Two Jacks, The Conspiracy and Static that collectively run 10:30. A total of 30 trailers of Accent Film Entertainment releases can be selected from the menu - some, but not all, of the start-up trailers are repeated- and we do get a trailer for In the Shadow included. There is a “play all” option.

     There is no Region 1 US or Region 2 UK release of In the Shadow listed on sales sites. A win for Region 4.

     In the Shadow scooped the 2013 Czech film awards and is an atmospheric noir thriller, set in 1953, that is well plotted, tense and atmospheric. The visuals and acting are very good which makes In the Shadow of interest to anyone interested in quality thrillers with a political edge or European cinema.

     The video and audio are fine. Trailers are the only extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall