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

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2011
Running Time	?
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	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     Last year I reviewed the first season of an excellent Swedish/Danish detective series. 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 has already been remade as a cable series in the US (showing here on Foxtel), The Bridge starring Diane Kruger focusing on the US/Mexico border and as The Tunnel in England/France which is currently showing on the ABC. The US version is also a high quality series and is definitely worth watching as well. I am yet to see The Tunnel. The original Swedish/Danish series has now hit its second season and the quality has continued despite a little slower start than last season.

     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 second season kicks off with a captainless cargo ship running into one of the bridge pylons. On board are five critically ill people who it is later proven have been exposed to some sort of plague and cannot be saved. Once again the victims and evidence show that it is a cross border case which requires the Copenhagen and Malmo police to team up again. 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), an intuitive middle-aged man with multiple children and wives. Martin especially is suffering from the after effects of the happenings in the first series, especially (SPOILER ALERT: highlight with mouse to read) the death of his son August . He is depressed and has moved out of his family home. Another one of his sons has an unexplained illness which he never seems to recover from. This time two new detectives are added to the mix, Rasmus, a young detective wanting to make his mark and Pernille, a more mature female detective. Saga is very much still the same person but is trying to learn how to have a normal adult relationship having moved in with her boyfriend. As the case develops there are many twists and turns involving eco-terrorism, an upcoming UN meeting and a shipping magnate.

     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 night-time 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 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.

     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. Highly recommended.

Video

     The video quality is very good.

    The series 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.

     The discs contain a Swedish and 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