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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Citizenfour (2014)

Citizenfour (2014)

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Released 24-Jun-2015

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Documentary None
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2014
Running Time 109:00
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Laura Poitras
Studio
Distributor

Madman Entertainment
Starring




Case Amaray-Transparent
RPI ? Music None Given


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

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

   

In January 2013 documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras received an encrypted email from a stranger who called himself Citizenfour. It was the start of an amazing series of exchanges and meetings between her and Edward Snowden which snowballed into one of the most devastating leaks in world history. The story is still developing and Snowden lives a long way from his native US, currently a guest of Vladimir Putin in Russia.

The documentary Citizenfour, which won the Academy award for Best Documentary Feature this year is an amazing journey into the heart of Big Brother (not the TV show!). Snowden has been lauded as a hero in some parts. A recent article in the Australian suggested he was a traitor, handing the terrorists their best means of getting at the Western world. He sees himself a little differently, as someone who chose not to abide by the directions he was given, and wanted to let the world know exactly what was going on.

Six months after their first communication Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald met with Snowden in a Hong Kong hotel room and marvelled as he laid out the whole shocking story. It seemed like something out of science fiction but as the revelations progressed it became clear that this was a major story.

The documentary makes few concessions for those not prepared to give it their full attention.

For those who came in late, Snowden was an ex-CIA employee and government contractor who released to the press an extraordinary amount of classified information about the global surveillance programs undertaken by the US in cooperation with complicit nations.

Some of the information confirmed what we already suspected - we are being watched. Some went much deeper. Whilst the strictures on US agencies spying on their own citizens made it complicated to spy there were no such restrictions when gaining access to foreign nationals. Known by a variety of innocuous codenames these programs enabled every piece of communicated information whether by text, phone call or email to be stored in giant repositories and analysed by computers.

This is an amazing documentary not just for the shocking nature of the revelations. Also, the structure is quite special as Poitras filmed it on the fly, so we see the story unfold in real time. The result is not only a detailed documentary but also a political thriller.

Whatever your politics the question of surveillance of citizens is an important one that needs to be discussed. Barack Obama criticised Snowden's actions saying that he was already looking into America's use of international surveillance but it is hard to imagine that wholesale changes would be made and nor would it have raised issues for future surveillance, without the film.

Meanwhile, the story of Edward Snowden still does not have a conclusion. He has been urged by American conservatives to return to his country and "face the music" yet, as this documentary points out, he has been charged with offences under the World War I Espionage Act, which really provides no defence. In other words if he did return he would not be able to present any real argument.

A film that belongs in the collection of any documentary fan.

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Transfer Quality

Video

  

Citizenfour was shot on high-definition digital video and comes to DVD in the 1.85:1 cinema transfer ratio.It is 16×9 enhanced.

As said, much of the film is shot on the fly, in a hotel rooms and at hearings and meetings. Accordingly, it is not designed to be a stunning presentation. Nevertheless, the image quality is consistent and acceptable throughout and does not detract from the strength of the presentation, rather it enhances the documentary.

The image quality is quite sharp and the flesh tones are accurate.

The colours are suitably strong and vibrant.

There are English subtitles for the foreign language segments of the film.

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

Audio

   

Citizenfour features an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack running at 448 Kb/s.

This is perfectly adequate for a film that consists largely of conversations held in hotel rooms and Senate hearings.

Though the surround sound is always welcome it does not add a great deal to the film and the sub woofer is barely heard.

There is really no music in the film though a couple of pieces a used from Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails record Ghosts I-IV.

There are no technical problems with the sound.

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

Extras

There are no extras on the DVD.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

   The Region 1 release appears identical. Buy local.

Summary

  

Leaks and revelations are becoming part of the fabric of the modern world. Documentaries like Citizenfour are fearless in their presentation of the reality that we are being watched and raising the question of whether it is for our own good.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Trevor Darge (read my bio)
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Review Equipment
DVDCambridge Audio 752BD All Region Blu-ray, using HDMI output
DisplayJVC DLX 700 with 4K e-shift on 140" Screen. Calibrated with Video Essentials/Digital Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationPioneer SC -LX 78K 9.2 Channel
SpeakersAaron ATS-5 7.1

Other Reviews NONE