Game of Thrones : Season 6 (Blu-ray) (2016) |
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Game of Thrones : Season 6 (Blu-ray) (2016) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | TV Drama Series |
Audio Commentary-Thirteen commentaries from cast and crew. Featurette-Making Of- Recreating the Dothraki (20:15) Featurette-Making Of-The Battle of the Bastards (30:01) Featurette-Behind The Scenes-18 Hours at the Paint Hall (28:17) Film Factoids-Histories and Lore (80:38) Deleted Scenes-Three scenes (11:08) Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Bigger than Reality (21:43) Featurette-Making Of-Inside the Fight for Meereen (23:59) |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2016 | ||
| Running Time | 558:50 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper |
No/No Multi Disc Set (5) |
Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By |
Miguel Sapochnik Jeremy Podeswa Jack Bender Mark Mylod |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Roadshow Home Entertainment |
Starring |
Kit Harington Peter Dinklage Lena Headey Emilia Clarke Liam Cunningham Natalie Dormer Jonathan Pryce Sophie Turner Nicolaj Coster-Waldau Iwan Rheon Diana Rigg |
| Case | ? | ||
| RPI | $49.95 | Music | Ramin Djawadi |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | Auto Pan & Scan Encoded |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Atmos 7.1 (448Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0  (448Kb/s)German Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Portuguese Dolby Digital 2.0 (448Kb/s)
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 1080p | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
English for the Hearing Impaired English Audio Commentary French Spanish Portuguese Italian for the Hearing Impaired German Dutch Danish Finnish Norwegian Swedish |
Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | Yes, After initial episode, separate recap for each ep. | ||
Fans of Game of Thrones in their millions will be thrilled that the wait is over. Season Six is now available on Blu-ray. Released locally by Roadshow it comes on four discs, with a fifth disc devoted to a couple of extra featurettes.
Author George R.R. Martin originally despaired that his work would in fact reach the screen. The written work is huge in its concept and realisation. Named A Song of Ice and Fire the work is a series of novels, with five published to date and two more yet to come. The novels follow the dynastic wars in imaginary kingdoms. Martin realised that the work was too big, complicated and expensive for a feature movie, or even a min-series and decided that a true television series was the only viable option, with an entire season devoted to each novel. The only people who could handle such a massive project were HBO, but the problem was that HBO did not do fantasy. Then Martin met David Benioff and Dan Weiss from HBO who happened to share the same dream. The first season of Game of Thrones aired in 2011 and the series has been a smash success from the outset, winning plaudits, audiences and a multitude of awards for its cast and crew. To date the series has received two hundred and thirty-seven Emmy nominations, with a total of thirty-eight wins, twelve of those thirty-eight being for Season Six.
The first season of the TV series was based on the first novel in the saga, A Game of Thrones, while Season Two was based on the second novel, A Clash of Kings, plus the early chapters of the third novel, A Storm of Swords. This first two-thirds of the third novel was the basis for Season Three. Subsequent seasons have moved and shifted around elements of plot and character from the later novels, with those re-arrangements and shifts decided by the screenwriters. There has been some disappointment from fans over recent seasons, with the labyrinthine plot losing direction and dramatic force. With Season Six, however, things have become tighter. Loose ends, and unproductive sub-plots, are tidied up and there is a sense that the decks are being cleared for the final two seasons. All of this serves to make Season Six a much more dramatically satisfying experience. We get perhaps more than the usual quota of unexpected despatches of characters, some quite major, and there still remain the audience pleasing ingredients of battles, gore, violence, sex and nudity. The big shock ending of Season Five was the death of Jon Snow (Kit Harington). But it is by now no longer a spoiler to tell you that Snow is still around, as well as the others in the excellent cast, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, Natalie Dormer, and Liam Cunningham, to name just a few. For me the stand out performer this season is Jonathan Pryce. Not one of my favourite actors, Pryce is avoiding all of the "old man" clichés and is giving a sensitive, subtle performance. Less regularly we have appearances by Max Von Sydow, Diana Rigg and Ian McShane.There is no question that Game of Thrones is served well by its actors, who have won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama series for Seasons 1, 3, 4 and 5.
It also cannot be denied that technically the series is astounding. Evidently each episode of the series is budgeted at ten million dollars. Sets, costumes, decor, lighting - every technical aspect is as good, or better, than one would hope for. Some of the interior lighting, designed to have the appearance of golden candlelight is distractingly beautiful. I was taken back to Stanley Kubrick's painstaking lighting endeavours on Barry Lyndon. The detail on the costumes is also astonishing, from the fraying of garments, to the jewels. Every image could be frozen and studied for detail - something very tempting with such excellent Blu-ray quality. The individual hand to hand combat scenes are excitingly staged, and the battle scenes are amongst the greatest ever put on screen. I would even go so far as to say that Episode 9, Battle of the B******s, contains what is quite possibly the best battle scene ever created for the screen. Earlier this particular episode had soared, with the reunion of Daenerys with her three dragons. Riding Drogon she attacks and destroys the slavers' fleet in a feast of brilliant CGI effects. Then as the climax of the episode we get the battle between the armies led by Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon). Taking twenty-five days to film, and a mass of extras and horses, as well as utilising almost imperceptible CGI enhancements, this is a lengthy explosion of the most exhilarating violence. As choreographed by director Miguel Sapochnick (Repo Men), this lengthy sequence becomes a beautiful and horrifying ballet of blood and death, with so many images that sear the mind. This is truly epic and thrilling filmmaking.
The ten episodes which make up Season Six are spread over four discs, with two fine featurettes on a fifth Blu-ray bonus disc.
By the time we get to the end of Episode 10 this sixth season of Game of Thrones has excelled itself. It has drama, sex, dragons, battles, ships, massive armies, violence - and excellent performances powered by a smart and intelligent screenplay. Technically this series has set a new bench mark - and not just for "the small screen". This is rich, passionate entertainment made to be devoured, relished and shared, and deserves pride-of-place on any library shelf.
This local Roadshow release is a stunner.
The sharpness of the image is magnificent, and detail exceptional - and this goes for the many dark scenes as well. Blacks are deep and solid, and detail looms in the darkest corners.
Whether it is expansive panoramic vistas, the intricate details of costuming or the most pore revealing close-up, the image is demonstration quality. The palette is varied, in the cold wintry scenes dominated by cold blues and greys, with the contrast of the brown dominated sombre interiors and the vivid colourful glow of King's Landing.
It would be remiss not to here make reference to the splendid photography. There are no tricky gimmicks. Dialogue scenes are often staged classically and thoughtfully with obvious care in the placement of the character within the frame, in relation to the space and other actors. Then there are times when the camerawork is spectacular, as in the battles and the depiction of Emilia Clarke splendidly mounted on her warring dragon.
I could see no flaw in the visual presentation of the season.
There are subtitles available in white and centred at the foot of the image.
Languages available are English for the Hard of Hearing, French, Spanish, Castellano, German, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish.
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There are seven audio tracks; English Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Atmos 7.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0, Castellan Dolby Digital 5.1, German Dolby Digital 5.1 and Portuguese Dolby Digital 2.0. Note that the default track is the English 5.1 track, so you must set the audio to the 7.1 setting if that is your preference. The discs were reviewed using the 7.1 setting, though not with an Atmos capable receiver.
The sound was superb. There is brilliant clarity on all dialogue, which is front and centred. No voice movement was noticeable across the front, though entrances and exits were often marked by appropriately placed footsteps and door movements, left and right. Much of the dialogue is placed in a noiseless vacuum, which is at times reminiscent of vintage black and white classics, but ambience abounds when the opportunity arises. It might be the subtleties of flickering candles, wind, rain, waves, snow, marketplaces - all beautifully mixed and crafted to bring scenes alive. Then when we get into the big stuff, the sound is massive. Pounding hooves, explosions, thunderstorms, battles and soaring dragons - with sounds erupting all around the soundfield, solidly and clearly placed. With such a frantic cacophony it is astonishing that every separate sound is sharp, clear and precise. And when the sub-woofer steps up, which is often, there is depth and real oomph without ever resorting to superficial and excessive bone rattling. The Battle of the B******s has to be seen AND heard to be believed. What a sequence !
In addition the music from composer Ramin Djawadi (Mr. Brooks) is a treat. Whether it is the massive crashing of orchestral dynamics, or the simplicity of the beautiful cello and piano motif in the final episode, beginning so gently and building in emotion as the episode progresses, the music is brilliant.
These episodes provide a multitude of aural showpieces for any system.
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There is a very impressive list of extras here, making a rich and valuable package for admirers of the series.
This interesting featurette, presented in sparkling 1080p and 1.78:1, documents the efforts to revive elements from the Dothrraki that had not been seen since the first season. From recreating costumes, and the work of dialect coaches, to creating the world's biggest bonfire, this is engrossing and entertaining.
This is an exceptionally fine in depth offering which covers one of the greatest set pieces in TV history - and that is no exaggeration. All aspects of this incredibly complex and demanding sequence are covered from weather problems to the paramount safety of man and horse. Presented in excellent 1080p and 1.78:1.
Again presented in excellent 1080p and 1.78:1 this is a fine "you are there" featurette which shows us what a full day on the set can be like. We are generously offered real insight into the fascinating production of the series.
This is a collection of eighteen animated narrated tours through the following subjects, all 1080p. Topics covered include some of Westeros' history, mythology, locations and houses, as read by various characters from the series, while simple animations and artwork depict what is being described.
There are three scenes presented in the same quality as the series itself.
The bonus disc contains two very fine featurettes. Both are presented in high-definition with a single audio track, English Dolby Digital 5.1.
With interview contributions from the majority of the cast, but primarily from those on the special effects production team, this is a very interesting glimpse into the creation of effects on this sixth season. I was aware that the effects on Game of Thrones are much more effective than on most other series, or big screen movies for that matter, but I didn't know why. Now I do. These creative people concentrate on having as great a human or real component as is possible. The end result is that we have astonishing scenes on the screen that their artistry makes amazingly "real".
We do get some duplication here, but still an enjoyable offering. Concentrating on the air battle with the dragons in Episode 9, and on the season finale, we get more concentration on the subtleties of plot and character. More contributions from others in the cast, plus the director make this an enjoyable look at the end of the season, while creating anticipation for what is still to come in the final seasons.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The US and local releases are identical, so choose the excellent Roadshow release.
Game of Thrones has ended its sixth season on a remarkably high note. This show is quality in every department, and we can only anticipate what may lie in store for the final two seasons. If you aren't yet hooked on this show, the time is now - do some homework and catch up. Brilliant in every department, and with image and sound to match.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | OPPO BDP-103AU, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG 60UF850T 4K. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to DVD player. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
| Amplification | Onkyo TX-DS777 |
| Speakers | VAF DC-X fronts; VAF DC-6 center; VAF DC-2 rears; LFE-07subwoofer (80W X 2) |