Dust (2001) |
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Dust (2001) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Western |
Main Menu Audio & Animation Theatrical Trailer-2 Biographies-Cast & Crew Trailer-The Cat's Meow;The Tracker;Molokai;Navigators;Nine Queens |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2001 | ||
| Running Time | 119:02 (Case: 127) | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (72:12) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Milcho Manchevska |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Madman Entertainment |
Starring |
Joseph Fiennes David Wenham Adrian Lester Anne Brochet |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip | ||
| RPI | Rental | Music | Kiril Dzajkovski |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.78:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | Unknown | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | Yes | ||
| Subtitles | None | Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Dust is primarily a Western film that is told through a series of flashbacks, but it also contains a lengthy sub-plot set in the present day.
While ransacking a New York apartment looking for items of value, Edge (Adrian Lester) is discovered by the elderly owner and she holds him at gunpoint. The old woman shows Edge a gold Ducat and tells him that she has many more. Hoping to find out where these coins are hidden, Edge listens to a story about two American brothers in Macedonia. Set during the beginning of the twentieth century, these two ruthless fighters have some connection to the old woman and the gold. The brothers, Luke (David Wenham) and Elijah (Joseph Fiennes) both fall in love with the same woman and this sets into place a series of events that will change their lives forever.
While the general premise of the film sounds promising, it has a number of problems that prevent the movie from living up to its potential. All of the main characters are rather unsympathetic and the audience feels little connection with or empathy for any of them. The movie also seems a little unsure if it is a Western or an urban drama and is weighed down by a secondary plot set in the present day. After watching this film, I feel that it would have worked more successfully if it had been around twenty minutes shorter and had been given much tighter editing.
Note that the packaging for this disc incorrectly claims that the disc is enabled for all regions but it is actually only flagged for playback in Region 4.
The transfer is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
The image presented during the transfer is slightly soft but this is never distracting with high levels of detail always revealed. During the numerous dark scenes, excellent levels of shadow detail may always be seen.
The colour palette displayed during the film features a heavy use of the browns, muted greens and greys found in the countryside locations. At a number of points during the film, black and white scenes are used for flashbacks and these change to colour as the focus of the story changes to the past.
No MPEG artefacts were detected at any time during the transfer. Very small instances of aliasing may be seen at 34:23 and 57:14, but these are never annoying. No notable film artefacts were detected during the transfer. During some of the darker scenes, some minor film grain may be seen but this is not disturbing.
Unfortunately, no subtitles are provided on this disc.
The layer change occurs at 72:12 at the start of Chapter 8. This is not disruptive to the flow of the movie.
| Sharpness |  |
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| Colour | |
| Grain/Pixelization | |
| Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
| Film Artefacts | |
| Overall | |
English Dolby Digital 448 kbps 5.1 and Dolby Digital 224 kbps 2.0 soundtracks are provided on this disc. I listened to both tracks in full and found them to both be of high quality,
The dialogue is almost always clear and easy to understand but is slightly muffled during a small number of lines from the old woman. No dropouts or problems with audio sync were detected at any time during the transfer.
The atmospheric score by Kiril Dzajkovski works well with the changing on-screen action and makes its presence felt throughout the film.
The surround and LFE channels are used effectively throughout the film to create an enveloping soundfield and they are used extensively during the gunfight scenes with a significant number of directional effects on offer.
| Dialogue | |
| Audio Sync | |
| Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
| Surround Channel Use | |
| Subwoofer | |
| Overall | |
The animated menu is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
This trailer displays numerous artefacts and is presented with a Japanese and English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. It is not 16x9 enhanced.
This trailer is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
Short two page biographies are provided for actors David Wenham and Joseph Fiennes and writer/director Milcho Manchevski.
This trailer is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1.
This trailer is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and it is 16x9 enhanced.
This trailer is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and it is not 16x9 enhanced.
This trailer is presented with an English Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.66:1 and it is not 16x9 enhanced.
This trailer is presented with a musical Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and it is not 16x9 enhanced.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The Region 4 version of this disc misses out on;
The UK Region 2 Pathe version of this disc misses out on;
Details regarding the upcoming UK R2 release of this title are very limited but at this time it appears the disc may not contain the trailers and short biographies found on the Region 4 version when released at the end of the month. Consequently, my current preference would be for the R4 release.
Dust is a disappointing film that unfortunately never fully engages the viewer or lives up to its potential.
The video transfer is of excellent quality with only a tiny number of very minor artefacts.
The enveloping audio mix presented on the disc is of very high quality.
The small number of extras included provide only minimal information but are appreciated.
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Extras |  |
| Plot | |
| Overall | |
| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Toshiba 2109, using S-Video output |
| Display | Sony KP-E41SN11. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Front left/right: ME75b; Center: DA50ES; rear left/right: DA50ES; subwoofer: NAD 2600 (Bridged) |
| Speakers | Front left/right: VAF DC-X; Center: VAF DC-6; rear left/right: VAF DC-7; subwoofer: Custom NHT-1259 |