The Forgotten (2004) |
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The Forgotten (2004) |
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| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Thriller |
Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Dolby Digital Trailer Audio Commentary-Joseph Ruben (Director) And Gerald Di Pego (Writer) Featurette-Remembering The Forgotten Featurette-Making Of Deleted Scenes Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid, Little Black Book Trailer-Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Secret Window |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 2004 | ||
| Running Time | 87:18 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (62:55) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 2,4 | Directed By | Joseph Ruben |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Sony Pictures Home Entertain |
Starring |
Julianne Moore Christopher Kovaleski Matthew Pleszewicz Anthony Edwards Jessica Hecht Linus Roache Gary Sinise Dominic West Katie Cooper Scott Nicholson P.J. Morrison Robert Wisdom Tim Kang |
| Case | ? | ||
| RPI | $39.95 | Music | James Horner |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Czech Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
English Czech English for the Hearing Impaired English Audio Commentary |
Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | Yes | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
The Forgotten is a gripping, clever, stylish, and thoroughly enjoyable X-Files-style thriller. But be warned, you could be injured watching this film, as on at least three occasions I jumped (quite literally) right out of my seat. The Forgotten is easily one of the most compelling, effective, and original thrillers since The Sixth Sense or Memento.
Telly (Julianne Moore) is a grieving mother dealing with the loss of her son, with the help of her loving husband, Jim (Anthony Edwards), and psychiatrist, Dr. Munce (Gary Sinise) . . .
And that's all I'll say about the plot, as things take a drastic turn early in the film.
The tight script by Gerald Di Pego is excellent, as is the subtle direction by Joseph Ruben; but it is Julianne Moore's nerve-jangling performance that really sucked me into this film.
Okay, so the story spends more time playing with the puzzle pieces than looking at the finished picture, but it's well worth the ride.
The transfer is excellent, but this DVD needs to be watched in a completely dark room.
The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, 16x9 enhanced.
The sharpness is good throughout, as is the black level. However, the film is very, VERY dark, in both its mood and appearance, and it seems that the film's print has been intentionally darkened through digital grading. The film intentionally has a very high contrast, and as such, the shadow detail often suffers. For example, there is a complete lack of detail in some dark scenes, such as in the park at night at 8:20, or in the woods at night at 50:30, but again, this is an artistic choice.
The colours are usually intentionally muted, and suit the cold, sombre, and creepy mood of the film.
The disc is expertly authored, and there are no problems with MPEG, film-to-video, or film artefacts.
English, Czech, English for the Hearing Impaired, and English Audio Commentary subtitles are provided. The English subtitles are accurate.
This is a Dual Layer disc, with the layer change placed between scenes at 62:55.
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Originally released theatrically with dts, SDDS, and Dolby Digital audio, there are three audio options on this DVD: English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s), Czech Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s), and English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s).
The dialogue quality and audio sync are excellent on the default English Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.
The musical score is credited to James Horner, and it is a very effective and eerie orchestral score.
The surround presence and activity is also very effective throughout. The rear speakers are used well to provide ambience and a creepy atmosphere, such as the leaves rustling in the deserted park at 9:38. The subwoofer also helps create atmosphere, for example the low, unnerving rumbling at 12:35 and 18:18.
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There are a few extras. Unless stated otherwise, all are presented in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, with Dolby Digital Stereo audio.
An animated menu with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio.
Audio Commentary - Dolby Digital Stereo Surround (192Kb/s)
Audio Commentary is provided by Joseph Ruben (Director), and Gerald Di Pego (Writer). It starts with a discussion of how the idea came for the story, and is very screen-specific, identifying many locations and actors throughout.
A look behind the scenes (mainly) at the SFX for the film.
Marketing fluff in which cast and crew discuss the film.
Three deleted scenes that can be watched separately or together, and include an alternate ending. They are presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, non-16x9 enhanced, with Dolby Digital Stereo audio.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
The Forgotten was released on DVD in Region 1 in January 2005.
The Region 4 DVD misses out on:
The Region 1 DVD misses out on:
Although I didn't prefer the longer alternate ending, I would have to favour the R1 for at least providing the option.
The Forgotten is one of the most effective and original thrillers since The Sixth Sense or Memento.
The video quality is excellent.
The audio quality is also excellent.
The extras are slim, but interesting.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Pioneer DV-535, using S-Video output |
| Display | Grundig Elegance 82-2101 (82cm, 16x9). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Sony STR DE-545 |
| Speakers | Sony SS-V315 x5; Sony SA-WMS315 subwoofer |