Deep Blue (2003)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Menu Animation & Audio Featurette-Making Of Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Travelling Birds
Rating
Year Of Production	2003
Running Time	87:04
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (65:16)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Andy Byatt Alastair Fothergill
Studio Distributor	Hopscotch Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Michael Gambon
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$29.95	Music	George Fenton

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
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

    Deep Blue is a montage of some of the most startling and amazing footage taken from the BAFTA-winning BBC series Blue Planet. Deep Blue is a moving film documentary, one that will not easily be forgotten.

    Deep Blue's visuals are taken from the aforementioned Blue Planet. Designed for the big screen, David Attenborough’s narration has been replaced by Michael Gambon. Purposely (but unfortunately), Gambon's narration is minimal, and there is no in-depth discussion or explanation of what we are seeing.

    What we do get are a series of wonderful images of diving birds, surfing dolphins, scurrying crabs, leaping penguins, hungry polar bears, and a collection of truly bizarre critters that live at ultra-low ocean depths.

    Deep Blue reminds us that we live on a blue planet, where 70% of our globe is covered by water, and 80% of all life lives in the ocean.

    There is no plot per se for Deep Blue, and like Baraka or Travelling Birds, one is simply left to marvel as the images wash over you.

Video

    Overall, the transfer is excellent, and this DVD is best enjoyed with a projector.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced.

    The sharpness of the image is excellent, as is the shadow detail and black level. A variety of source material is used, and some of the filming was obviously done in very challenging conditions. As a result, there are a few grainy shots.

    The colour is excellent throughout.

    There are no problems with MPEG, film-to-video, or film artefacts.

    English for the Hearing Impaired subtitles are provided, and they are accurate.

    This is a Dual Layer disc, with the layer change placed at 65:16.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    For a documentary, I was pleasantly surprised with the audio options: English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s), English dts 5.1 (768Kb/s), and English Dolby Digital 2.0 (320Kb/s). While there are many films that benefit from dts' greater capability, especially in range, this is not one of them. The dts and Dolby Digital tracks are virtually indistinguishable, except for dts having a slightly greater presence in the rears, for example the waves at 16:50.

    The dialogue quality of the narration is clear on both the English Dolby Digital and dts audio tracks.

    The film has been scored by Oscar nominee George Fenton. The score has opted to underline the drama and comedy of the visuals, which adds to the emotional impact of the film.

    The surround presence and activity is impressive, with the rear speakers being used extensively for the score, and for ambience, such as the bubbles at 11:03. Occasionally LFE activity was noticeable, such as during the waves crashing on the rocks at 16.38.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    Lovers of this film, like me, will be thrilled with the extras.

Menu

    Animation & audio.

Featurette-Making Of

    Running for about 52 minutes, this featurette is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced, with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo audio. It includes interviews with the producers and directors, and some of the cameramen. There is plenty of behind-the-scenes footage, as they present some of the difficulties of filming underwater.

Trailers

• Deep Blue: Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced, with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo audio
• Travelling Birds: Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced, with Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo audio

    I cannot find any information about this title being released on DVD in Region 1.

    Deep Blue is a soothing and enjoyable experience.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is also very good.

    The extras are genuine.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall