Feast-India (2005)

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General		Extras
Category	Documentary	Main Menu Introduction Menu Animation & Audio Featurette-Colours Of Rajasthan (Montage) Theatrical Trailer Notes-Barry's Recipes Biographies-Cast-Barry Vera
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	192:00 (Case: 200)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Michael Dickinson
Studio Distributor	SBS Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Barry Vera
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$39.95	Music	Billy London Graham Barker Michael Stifter

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Feast India is an interesting culinary travel program that looks at the spicy soul of India's most famous cities. While the focus of the series is unashamedly gastronomic, there is an interesting balance of geography and culture as well. For those who aren't familiar with this show, I would describe it as a cross between The Food Lover's Guide and Lonely Planet, and if you're the slightest bit interested in Indian culture or food then this series is certain to fascinate.

    There are eight episodes in this series and strangely the titles on the cover are different to those in the disc's menu.

    Episode 1: Desert Celebration - After being measured for a new suit, our host, Barry Vera, attends a traditional Indian Hindu wedding that caters for over five hundred guests. He then travels to Jaisalmer where we get a glimpse at a fantastic fairytale-like fortress, followed by the holy Pushkar livestock festival.

    Episode 2: Village Life - We take a look at the bustling bazaars of Jodphur and its dazzling blue-wash buildings. We're then taken to the Thar Desert to visit the fascinating salt mines of Baap Rin. Finally, Barry participates in a traditional opium ceremony for a bit of tribal bonding.

    Episode 3: Old Delhi - Delhi is an intriguing melting pot of religions, as evidenced by its broad range of food and culture. After visiting an overwhelmingly large spice market, Barry takes us to a Sikh temple that produces thousands of meals per day.

    Episode 4: Land of Coconuts - Although he claims to have never suffered the dreaded Bombay Belly, Barry looks a little the worse for wear here. Maybe a late night with the crew? Anyway, after checking out the ancient Chinese fishing nets of Keralan we visit the amazing Kochi markets and snake boat races.

    Episode 5: The Spice Mountains - In the perpetually wet mountains of the Western Ghats, crops of the most staple spices are grown, including black pepper, cardamom, tea and ginger. We then visit Kumily, a southern town renowned for its fragrant spices.

    Episode 6: City of Dreams - Formerly known as Bombay, Mumbai is as chaotic as it is magical. Barry attends a morning laughter session, followed by a look at the Dabbawallahs; delivery men who have been providing home cooked meals to Mumbai's workers for hundreds of years.

    Episode 7: Divali - Divali is a five-day New Year festival across India that climaxes with an evening of bright lights and fireworks. This is a really unique glimpse at a cultural event that coincidently falls on the Muslim Ramadan during Barry's visit.

    Episode 8: Indian Offerings - Our host returns home to the kitchen and is understandably eager to try some of his new recipes first hand. The mouth-watering dishes he makes here are included in text form in the extras.

    Host Barry Vera was born in the United Kingdom and has worked at an astounding number of restaurants across the world, including the prestigious Waldorf. Barry is currently the Executive Chef at Melbourne's Middle Brighton Baths Restaurant, which has been the recipient of numerous Australian hospitality awards. Barry published his first book last year, titled The Home Cook, and is currently working on a second about his travels in India.

Video

    This video transfer is a little disappointing, but does the job. This series was produced in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, for broadcast on digital free-to-air television.

    There are two primary issues evident in this transfer, the first being a lack of horizontal resolution. The image is jagged and edgy, which is exacerbated whenever the camera does a smooth pan. It's a shame, because the photography is really excellent and this artefact detracts from the experience.

    Another issue is the amount of MPEG compression. The feature is riddled with heavy MPEG grain, which extends to blocking in some scenes with fast movement.

    The broad range of rich colours is handled well. I didn't notice any obvious bleeding or oversaturation during the feature. There's plenty of depth present in the darker scenes.

    There isn't any English subtitle stream on the disc, however some English subtitles are burned into the video stream when locals are interviewed.

    This disc is dual layered, however I didn't notice any layer break. I would presume the layer transition is placed between episodes.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    There is only a single Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack included, in English of course. There are no issues to report here.

    The dialogue is a combination of post-dubbed narration and words spoken directly to the camera. Barry has a clear voice with a British accent and is very easy to understand. Audio sync is generally good.

    The stereo soundtrack is very bright and contains a lot of depth, particularly in the accompanying music. I didn't notice any obvious panning between the left and right channels, but I have no doubt that this is a stereo soundtrack.

    The series' music is credited to Billy London, Graham Barker and Michael Stifter. I don't like the theme song personally, but it does manage to blend Indian instruments with a laid back jazzy feel.

    The subwoofer and surround channels obviously get the night off for this DVD.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Menu

Featurette- Colours of Rajasthan (6:06)

    A short compilation of memorable clips from the series, set to music and highlighting the colours and culture of this fascinating country.

Trailer (4:58)

    A summary of the series that covers most of the highlights.

Recipes (8)

    Eight of the delicious meals seen in the series are available here in text form. These include a hot Fish Curry and Vadas, which are small deep fried balls similar to vegetable Samosas. I can't wait to try them out!

Barry Vera Biography (4 Pages)

    A brief biography of our presenter, outlining his career and influences.

    The video transfer suffers from persistent compression issues.

    The audio transfer consists of a problem-free stereo soundtrack.

    The extras are brief, but handy.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall