Head in the Clouds (2004)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Dolby Digital Trailer Featurette-Making Of Theatrical Trailer Trailer-Being Julia, Riding Giants, Zhou Yu's Train
Rating
Year Of Production	2004
Running Time	116:10
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (69:23)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	John Duigan
Studio Distributor	Sony Pictures Home Entertain	Starring	Charlize Theron Penélope Cruz Stuart Townsend Thomas Kretschmann Steven Berkoff David La Haye Karine Vanasse Gabriel Hogan Peter Cockett Élizabeth Chouvalidzé Jolyane Langlois Sophie Desmarais Éloïsa Laflamme-Cervantes
Case	?
RPI	$39.95	Music	Terry Frewer

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English Hindi English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    This film is a sweeping romantic drama set against the backdrop of a world heading towards (and engaged in) the Second World War. It was directed by English-born Australian director John Duigan, known for projects such as the Vietnam mini-series, The Year My Voice Broke, Lawn Dogs and others. It was made in 2004, mostly in Canada but also in Cambridge, England and Paris.

    The plot involves the relationship of three young and very different people between 1933 and 1944. The film starts with the surprise meeting of two of the main characters; Gilda Besse (Charlize Theron), a wealthy, hedonistic, apolitical heiress who only lives to enjoy herself and Guy Malyon (Stuart Townshend), an unsophisticated, poor and idealistic Irishman. They meet as Gilda crashes into his rooms at Cambridge, late at night, trying to avoid the porter who suspects that a woman has been sneaking in to see one of the dons. They have a brief fling after this but soon she heads off to travel, leaving him heartbroken. He becomes a teacher and some years later he receives a letter from her suggesting that he come and visit her in Paris, where she now lives. Eventually after some drama he moves to Paris as her photographer's assistant just to be near her, where he meets her roommate and lover, Mia (Penelope Cruz), a Spanish model/stripper who is training to become a nurse and walks with a limp. As time passes, they form a close 3 way relationship which is then broken by Guy & Mia's decision to go to Spain to fight in the civil war against the fascists. Gilda, devastated by them leaving, refuses to have anything to do with them and stays in Paris, even after the German invasion. I cannot tell you much more without spoiling the story.

    I found this film entertaining and reasonably interesting but it certainly did not set the house on fire. The acting is strong, especially from the female leads, although Townshend does not disgrace himself either.

    The movie gets better in the second half, with the first half seeming a little overlong. The only other real criticism I have of the production is that the Paris street set which is used a lot in the film is obviously just that, a set. The backdrops are just not believable enough, which I found slightly off-putting.

    There are certainly better films about love during war such as The English Patient but if you enjoy romantic dramas this one is worth a rental.

Video

    The video quality is very good, and bordering on excellent.

    The feature is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio 16x9 enhanced which is the original aspect ratio.

    The picture was very clear and sharp throughout, with no evidence of low level noise. Shadow detail was excellent. There was some light background grain throughout.

    The colour was wonderful, rich and solid throughout.

    The only noticeable artefact was mild aliasing such as at 32:41 on a waistcoat, 62:18 on a blanket, 70:58 on a shirt and 74:01 on a radio.

    There are subtitles in English and English for the hearing impaired plus Hindi. The English subtitles were clear and easy to read and translate French dialogue into English. There is no translation without the subtitles turned on.

    The layer change occurs at 69:23 and was not noticeable.
    

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    The audio quality is very good.

    This DVD contains an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack encoded at 448 Kb/s.

    Dialogue was clear and easy to understand and there was no problem with audio sync. Penelope Cruz was sometimes a little difficult to understand however this would be a source rather than a transfer issue.

    The score of this film by Terry Frewer is quite good, and consists of mostly instrumental or French popular music of the period. A scene at a club (36:00) with someone playing Django Reinhardt included some excellent guitar-based jazz.

    The surround speakers were not used too much except during the war sequences in the second half of the film, such as at 74:40.

    The subwoofer was nicely integrated and added bass to music and the occasional explosion.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Menu

    A very simple and still menu is included which allows access to scenes and subtitle options.

Making of Head in the Clouds (9:19)

    This is a pretty standard promotional featurette including interviews with the director and major cast members talking about the film and the characters. Nothing to get excited about. Presented 4x3.

Theatrical Trailer (2:12)

    Oh wow! A misleading trailer with an annoying voiceover - just what I always wanted.

Trailers

    Trailers are included for Being Julia, Riding Giants & Zhou Yu's Train.

    The Region 1 version of this film is the same except for PAL/NTSC differences.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is very good.

    The only real extra is a promotional featurette.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall