The Proposition (2005) |
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General | Extras | ||
Category | Drama |
Main Menu Audio & Animation Scene Selection Animation Trailer-Sueno, The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, Mirror Mask Featurette |
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Rating | |||
Year Of Production | 2005 | ||
Running Time | 99:46 | ||
RSDL / Flipper | Dual Layered | Cast & Crew | |
Start Up | Ads Then Menu | ||
Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | John Hillcoat |
Studio
Distributor |
UK Film Council Sony Pictures Home Entertain |
Starring |
Tom Budge Guy Pearce Emily Watson Ray Winstone David Wenham John Hurt David Gulpilil Leah Purcell Richard Wilson Tommy Lewis Robert Morgan |
Case | ? | ||
RPI | $29.95 | Music |
Nick Cave Warren Ellis |
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 | 2.35:1 | ||
16x9 Enhancement |
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Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
Original Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Miscellaneous | |
Jacket Pictures | No | ||
Subtitles | English for the Hearing Impaired | Smoking | Yes |
Annoying Product Placement | No | ||
Action In or After Credits | No |
The Proposition is a peculiar film, much like a beautiful nightmare. Directed by John Hillcoat and written by Nick Cave, the film will either be loved or loathed. It is a poetic tale of disloyalty, honour, rituals of violence and familial bonds.
Guy Pierce stars as Charlie Burns, an outlaw who is offered an impossible proposition by Captain Stanley (Ray Winstone); to find and kill his psychopathic older brother Arthur (Danny Huston) who is in hiding after the savage rape and murder of a pioneer family or have his 14-year-old brother Mikey Burns (Richard Wilson) hung on Christmas Day.
The star of the film is cinematographer Benoît Delhomme. His vision of Australia circa 1880s is surreal, harsh and bitter. The landscape is merciless and is the perfect stage for the onslaught of violence and brutality the film features.
The cast, which also includes John Hurt, Emily Watson, David Gulpilil, Noah Taylor and David Wenham, all excel in their roles, but it is Danny Huston who is outstanding in the role of Arthur.
This is a strange, unsettling film which is not easily accessible. Personally I found the violence to be gratuitous and somewhat unnecessary but the visuals are stunning and mythical.
The transfer on this DVD is simply stunning.
It is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is 16x9 Enhanced.
The landscape visuals are detailed with deep shadow detail. The colour is rich and flesh tones are natural. In short, there are no flaws of any consequence to report upon.
The average bitrate is consistent at 8.45 Mb/s.
The subtitles are clear and true to the onscreen dialogue.
Sharpness | |
Shadow Detail | |
Colour | |
Grain/Pixelization | |
Film-To-Video Artefacts | |
Film Artefacts | |
Overall |
The 5.1 Dolby Digital (448Kb/s) track is well produced.
The dialogue is clear and audible.
Surround usage is excellent as this is a landscape atmospheric film. The subwoofer is most audible during key action scenes.
The score and songs were conceived by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The styles of the songs are somewhat best described as rampant folk and church hymn inspired ramblings. It is loose and contemporary and yet fits the visuals very well.
An English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s) soundtrack is also an option.
Dialogue | |
Audio Sync | |
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts | |
Surround Channel Use | |
Subwoofer | |
Overall |
The Main Menu Audio & Animation is well suited to the film and features selective score highlights.
Trailers for Sueno, The Exorcism Of Emily Rose, and Mirror Mask.
This 13 minute feature is an excellent behind the scenes look at the making of the film and the director's intent to be respective and responsible regarding the portrayal of Aboriginal culture.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
A strange, unsettling film which will not be easily accessible to a wider audience.
Above par sound and vision.
Minimal extras.
Video | |
Audio | |
Extras | |
Plot | |
Overall |
Review Equipment | |
DVD | Denon DVD-1910, using DVI output |
Display | Panasonic PT-AE 700. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with THX Optimizer. |
Amplification | Yamaha DSP-A595a - 5.1 DTS |
Speakers | (Front) DB Dynamics Polaris AC688F loudspeakers,(Centre) DB Dynamics Polaris Mk3 Model CC030,(Rear) Polaris Mk3 Model SSD425,(Subwoofer) Jensen JPS12 |