Finding Neverland (2004)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Audio Commentary-Filmmakers' Featurette-Behind The Scenes-The Magic Of Finding Neverland Featurette-Creating Neverland Featurette-On The Red Carpet Deleted Scenes-With Optional Filmmakers' Commentary Outtakes
Rating
Year Of Production	2004
Running Time	97:00
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Marc Forster
Studio Distributor	Walt Disney Studios Home Ent.	Starring	Johnny Depp Kate Winslet Julie Christie Radha Mitchell Dustin Hoffman Freddie Highmore Joe Prospero Nick Roud Luke Spill Ian Hart Kelly Macdonald Mackenzie Crook Eileen Essel
Case	?
RPI	$39.95	Music	Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) German Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 1.0 (96Kb/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 English for the Hearing Impaired Italian German Spanish Italian Audio Commentary German Audio Commentary Spanish Audio Commentary Italian Titling German Titling Spanish Titling	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    I've liked Johnny Depp ever since I saw him in the terrific What's Eating Gilbert Grape? though my affection for him cannot approach that expressed to me by many of my female friends. In a Hollywood that seems obsessed with slick homogeneity, Depp has continued building a catalogue of fascinating, offbeat performances, even in massive blockbusters like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and of course Pirates of the Caribbean, where his supposed 'channelling' of Keith Richards won him an Oscar nomination.

    Depp followed that outlandish performance with one that could not be more different. In Finding Neverland, a much lauded film that delved into the world of Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie, Depp is quiet, self effacing and pleasant to the point of being cloying as the famed writer. Directed by Marc Forster, who helped Halle Berry win an Oscar for her work in Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland was recognised with a swag of Oscar nominations, including nods for Best Film and Best Actor for Depp. The film focuses on the relationship that develops between an unhappily married Barrie (his wife is played by Australian Radha Mitchell) and a young widow (Kate Winslet in yet another fine performance) and her young sons.

    Barrie draws himself further and further away from the adult world as his relationship with the boys develops. He comes to inhabit a world of fantasy, inhabited by the creatures he will come to populate Neverland with. Eyebrows are raised however as he spends more and more time with the children and the widow's disapproving mother (Julie Christie) confronts him. All the while Barrie's producer (Dustin Hoffman) is becoming increasingly nervous that the once successful playwright has lost his inspiration.

    Finding Neverland is a pleasant film, but doesn't delve particularly deeply into the lives of its central characters. The cast, particularly the young Freddie Highmore, are uniformly excellent, but everything feels a little neat. Still, it is well worth a look. Just don't expect any grand passions or explosiveness.

Video

    This fine transfer is presented in its intended aspect ratio of 2.35:1, 16x9 enhanced, and at every point one is thankful for that fact - every inch of the wide frame is used, and the filmmaker's eye for detail is expertly attended to.

    Blacks are clean and clear, with only minimal low level noise.

    Colours, thankfully, are expertly presented. A wide palette is employed and full justice is done to the extravagant costumes of the theatre and the verdant greens of the countryside. Skin tones are realistic.

    Sharpness is uniformly excellent.

    Grain is relatively rare. Film to video artefacts are not a major issue. There is a little edge enhancement.

    Film artefacts are negligible.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    We have a choice of five audio tracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, German Dolby Digital 5.1, Italian Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 or English Audio Descriptive Dolby Stereo 2.0, all of which are well presented. I listened to the English 5.1 track.

    Dialogue is at all times easily understood.

    There were no reportable instances of distortion.

    Audio sync was brilliant.

    The surrounds and subwoofer are not used particularly often, even when the 5.1 track is selected, although the Oscar winning score is heard to full advantage in some of the more emotional scenes. It is immersive but not overpowering.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Audio Commentary with director Marc Forster, producer Richard Gladstein, and writer David Magee

    This is an interesting and informative audio commentary that combines a lot of anecdotes about filming with technical aspects and general information about inspiration for the film. The participants speak clearly and are engaging.

3 Featurettes: The Magic of Finding Neverland, Creating Neverland and On the Red Carpet

    Three very fluffy, insubstantial documentaries that even viewed together do not add much to our understanding of the film. Listen to the audio commentary instead. The last of them is not even a featurette, just a film reel from a premiere.

Deleted Scenes (3)

    Three scenes, all short with optional comments from the three participants in the feature commentary.

Outtakes
    Five minutes of gags and bloopers - with Depp showing some nice comedic instincts.

    The editions are the same so, aside from the standard NTSC/PAL differences, I would opt for the cheaper version.

    A sweet, little film.

    Video quality is excellent.

    Audio quality is terrific, with lots of tracks to choose from.

    The extras are a mixed bag.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall