Dreamgirls: 2-Disc Showstopper Edition (HD DVD) (2006)

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General		Extras
Category	Musical	Menu Animation & Audio Deleted Scenes-12 Musical Numbers (HD) Music Video-Beyonce - Listen Featurette-Making Of-Building The Dream (HD) Featurette-Auditions & Screen Tests (3) Featurette-Making Of-Pre-viz Scenes (7) Featurette-Dream Logic : Film Editing(HD) Featurette-Dressing The Dreams: Costume Design (HD) Featurette-Making Of-Center Stage: Theatrical Lighting (HD)
Rating
Year Of Production	2006
Running Time	130:00 (Case: 125)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Bill Condon
Studio Distributor	Paramount Home Entertainment	Starring	Jamie Foxx Beyoncé Knowles Eddie Murphy Danny Glover Jennifer Hudson Anika Noni Rose Keith Robinson Sharon Leal Hinton Battle Mariah I. Wilson Yvette Cason Ken Page Ralph Louis Harris
Case	Amaray Variant
RPI	?	Music	Henry Krieger

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 French Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 German Dolby Digital Plus 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English Dutch French German	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes

    Dreamgirls debuted on Broadway in 1981 and was a highly successful stage production in its own right. There have reportedly been several attempts to bring the show to the screen throughout the years, but it was Chicago director Bill Condon who took the reigns to produce this visually stunning effort.

     Dreamgirls follows the career highs and lows of all-girl singing group, The Dreamettes. Comprised of Deena (Beyoncé Knowles), Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) and Effie (Jennifer Hudson), the trio is young, talented and full of ambition. We first meet the girls as they unsuccessfully compete in a talent show. Although they're disappointed by their failure, they are recognised by equally ambitious would-be manager Curtis Taylor (Jamie Foxx, Jarhead). It seems hot-shot entertainer James 'Thunder' Early (Eddie Murphy) is in need of a few backing singers at very short notice, so Curtis elbows his way into their circle, nabbing the three girls the job. While they're initially apprehensive about playing second fiddle to a known womaniser, they accept the gig on the condition that they will receive headlining status in the future. Before they know it, they're packing their bags and playing packed houses as Early's backing singers.

    Curtis soon takes on the role of Early's manager as well, eventually removing The Dreamettes from his act to honor his promise of their crack at the big time. They cut a record, but getting radio airplay is a challenge. This is where payola comes in, and lots of it. It's a practice that thrives to this day; artists or labels essentially bribing DJs to get their records played. It works for Curtis, and not only are the Dreamettes popular on Afro-American radio, they manage to achieve a number one hit on the national charts. Success takes its toll though, and rivalries between the girls threaten to tear the group apart.

    While the characters are loosely 'fictional', they have clearly been modeled on familiar personalities. Eddie Murphy's performance is reminiscent of his Saturday Night Live days in which he flamboyantly parodied James Brown, but here he has injected a little Prince and Otis Redding as well. Beyoncé Knowles has a decidedly Diana Ross persona. The most outstanding performance by far comes from former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson, whose passionate performance as Effie harnesses an amazing singing voice that makes Beyoncé sound like a wounded Canary in comparison.

    Dreamgirls may have been very successful as a Broadway Musical, but for me the style doesn't translate to the screen all that well. The first half hour of the film moves at a frenetic pace, and the audience is never given the opportunity to completely connect with these characters. By the time the third act comes around and their world is falling apart, little empathy has been built in order to engage the viewer  For example, these girls leave home at a very young age against the will of their parents and families. This is a potentially dramatic aspect to the story that is simply glossed over.

    Some misgivings regarding plot and storytelling aside, there's no denying Dreamgirls is a wonderful ride. The performances of Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson make this one worth your time.

    The single-disc, standard definition DVD was reviewed by DanielB, here.

Video

    The transfer is presented in the film's original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, in a native 1080p frame.

    Being such a recent production, one would expect a relatively flawless presentation of the film, and that's what we've got. The image is beautiful and crisp, with exquisite fine detail to be seen in costumes, fabrics and set design. Shadow detail is excellent, while black levels reach a lovely, inky depth when need be.

    Colours are rich, vibrant and life-like. Many scenes utilise bright coloured stage lighting and these are transferred without a hint of bleeding or oversaturation. Skin tones appear perfect.

    The video transfer has been compressed via the VC-1 codec. There are absolutely no compression issues to speak of, even scenes that involve raining confetti are pristine, whereas on a standard DVD these would be a mess of compression artefacts. I didn't notice any film artefacts at all. Only the most minor film grain can be seen on occasion, but I still wouldn't hesitate to award this 5-stars for video quality.

    English subtitles are provided and appear to follow the dialogue closely.

    Both HD DVD discs in this package are dual layered (HD-30).

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    There are three soundtracks accompanying this film, all of which are presented in Dolby Digital Plus 5.1. The default soundtrack is determined by the viewer's choice from an initial language select menu.. There are French and German dubs available, but I only listened to the film's original English audio. With such a rich audio fabric running throughout the film, I can't help but wonder why Paramount have neglected to include a lossless audio option, PCM at the very least.

    The dialogue is absolutely crystal clear and always easy to discern above effects and musical accompaniment. The ADR is seamless and completely natural. Audio sync is perfect.

    The surround channels are used for a great deal of effects, such as passing cars, slamming doors and audience applause. Some musical numbers even contain instruments panned to the rear channels, such as percussion and brass. Voices are generally confined to the front centre throughout the film.

    The film's music by Henry Krieger develops as the story progresses, beginning with early 60s pop and ending with a fully fledged disco tune. A great deal of attention has been payed to the sounds of each era, which have been replicated perfectly in the studio. This aspect of the production is covered in the extensive documentary on disc two. Music is the cornerstone of this film, and it is performed here superbly.

    The subwoofer is featured prominently during the songs, accentuating the bass guitar and drums with superb depth.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    This is a great range of extra features, some of which are presented in 1080p HD. As far as the package goes, the two discs are very similar and don't have any distinct markings to indicate whether they contain feature or extras. One of the discs has approx. runtime in very small print, which is the main feature disc.

    All of these extras are presented in 1.78:1 widescreen, unless otherwise noted.

Menu

Disc One

    The cover slick lists a Dreamgirls Soundtrack Promo in addition to the music video, but I can't find any such thing here.

Deleted Scenes (36:05) (HD)

    There are twelve extended musical numbers, some of which merely offer a slightly different cut of video. These can be played individually or via a handy play all function.All are presented with the same quality as the feature; 1080p/VC-1 video, with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 audio.

Music Video- Listen by Beyoncé Knowles (3:49)

    A passionate, but slightly bland promotional piece for Beyoncé's signature tune from the film. Non-16x9 video, with stereo audio.

Disc Two

    The HD content of disc two has been compressed via the MPEG4AVC codec. German, English, French and Dutch subtitles are available.

Making-Of Documentary- Building the Dream (114:53) (HD)

    This extensive making-of covers most aspects of the production, beginning with a quick overview of the original stage production and its success throughout the eighties. The various sections explore casting and pre-production, as well as choreography, sound design and, of course, principal photography. A little time is also dedicated to Jennifer Hudson's humble exit from American Idol. Interviewees include director Bill Condon and numerous cast and crew.

Making-Of Featurette- Dream Logic: Film Editing (4:08) (HD)

    Looks at the post-production process, editing and audio sync.

Making-Of Featurette- Dressing the Dreams: Costume Design (8:21) (HD)

    The film's costume designer explains her inspirations for the costumes and how they relate to the specific characters.

Making-Of Featurette- Center Stage: Theatrical Lighting (8:44) (HD)

    An interesting glimpse into the differences between theatrical and cinema lighting, and how certain effects were applied for this film, taking into consideration the period in which the film is set.

Behind the Scenes Featurettes- Auditions and Screen Tests (3)

    There are three audition performances, showing how the performers proved themselves right for their roles in the film.

• Beyoncé (2:25) (HD)
• Anika Noni Rose (2:09)
• Fatima Robinson (Choreographer) (6:19)

Making-Of Featurette- Previsualisation Sequences (7)

    Seven short pre-viz scenes, comprised of rehearsal footage and storyboard images. I doubt the average viewer would sit through these more than once.

• The Talent Show (9:35)
• Fake Your Way To The Top (6:57)
• Cadillac Car (2:58)
• Steppin' To The Bad Side (8:23)
• I Want You Baby (2:45)
• Heavy (1:43)
• Hard To Say Goodbye (4:26)

    This Showstopper Edition seems to be identical in content across the globe.

    The transfer is faultless.

    The extras are extensive and the majority of them are presented in HD.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall