The World's Fastest Indian (Icon) (2005)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Drama	Main Menu Audio
Rating
Year Of Production	2005
Running Time	121:47
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (61:37)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Roger Donaldson
Studio Distributor	Dendy Icon Entertainment	Starring	Anthony Hopkins Craig Hall Iain Rea Tessa Mitchell Aaron Murphy Tim Shadbolt Annie Whittle Greg Johnson Antony Starr Kate Sullivan Jim Bowman
Case	?
RPI	$32.95	Music	J. Peter Robinson

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 for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    You may or may not be aware that the Dendy films back catalogue has moved distributor in Australia from Magna Pacific to Icon. As part of this move many films are being re-released on DVD by Icon. Some of these titles are being released on Blu-ray for the first time. Some of the standard definition releases are exactly the same as their Magna Pacific forebears and others have some changes. In this case, The World's Fastest Indian, the film was originally released by Magna Pacific in 2006 and reviewed by us here . Unlike Oyster Farmer , this disc is very different to the previous release by Magna. Whether it is better or worse is a matter for some discussion and will probably depend upon personal priorities. In terms of what I look for in a DVD, this one is a step forward.

    The following table lays out the main differences between this release and the previous Magna Pacific Release:

    The previous review by Darren Walters gives a good rundown of the film's plot which does not need to be repeated here.

    I thoroughly enjoyed this film and found it to have a warm and inspirational quality only found in a few films. The film was directed by Roger Donaldson and like his more recent film The Bank Job (which I also enjoyed) this one takes a slightly old-fashioned approach to film making. I mean this in a positive way, not as a criticism. This film's subject area is obviously of interest to him as he started his directorial career with a documentary about Burt Munro in 1971 and then followed it up many years later with this feature film. The main character is wonderfully played by Sir Anthony Hopkins, capturing a wonderful charming naiveté in this eccentric character from the far south of New Zealand. Another really strong component of this production is the cinematography by David Gribble. He captures both the speed trials and the beautiful scenery wonderfully well.

    In my opinion, this re-release is worthwhile due to it being the first time the original aspect ratio has been available on DVD in Region 4. The addition of subtitles is also a good move. Personally, I am not too worried about missing out on the extras. Your view will depend upon your priorities.

Video

    The feature is presented in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. It is 16x9 enhanced widescreen.I have read (in comments on our previous review linked above) that the director shot the film with a DVD ratio of 1.78:1 in mind, however, personally I would much rather see the film as it was shown theatrically.

    The picture was clear and sharp throughout, one of the best transfers I have seen for a while from this perspective. Shadow detail was excellent.

    The colour was also excellent, vibrant and well rendered throughout.

    I noticed some minor aliasing at 0:35 and a little edge enhancement.

    There are subtitles in English for the hearing impaired. They are clear and easy to read.

    The layer change was somewhat noticeable and occurs at 61:37.
    

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    The audio is very good.

    This DVD contains one audio track, an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack encoded at 448Kb/s. I noticed that this soundtrack was generally quieter than most but once the volume was turned up it performed quite well.

    Dialogue was clear and easy to understand.

    The music by J. Peter Robinson is effective adding greatly to the film's atmosphere.

    The surround speakers were used for sounds of motorbikes and other racing plus significant atmospherics.

    The subwoofer was used for the engine sounds plus the music.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

    This will be a personal choice. This version offers what seems to be the only current way to get OAR on SD and adds subtitles to the previous Region 4 version. There was previously a Region 2 UK edition which was in OAR but the only one I can find listed now in the UK is advertised as 1.78:1. However, if you want extras then you need to go for another region. Most Blu-ray editions also seem to be 1.78:1.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio is very good.

    No extras.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall