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Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Volver (Icon) (2006)

Volver (Icon) (2006)

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Released 2-Dec-2009

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Drama Theatrical Trailer
Interviews-Cast & Crew-Pedro Almodovar, Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura
Rating Rated M
Year Of Production 2006
Running Time 116:22
RSDL / Flipper Dual Layered Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Pedro Almodóvar
Studio
Distributor
Icon Entertainment Starring Penélope Cruz
Carmen Maura
Lola Dueñas
Blanca Portillo
Yohana Cobo
Chus Lampreave
Antonio de la Torre
Carlos Blanco
María Isabel Díaz
Neus Sanz
Leandro Rivera
Yolanda Ramos
Carlos García Cambero
Case Amaray-Transparent
RPI ? Music Alberto Iglesias


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 2.35:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English (Burned In) Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    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, Volver, the film was originally released by Magna Pacific in 2007 and reviewed by us here. This new edition seems to be exactly the same as the previous release and owners of that disc need read no further as there is certainly no reason to re-purchase.

    The previous review by Trevor Darge gives an excellent rundown of the film's plot which does not need to be repeated here (and maybe shouldn't be read before seeing the film). Volver is certainly a very worthwhile film with its real strength being the multi-award winning ensemble acting of the virtually all female cast including Penelope Cruz and other Pedro Almodovar regulars. The story is interesting and the film has all the little quirks that you expect in Almodovar's work.

    All in all, this re-release is only occurring due to a change in distributor and does not offer anything more than the previous edition, which is a shame because the original aspect ratio would have been a great improvement.

   

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Transfer Quality

Video

    The video quality is very good however this edition repeats the sins of the past by still including a cropped 1.85:1 ratio rather than the original 2.35:1.

    The feature is presented in an approximately 1.85:1 aspect ratio which is not the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced widescreen. The previous review includes screen shots showing how much screen real estate is missing. The fact that the end credits are in 2.35:1 is just rubbing salt into the wound.

    The picture was clear and sharp. Shadow detail was very good.

    The colour is vibrant and leaps off the screen as you expect from Almodovar.

    There were no obvious artefacts.

    There are subtitles in English for all dialogue which are burned into the picture. They smear slightly during camera pans.

    The layer change is badly placed causing an obvious pause.
    

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

Audio

    The audio is very good but hardly a home cinema test disc.

    This DVD contains the same two options as the previous version, a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) soundtrack and a Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 surround (224Kb/s) soundtrack.

    Dialogue seemed clear and was easy to understand.

    The music by Alberto Iglesias works very well for the film, adding significantly to the various moods of the different scenes.

    The surround speakers and the subwoofer were used for music mostly.

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

Extras

     The extras are exactly the same as the previous version. Details can be found  here .

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    There has been no change that I can discover in global editions of this film since the previous review. Accordingly the Region 1 or 2 versions are both improvements on this as they have the original aspect ratio and more extras. The UK version is still the best based on its slightly sharper vision.

Summary

    A interesting and extremely well acted Almodovar film about death and infidelity.

    The video quality is very good but with the wrong aspect ratio.

    The audio is very good.

    Extras consist of interviews only.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Daniel Bruce (Do you need a bio break?)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Review Equipment
DVDSony DVP-NS708H upscaling to 1080p, using HDMI output
DisplayLG Scarlet 42LG61YD 106cm Full HD LCD. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationPioneer VSX-511
SpeakersMonitor Audio Bronze 2 (Front), Bronze Centre & Bronze FX (Rears) + Sony SAW2500M Subwoofer

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