Doubt (Blu-ray) (Roadshow) (2008)

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General		Extras
Category	Drama	Featurette-Making Of-DOUBT: From Stage To Screen Interviews-Cast-The Cast of DOUBT Interviews-Crew-Scoring DOUBT Featurette-The Sisters Of Charity Audio Commentary-Feature Commentary With Writer/Director John Patrick Shanley
Rating
Year Of Production	2008
Running Time	104:00
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Language Select Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	John Patrick Shanley
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Meryl Streep Philip Seymour Hoffman Amy Adams Viola Davis Alice Drummond Audrie J. Neenan Susan Blommaert Carrie Preston
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$19.95	Music	Howard Shore

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	Unknown	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 (4608Kb/s) French dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) Spanish dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English French Spanish Swedish Norwegian Danish Finnish Icelandic Dutch Arabic	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     The film Doubt, an ensemble drama from 2008, was released on Blu-ray in this region on 9 June 2009. It was reviewed on this site, in both DVD and Blu-ray format, at the time of the release and the reviews can be found here Blu-ray and DVD. Now, just over two years later, the film is being released in this format again. In a move which will no Doubt confuse some fans of the film, it has been released with the same transfer and suite of extras in the original release. So what is different?

     In a word-price. Doubt is being re-released due to the fact that the distribution rights have been purchased by Roadshow from Walt Disney along with other titles like Finding Neverland and Hollywoodland and these titles now make their re-emergence to a $19.95 price point. Therefore, for any one who already has this title in their collection there is no need to give it any further consideration. Those fans who have held off due to the high price now have an opportunity to snap it up at a reduced cost.

     The two published reviews on this site set out well enough the plot of Doubt. Like many great films it is an adaptation of a Pulitzer Prize-winning work of drama. The theatre has always been a rich ground for cinematic ideas. The Pulitzer Prize has thrown up a veritable shopping list of great play which became great films - A Streetcar Named Desire, Glengarry Glen Ross, Driving Miss Daisy, Six Degrees of Separation - that have all made powerful transitions from the stage to the screen. The 2007 winner Rabbit Hole came to the screen fairly quickly due to the star power assistance of Nicole Kidman. Doubt, originally titled Doubt: A Parable won the award in 2005 for writer John Patrick Shanley. Not only did it win the Pulitzer but it also picked up the Tony Award for Best play and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.

     The play concerns the devastating effects that suspicion of child abuse can have on the workings of the church and the school where the boy studies. Set in the 1960s the play and film see the powerful sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) working with information provided by younger sister James (Amy Adams) to challenge Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) over suspicions of interfering with an altar boy. The title of the play and film are not accidental. In a comment (attributed to someone in the original Broadway cast) it was said that the first act of the play was the play itself and the second act was what happened after the play finished, and the audience went home to discuss and argue the rights and wrongs.

     The film of Doubt , adapted and directed by Shanley himself, never truly shrugs off its theatrical origins and most of the action is set in and around the church school. That is not a bad thing as it allows the viewer to become drawn into the superlative performances from a series of actors at the very top of their game. Meryl Streep can perform any role underwater whilst juggling; such is her skill. Even so, it is hard to imagine a recent role where she has had to balance such moral certitude with the slightest slivers of doubt. Hoffman is superb in a role that constantly challenges our perceptions. Should doubt be enough to see the man expunged from the school or is he the innocent victim? Thrown into that mix is Amy Adams, an actress who has exercised considerable talents in roles that call for her to play gamine. She is just as cute in this role however she has to climb a great height to become a person who realises that they have almost no power yet the ability to destroy a career. That's not to forget Viola Davis, whose scene with Meryl Streep in which the alleged abuse is discussed, is as sad and powerful as any in modern cinema.

     Doubt should be a Blu-ray in any drama fans collection. If you didn't already have a now is the perfect time to buy.

Video

     The transfer of Doubt is the same as that reviewed by JohnS. It is a 1.85:1 transfer of the film in its original aspect ratio. The qualities he mentioned - the sharp image, the accurate though dour colours and the excellent camera work of Roger Deakins are all still very much in evidence. Perhaps the only concern is that the transfer reveals a little too much of the make-up of Meryl Streep!

     A high quality Blu-ray transfer.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

     Doubt features a host of audio options, as per the original release. These are:

• English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 (4608Kb/s)
• French dts 5.1 (768Kb/s)
• Spanish dts 5.1 (768Kb/s)
• English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
• English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)

     As with the earlier Blu-ray the sound for the film is strong though the surround effects are limited to storm scenes and the hubbub of the school. Most importantly the dialogue is crystal clear.

     A good sonic transfer.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

     The extras are repeated from the previous version. They are:

• Doubt From Stage to Screen
• The Cast of Doubt
• Scoring Doubt
• Sisters of Charity
• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director John Patrick Shanley

    This Blu-ray is identical throughout the World.

     Doubt is a classic drama which is expertly brought to the screen. The wonderful core performances are a sight to behold.

     The Blu-ray transfer is excellent in sound and vision terms.

     The extras are generally light though the commentary track, full of personal insight, is worth a listen.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall