Original Sin (2001)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Audio Commentary-Michael Cristofer (Director) Gallery-Photo Music Video-You Can't Walk Away From Love-Gloria Estefan Theatrical Trailer
Rating
Year Of Production	2001
Running Time	113:34
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (64:38)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Michael Cristofer
Studio Distributor	Twentieth Century Fox	Starring	Antonio Banderas Angelina Jolie Thomas Jane Jack Thompson
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	$36.95	Music	Terence Blanchard

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/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	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Original Sin could be best be descried as a sexy, suspenseful thriller. Originally due to be released theatrically in the United States as a late 2000 release, the movie was put back by MGM and eventually released at the box office some eight months later. The word was that MGM were very unhappy with the finished product - hence the reason the film was delayed. Original Sin flopped at the box office, making 9 million dollars less than what the movie cost to make the previous year and we can only presume that this movie turned out to be a major disappointment to all involved.

    Original Sin tells the story of Luis Antonio Vargas (Antonio Banderas), a wealthy Cuban coffee plantation owner back in the late 1800s. Luis does not believe in love so he sends away for a mail order bride. All he is looking for in a woman is someone who will be there for him and be able to provide him with children. Along comes Julia Russell (Angelina Jolie), his new bride to be, but Luis is quite stunned when he sees Julia. She looks nothing like the photo he received from her, which showed a fairly plain-looking woman. Julia, on the other hand, is absolutely stunning. Julia explains to Luis that she did not want to be picked on just the basis of her looks, and hence the photo was not of her but instead was of a plain, average-looking woman. It is here that we start to realise that all is not what it seems and there may be more to Julia's history than what she is telling.

    Luis and Julia are married that day and the newlyweds then make their way home to start out their new life together. Luis gives Julia a few days to settle into her new home and even offers her a bedroom of her own but it is only a few days until things start to get very passionate between the newlyweds and they start sharing the same bedroom. The next step in their relationship is a trip to the bank, where Luis instructs the bank manager that Julia can access any of his money at any time that she needs it without his consent (big mistake). A couple of weeks later, Luis gets told at work that Julia has left home. A subsequent trip to the bank reveals that not only has his wife gone, but so too has his money. Luis then embarks on a mission to find Julia at all costs. He also begins to learn that even after all she has done to him, he has become obsessed by her and will do anything to find her again.

Video

    The video transfer of this movie is excellent. The picture is extremely sharp and detailed and is of reference quality.

    The transfer is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and is also 16x9 enhanced.

    The sharpness on this disc is excellent - just check out the make-up on the close-ups of Angelina Jolie's face - the detail is wonderful. Shadow detail was also first rate. The only criticism I could make of this is that very early on in the movie (during the first five minutes), the shadow detail is just a tad dark, but from then on there is nothing to complain about. There was no low level noise detected on this disc.

    The colours on this disc were first-rate and looked stunning.

    There were no MPEG artefacts seen on this disc. Aliasing was not a problem, either. Film artefacts were a slight problem and were noticed through the movie as small white marks on the picture, but I must say that unless you are really looking for them, they should not distract from an otherwise fine presentation.

    This disc is an RSDL disc with the layer change occurring at 64.38. It was well placed and not distracting to the flow of the movie.

Video Ratings Summary

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

Audio

    The audio transfer of this disc was very good and is sure to please.

    There are two audio tracks on this DVD, the first being an English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and the second being an audio commentary with Director Michael Cristofer.

    The dialogue quality on this disc was excellent and was clear and easy to understand at all times. Audio sync was not a problem at all.

    The musical score by Terence Blanchard was wonderful and added a rich atmospheric ambience to the movie.

    The surround channels were used sparingly throughout this movie, which is not surprising given that a lot of this film is mainly dialogue-driven. Nonetheless, at the times when the surrounds are used, they are used to great effect.

    The subwoofer was used throughout this film but it was not the usual thump-thump type of subwoofer action we hear in many of today's action movies. The bass kicked in when called for and did not distract your attention away from the movie - this is one of the better examples of how filmmakers can use bass moderately without blasting people away.

Audio Ratings Summary

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

Photo Gallery (2.47)

    This photo gallery is a collection of photos from the movie and from behind the scenes. It is accompanied by a nice little musical number.

Music Video (2.19)

    This music video by Gloria Estefan has an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 encoded soundtrack.

Trailer (2.19)

    The theatrical trailer has an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is also presented with a Dolby Digital 2.0 encoded soundtrack.

Audio Commentary

    This audio commentary track is provided by Director Michael Cristofer and is fairly informative. Cristofer explains many parts of the movie and certain cuts that had to be made to the film to get it released.

    There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.

    There are two versions of this DVD available in Region 1; an R-rated version and a more explicit unrated version, with approximately 2 1/2 minutes of additional footage. The Region 4 version of this DVD is equivalent to the Region 1 unrated version.

    The Region 4 version misses out on,

• French Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
• Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack
• Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack

    The Region 1 version misses out on,

• Nothing

    I would slightly favour the Region 4 disc because of the excellent picture quality on this disc.

    Original Sin was, for me, better than I expected it would be. I think you could class this film as one of your guilty pleasures in life. I know it will not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is very good.

    The extras are very sparse except for the audio commentary and don't really amount to much.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall