The General's Daughter (1999) |
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The General's Daughter (1999) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Thriller |
Featurette-Behind The Scenes-1.33:1, not 16x9, 18:55 mins Theatrical Trailer-1.33:1, non 16x9, 2:19 mins Teaser Trailer-1.33:1, non 16x9, 1:01 mins Deleted Scenes Alternate Ending Audio Commentary-Simon West (Director) |
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| Rating |
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| Year Of Production | 1999 | ||
| Running Time | 111:37 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper | RSDL (51:57) | Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Language Select Then Programme | ||
| Region Coding | 4 | Directed By | Simon West |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Paramount Home Entertainment |
Starring |
John Travolta Madeleine Stowe James Cromwell Timothy Hutton Clarence, III Williams James Woods |
| Case | Amaray-Transparent | ||
| RPI | $39.95 | Music | Carter Burwell |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) Italian Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0  (192Kb/s)
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 576i (PAL) | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.35:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
Greek English Spanish Croatian Italian Hebrew Portuguese English for the Hearing Impaired English Audio Commentary Spanish Audio Commentary Italian Audio Commentary |
Smoking | Yes |
| Annoying Product Placement | Yes, possibly | ||
| Action In or After Credits | Yes | ||
The story opens with John Travolta as Warrant Officer Frank Brenner is investigating an illegal arms deal. He has a chance meeting with Captain Elisabeth Campbell (Leslie Stefanson), the daughter of the commanding general.
After a less-than-successful conclusion to his investigation, Brenner is called by Colonel William Kent (Timothy Hutton) and assigned the investigation of the suspected rape and murder of the same Captain Campbell, found naked and staked out on an army exercise ground. He is paired with Warrant Office Sarah Sunhill (Madeleine Stowe), a rape investigator with the army's criminal investigation division. As their investigation begins they uncovers dark secrets, evidence of illicit sexual practises, betrayal, and murder all ensconced beneath the seemingly solid veneer of the army officer corp.
With a backdrop set in the deep south and utilizing many historical facades, this is a lavish adaptation. John Travolta gives a solid performance. Ably assisted by Madeleine Stowe and with some excellent cameo performances from Timothy Hutton, James Woods, James Cromwell and Leslie Stefanson this movie maintains a solid, steady pace throughout.
West smoothly manipulates our view of the characters. Juxtaposing the horror of the crime with the analytical pursuit of justice, he attempts to expose the moral morass systemic within the concepts of duty and honour. CGI is cleverly used to expand the mood lighting and the rape aspects are never overemphasized, thus not devolving the movie onto a lower level. Given his relative inexperience in film-making, this is an exceptionally solid movie with all the nuances you attribute to a seasoned veteran of the craft.
The movie is presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1. It is 16x9 enhanced
The sharpness of the transfer is generally superb, with one exception - edge enhancement. Due to the fact that the movie is littered with examples of edge enhancement, I've simply chosen one to highlight the problem. At 29:00, John Travolta's face is framed against an open doorway. His profile sports a solid black line along the edge and is haloed against the background lighting. In the same frame, Madeleine Stowe also sports the same halo effect but to a lesser degree. Almost every scene seems to have such examples.
The use of sodium lights decreases visibility in many of the scenes, causing blacks to be totally solid offering little fine detail. Consequently, shadow detail is not good, but this was an artistic decision, not a problem with the transfer. Grain and low level noise are almost non-existent, but you'd expect this given the recent vintage of the movie.
The colour is just simply magnificent and there is no oversaturation, even allowing for the lighting conditions. Transitions between darkened rooms and brightly light outdoor scenes are deftly handled.
There are a few film artefacts in the movie but they are so minimal as to not warrant mention. You will be hard-pressed to spot them unless you are looking. The only sign of aliasing I could detect was a slight shimmering on the steps of the general's house at 24:22 and various name tags throughout the movie, but again, too minimal to be worthy of much note. All-in-all, a superior transfer
The subtitles are well done and suitably placed at the bottom of the screen and rarely interfere with the image.
This is an RSDL disc with the layer change coming at 51:57. The change is noticeable, taking about a second, but comes at the end of an interview between John Travolta and James Woods and is reasonably well located.
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| Overall | |
The dialogue was clean and clear. Syncing was superb. There were no anomalies in the soundtrack that I could hear.
Combining a mixture of traditional cajun music with orchestral work, Carter Burwell, with over 50 movie scores to his name (including Three Kings, The Corrupter and Being John Malkovich), presents us with a magnificent underlay to the visual fabric of the movie.
The surround channels are mainly used by the musical score and occasional directional effects such as the sounds of helicopters, tanks, the odd explosion or gunfire. Judiciously used, they spring to life when needed then settle down to allow the front soundstage to take precedence.
The subwoofer is used aggressively in the same manner, yet is at no stage obtrusive nor overpowering.
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| Overall | |
The commentary is never boring. His dialogue is brisk and no nonsense and segues beautifully with the action on the screen. Those of you interested in the directorial process involved in the making of a movie like this will not be disappointed. An excellent addition and worth the time it took to rewatch the movie with his commentary.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
| Video | |
| Audio | |
| Extras | |
| Plot | |
| Overall | |
| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | Loewe Xemix 5006DD, using RGB output |
| Display | Loewe Xelos (81cm). Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Video Essentials. |
| Amplification | Yamaha RXV-595a |
| Speakers | JBL TLX16s Front Speakers, Polk Audio 3MIIs Rear Speakers, Polk Audio CS245 Centre Speaker, M&KV-75 Subwoofer |