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Specs |
- Widescreen 1.78:1
- 16:9 Enhanced
- Dual Layer (RSDL 72.50)
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Languages |
- English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
- French: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
- Italian: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
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Subtitles |
English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Arabic, Portuguese, English - Hearing Impaired, Italian - Hearing Impaired, Romanian, Bulgarian |
Extras |
- Theatrical trailer
- 9 Featurette
- Photo gallery
- Animated menus
- Storyboards
- Filmographies
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A.I.: Artificial Intelligence |
Warner Bros./Warner Home Video .
R4 . COLOR . 140 mins .
M . PAL |
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Steven Spielberg would have been fully aware, as he launched into the complex process of bringing A.I. to the screen, that the resulting film would be scrutinised and critiqued more closely than anything he’d directed before. This was, after all, Stanley’s project. Though he never really came close to actually making the film, Stanley Kubrick had been planning for A.I. since the mid ‘80s, after reading a Brian Aldiss short story called Super-Toys Last All Summer Long and seeing the raw material for a unique science fiction film within it. A story treatment was put together and conceptual drawings were done, but ultimately Kubrick’s perfectionism kept him away. Perhaps he simply didn’t feel that special effects technology was up to the challenge, or maybe he was looking for the right way to approach this now-expanded story, which was seeming less and less like a Kubrick film. Regardless, by the time Kubrick again considered A.I. in the mid-‘90s he had decided that there was a better choice of director than himself to helm the story - Steven Spielberg, who was asked to direct but eventually handed the project back to Kubrick. After Kubrick’s death, though, Spielberg was asked again to consider A.I., and this time he jumped at the chance. The resulting film, based in part on Kubrick’s early work on the concept and bearing Kubrick’s name rather than Spielberg’s in the opening credits, would be a tribute to the late auteur - but it would not attempt to emulate his work. Even so, the influence of Kubrick is almost palpable throughout A.I. - make no mistake, this a very much a Steven Spielberg film - one which once again explores the director’s recent fondness for technical experimentation and an ever more visually-driven cinematic language. The structure is Kubrick’s, as is much of the basic visual style. But Spielberg has not been tempted to emulate Kubrick’s unique compositional style, his fluid camera moves and his uncompromisingly exacting editing. With A.I. it feels more like Spielberg has spent some time musing on what’s possible in cinematic storytelling, with Kubrick’s work firmly in mind. The resulting film is fascinating, not least because it is the first coupling between the “serious Spielberg” of Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan with the “fairytale Spielberg” that made E.T. It’s hard to say whether the spirit of Kubrick hangs over the whole thing simply because we knew that this was originally his project; there’s a lot of Kubrick influence in the final section, though, and throughout the film it’s possible to get too distracted trying to spot things that you know Kubrick would have done differently. Ultimately, it’s better just to judge A.I. on its own merits, and marvel once again at how Steven Spielberg has matured exponentially as a filmmaker in recent years. It may have been inspired by an Aldiss short story, but A.I. bears little resemblance to it, taking a basic concept, a few character names and a couple of ideas and extrapolating from there. The Pinocchio elements and analogies in the film may seem like typical Spielberg fare, but in fact they were Kubrick’s idea and were part of Ian Watson’s original treatment (Spielberg himself wrote the final screenplay); in hindsight it seems quite logical that Kubrick should ask Spielberg to direct. (Brian Aldiss has been somewhat dismissive of this fairy-tale change to his character, and says as much in an article on his web site: “I could not or would not see the parallels between my five-year old android and the wooden creature who becomes human. It emerged that Stanley wanted David to become human, and wanted, too, to have the Blue Fairy materialise. Never consciously rewrite old fairy stories, I'd say.”) It’s a fascinating story idea, though, and while it’s a long way from Aldiss’s original, A.I.’s tale is an intriguing and relevant one. It’s set in an undetermined time in the future, when the planet’s resources are so scarce that restrictions have been placed on childbirth, and where the essential but undemanding jobs are now done by life-like intelligent robots - something that humans still haven’t quite gotten used to, leading to no small amount of anti-robot prejudice. That isn’t going to stop Professor Hobby (William Hurt) developing a new generation of robot, though - one that has the capacity to feel love. Deciding the natural market for such technology is as a replacement for the children that adults are not allowed to have, he creates David (Haley Joel Osment), and Monica and Henry Swinton become the first parents to try the new model out. But while he’s capable of loving his new “parents”, he turns out to need to be loved in return - something Monica and Henry aren’t capable of feeling towards a robot. Thus begins a journey... While the premise may sound almost cheesy, rest assured that the overall result is not; this is intelligent sci-fi drama that’s been brought to life by astonishing visual artistry, but importantly the eye-popping (and often revolutionary) special effects work and adventurous cinematography never relegates the story or the high-quality acting to the background. While the film does lose a little of its emotional momentum as it ventures on from the relationship between David and Monica (who is superbly played by Frances O’Connor) and dramatically shifts tone for a time (no, we didn’t expect a performance from Ministry either!) there’s more than enough that’s compelling about A.I. to render its relatively minor flaws unimportant. The sheer scope of what’s being attempted here is remarkable - and the majority of the time Spielberg pulls it off, managing to throw in plenty of the unexpected along the way. There is some comic relief (including a wonderfully animated and rather informative walking teddy bear who could easily be the offspring of an unholy union between 2001’s HAL and a soft toy) but this story is in essence a sad, dark one; had Kubrick lived to make A.I. it would undoubtedly have been darker still, but Spielberg has done a magnificent and adventurous job. Though it divided both critics and public upon its release last year, A.I. will undoubtedly grow in stature in the years to come.
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Like most of Spielberg’s recent films, A.I. was photographed by Janusz Kaminski - and like Saving Private Ryan before it, Kaminski and Spielberg have opted for a radical approach to the cinematography here. Overexposure, extremely high contrast, desaturation, massive oversaturation, grainy high-speed film stock - there’s barely a frame that looks “conventional”. Combined with the often out-there production design and visual effects, this would have to be the most visually unconventional mainstream film in recent memory. Of course, this all makes for a difficult video transfer. But of course, the transfer here is nothing less than first-class, presenting the film exactly as its director intended it to be seen. That may initially shock some who are used to sharp and pristine images on their DVDs, but it’s not long before it becomes perfectly obvious that the increased resolution and colour stability of DVD is essential to this film looking the way it should on home video. As usual for high-end transfers such as this, shadow detail is perfect and there’s not a visual flaw to be found anywhere. Presented at a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, filling the entire 16:9 anamorphic frame, A.I. has been given a lot of care and attention at the DVD authoring stage, and there are no compression problems to distract from the movie - remarkable, considering that a fairly unassuming bitrate has been used to encode the film. Naturally A.I. is supplied on a dual-layered disc; the layer change, just past the half-way point, is a little jarring but quickly dealt with.
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Gary Rydstrom. No more need be said. Well, alright, we’ll elaborate. The immensely detailed and often very restrained soundtrack for A.I. was designed and co-mixed by the incomparable Gary Rydstrom, who once again delivers a sound mix that’s both natural (no mean feat given the storyline) and intensely involving without ever resorting to gimmickry. That means the subwoofer only kicks into action when there’s actually a point to it doing so, that the surrounds are used for their intended purpose of providing an immersive environment for the audience, and the balance between dialogue, effects and music is handled with a smooth dexterity that is as close to perfection as you’re likely to hear. That’s not to say that this soundtrack is averse to the occasional full-throttle workout - far from it, as the “Flesh Fair” sequence proves - but it’s never unnecessarily showy, a rare thing these days. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack here is EX-encoded for those of you with ludicrous budgets and decoders that support that format, but those who “only” have 5.1 (or even good old Dolby Surround, for that matter) are going to be plenty thrilled with this soundtrack, which is state-of-the-art. The US version of the disc also offers a DTS-ES soundtrack, but we dare anyone to say they’re disappointed with the Dolby Digital track on offer here and actually mean it.
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Overall |
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Stanley Kubrick put off making A.I. for many years, and as a result the very title of the film has taken on the status of near-legend - so of course for many, expectations are somewhat heightened by the sheer mystery and mystique of the whole thing. Ultimately, though - as Dennis Muren points out on the bonus disc - the best thing about Spielberg taking on the project was that the film actually got made instead of just talked about. It’s not a Kubrick film, and it’s not intended to replicate one. Rather, it’s an ambitious merging of Steven Spielberg’s love for simple fables and his ever-growing skill at serious cinema. It may not be for everyone, but for those that come along for the ride, A.I. is a fascinating story told with knockout visuals and first-class acting. Warner’s double-DVD set replicates the US version almost exactly, and along with a superb PAL transfer of the film there’s a good (but not as extensive as hoped) collection of extra features that are not only informative, but also entertaining.
LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=1337
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And I quote... |
"...a fascinating story told with knockout visuals and first-class acting." - Anthony Horan |
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Review Equipment |
- DVD Player:
Sony DVP-NS300
- Receiver:
Sony STR-AV1020
- Speakers:
Klipsch Tangent 500
- Surrounds:
Jamo
- Audio Cables:
Standard RCA
- Video Cables:
Monster s-video
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