There’s a special place in my collection for Dreamworks discs; maybe it’s the fact that they have the Spielberg franchise, maybe it’s because of their above average anamorphic presentations; maybe it’s their belief in dts and emerging technologies like dts-es 6.1 discrete. There’s no doubt that their dts DVD’s are among the best if not the absolute best; they provide Universal with some strong competition.
I have come to love the Dreamworks studio intro with the boy casting his fishing rod into the pond from the crescent moon. I love its whimsy as well as knowing that the next few hours will be a special film experience complete with the expected excellence in audio and video.
It is with some enthusiasm that we announce Dreamworks’ entry into the Australian market. One of their first discs is one that has an impeccable pedigree on the US market. As a movie it is perhaps rather lightweight fare – but there has rarely been a disc that stands out so much in terms of sound engineering. That disc is the dts-es 6.1 US release of ‘The Haunting’.
The Haunting is a Jan De Bont horror movie. The premise is that Liam Neeson is a psychology researcher who wishes to conduct an experiment on insomnia in a ‘haunted’ house. His experimental subjects include Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lili Taylor. There are questions about whether the house is really haunted or whether the phenomena are man-made or a result of mass delusion. The house also has a history that will have an impact on its temporary inhabitants.
What results is a tour de force of visual and audio special effects that is expertly reproduced on this disc.
The video is in a word, exceptional. It is not the absolute best I’ve ever seen but it is damn close. The picture is framed 2.35:1 anamorphic. The film is very dark but the DVD handles that very well with strong black and vivid detail in that foreboding darkness. The colours are exceptionally well rendered – especially so on the few external and day shots. The special effects are especially noteworthy – they are convincing in a medium that can show every flaw.
Every scene where the house comes to life is something quite visually outstanding.
Well there’s no getting around this – there is no dts track on this disc. I was tempted to do a direct comparison with the r1 dts release but that would be unfair. Perhaps a dts release in forthcoming from Dreamworks later this year?
Taken in isolation, this Dolby Digital 5.1 release is reference quality. That term is used a lot however this DVD the best 448k/s ac3 5.1 I’ve ever experienced and that goes back to laserdisc Dolby Digital which is widely acknowledged as the best that has ever been commercially available.
It is a fairly low volume level soundtrack – deliberately so due to the fact that an original 24-bit/96kHz master was used. This explains some of the sonic fidelity and all of the dynamic range. While you set a decent level for clear vocal volume, the coming subwoofer levels will have you jumping.
And about that subwoofer – this is one of the ‘bassiest’ DVD’s ever made – but the subwoofer quality also stands out. It is very solid and fast – it was one of those DVD’s where the LFE seems to come at you as a solid wall of energy. And when it stops – it stops suddenly and has your heart beating in the silence. This is a standard psychological manipulation but it is done so effectively here.
In fact, that might sum up the whole disc; the sound seemed to be diffuse yet incredibly focussed at once – it perfectly matched the action on the screen.
The Jerry Goldsmith score is unobtrusive – the vocals commendably clear. The surround activity is intense – and there is significant rear bass, fairly rare on many ac3 DVD’s. The pans from channel to channel and especially front to rear, are of extreme smoothness and authority.
There are many scenes that had me shaking my head in disbelief – I have not visited my r1 dts-es version since late last year. I had expected to be disappointed yet I came away shaken by this surround experience.
There's a scene that is a favourite of us a/v philes and that's when Taylor launches a jewelry box towards a glass window - it shatters and the accompanying breaking glass sound is one that will make itself quite well known on any decent 5.1 surround sound system.
There are also scenes of incredible detail as well. A scene has Lili Taylor running away barefoot on a hard slate floor while the house comes down around here. The scene is accompanied by a music crescendo. Of course, you are struck by the bass and the strong Goldsmith score. What else did I hear? Taylor’s delicate footsteps as well. Yes, extreme sonic energy and detail. I wondered how far Dolby Digital will go – now I know.
Let me be honest – I did not like this film all that much. It is in itself quite a poorly directed and scripted affair. It is not even a good movie. Mediocre is about right. Jan De Bont is not a favorite of mine.
George Lucas says that sound is 50% of the experience. Well in this movie, sound is close to 100% of the experience. The film would be vastly unimpressive with mediocre sound. I found the horror situations to be rather pedestrian and the conclusion extremely weak and unsatisfying.
However I must admit that even I was shaken by the way that suspense was delivered courtesy of the sound and vision. There is an incredible amount of visceral impact driven by the high production values.
I hope Dreamworks realise that there is a significant number of DVD purists like myself who crave dts versions of their catalog. Now there is a certain dts-es disc I need to find…
