My take: Seven Years in Tibet

HD Goofnut

Title: Seven Years in Tibet
BD-50 Dual-Layer Disc
Video: 1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Audio: 5.1 Linear PCM
Aspect Ratio: 2:40:1
Subtitles: Many languages
Run time: 136 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Region Coding: Region Free
Player used for review: LG BH200

Cast/Crew Info:
Brad Pitt as Heinrich Harrer
David Thewlis as Peter Aufschnaiter
B.D. Wong as Ngawang Jigme
Mako as Kungo Tsarong
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud

My take: (the breakdown)

I missed Seven Years in Tibet in 1997, but I always told myself that I would one day sit down and watch it from beginning to end and that was yesterday. The story is sort of based on Heinrich Harrer, the famous Austrian mountain climber from the 1930s. Through a series of unfortunate events Heinrich (Pitt) and his good friend Peter (Thewlis) end up in the holy city of the Dalai Lama in Tibet. Everything is actually going well for both men until China invades Tibet during World War II claiming that it is part of their country. Filled with drama, suspense, and wonderful acting I say that this film is worth at least a rental and even a purchase for fans.

For a movie that was 10 years old as of this Blu-ray release in 2007 I was rather impressed by this presentation. Colors are extremely bold and vivid during the entire run time. Flesh tones are also accurate. There are however some unresolved blacks in some of the darker scenes. Grain is moderate, but it remains consistent throughout. Also, several of the wide panoramic shots are noticeably softer than the close up shots and even some of them are rather soft looking.

We are supplied with a 5.1 Linear PCM track that is adequate for the most part. Dialogue is understandable in the majority, but it was a little hard to hear on occasion. Also, the surrounds don't really get much use until the Chinese become involved and even then it seems weak. The sub doesn't really see much use either. I would imagine that this lackluster track is probably a victim of the original source material.

We don't even get a trailer with this release. What was Sony thinking?

Movie: 8/10
VQ: 8/10
AQ: 7/10
Supplements: 0/10
Final word: A Purchase For Fans

As always thanks for reading folks.

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tvine2000

Last time i saw this film i had the dvd flipper,remember those.
Maybe its time for a second look.

HD Goofnut

If you can rent it or buy it for less than $15 it would be a worthy investment just for the large increase in PQ.

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iDarren

Yes, nice PQ. I found the dialogue easy to follow.

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nmourik

thank you