Ajami
(2009/Kino Blu-ray) + Circle Of Iron
(1978/Blue Underground Blu-ray)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B-/C+ Extras: C Films: C+/C
There is
an interesting and telling split in spiritual philosophy in feature films that
extends to the rest of the culture in the U.S. and it plays like this. If your film deals with a Semite religion
(Judaism, Christianity, Islam), you get a serious drama, but if you go to
Eastern religion and philosophy (Taoism, Hinduism, etc.), it lands up in a
costume epic from centuries ago or is trivialized in a fantasy or martial arts
film which tells us as the audience (passive, anyhow) that it is not as
important. Some have tried to change
this, but the artificial split continues.
Two
recent Blu-ray releases re-remind us of this split and not for the best,
despite the ambitions of both projects. Ajami (2009) comes from Israel and was
co-directed by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, taking place in an Arab Ghetto of
Jaffa, juggling five character storylines at the same time to show how bad
things can get where the people are and that they are likely not to improve
anytime soon if ever. The script and its
events are palpable, the overall drama takes us to a place we have never been
before, and yet it does not because it is similar to stories we have already
seen (Crash, Boyz In The Hood, etc.) that do a good job of showing bad times and
bad places that trap people beyond what they can bare.
The
result is an uneven but very ambitious work that has some fine moments, but
also does not add up into what I had hoped while I was watching. The non-actors are very good and directing
meshes well enough, but larger ideas and concepts go unaddressed and
unsaid. The structure is not innovative
and the relations of the characters are too together to totally suspend
disbelief. It also never considers that
religion itself might be part of the problem.
That is
not to say Eastern variants will solve these problems, but Bruce Lee was
anxious to share more of his innovative thinking on the matter when he started
writing the story that eventually became a film he did not get to finish in Circle Of Iron. Instead, David Carradine (again) took on a
role originally intended for the martial arts legend and the film arrived in
1978. We originally reviewed the film in
its double DVD set, which you can read about at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5393/Circle+Of+Iron+%E2%80%93+2-Disc
Seeing it
again several years later, despite a good cast and good intent, the film is
somewhat doomed to not work because original author Lee needed to be there to
really complete what he had started and even with writing talents like the
great Stirling Silliphant (In The Heat
Of The Night, Village Of The Damned,
The Enforcer) and highly capable
Stanley Mann (The Collector, Theater Of Blood, Damien: Omen II), the film gets caught up in loosing some of Lee’s
intent in ambitious translation. Still,
there is something Lee was trying to say and that is the reason fans treasure
the film.
The 1080p
digital High Definition image in each case has its issues, but Ajami (1.85 x 1) has a weak
presentation despite supposedly being shot in 35mm, but looking more like an HD
shoot at times with motion blur, poor color and detail issues. The 1.66 Circle
image shows more flaws in the otherwise fine transfer than the DVD set did, but
some of the softness is styling and Blue Underground was better off just
leaving things as they were.
The DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) lossless mixes on both are a different story, with the 5.1
mix on Ajami being a little livelier
than an otherwise dialogue-based drama would be, though it is still soundfield
limited. The DTS-MA 7.1 mix and Dolby
TrueHD 7.1 mixes on Circle outdo the
Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix included, but the lossless versions show further
limits to the sound from its age and originally being monophonic.
Extras on
both include Theatrical Trailers, with Ajami
adding a Stills Gallery, Deleted Scenes and featurette Ajami: The Story Of The Actors, while Circle repeats its DVD extras adding TV Spots, a feature length
audio commentary track with Director Moore, Audio Interview with Playing The
Silent Flute - Interview with Carradine, The Producer - Interview
with Co-Producer Paul Maslansky, Karate Master - Interview with Martial
Arts Coordinator Joe Lewis, audio interview with co-writer Stirling Silliphant,
Bruce Lee's The Silent Flute: A History by Davis Miller & Klae
Moore, Poster/Still Gallery. The DVD
still retains a DVD-ROM of the first draft script by Lee, James Coburn &
Silliphant not here
- Nicholas Sheffo
