In The Land Of Blood & Honey (2011/Sony Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture: B
& C+ Sound: B- & C+ Extras: C+ Film: B
Now For
many years, only a few films have dealt with the horrible civil war that broke
out in Bosnia-Herzegovina after the Soviet Union
fell and they are mostly forgotten and underseen. Angelina Jolie is very familiar with that
part of the world and in In The Land Of
Blood & Honey (2011), has written and directed a film that is the most
effective representation of the events that did not happen that long ago and
have been to easily forgotten by a world that stood by too long and allowed the
horror to unwind to begin with.
We see
the historic storyline from the beginning of what could have been a spring
period for the Bosnians, Serbians and Muslims who lived in peace for a long
time, but find themselves in a civil war that is as brutal as the Nazis
invading Europe and we see these events unwind as armed Serbians go on a
kill/revenge spree. Instead of this
being war porn or a phony melodrama, Jolie is explicit is showing the female
experience in all this while not allowing the war to be incidental or in the
background, never shying away from the truth.
Then she
uses a love story between the soldier son (Goran Kostic, Children Of Men) of a major military leader (Rade Serbedzija, Eyes Wide Shut) who recognizes a Muslim
woman (Zana Marjanovic in a brave, star making performance) who is displaced by
his father’s troops, leaving her sister and sister’s new born baby behind but
intervenes to help her and start a relationship that is impossible with the war
going on, which is part of the point Jolie subtly makes instead of letting this
fall into phony formula that would have been offensive in the hands of a lesser
filmmaker. It also is great that a fully
female discourse results, which itself is all too rare in any cinema.
The film
makes all of its points clear while never shying away from what was happening
and yet, here is another film on the subject being ignored. Why?
Where are the better critics in all this? Have too many of them become cowards and
quote whores? It makes one wonder. It is about Jolie?
Well, it
is true she is a big movie star, as well as one of the few real stars left in a
town that is increasingly substituting talent, acting and true star quality or
media figures and goofs who do not like films, are just there for the money and
really have no business in the serious side of filmmaking. But Jolie is not just another star, she is an
advocate for what she believes in and puts her money where her mouth is and
time where most of the ignorant “stars” around her could care less who got hurt
or killed. In a record atmosphere of
arrogance, contempt and cynicism, she is attacked as not authentic, but In The Land Of Blood & Honey is
just further evidence confirming what I always thought about her.
When it
comes to great movie starts who are about something and of substance, she is
the real thing and that is all too rare these days. Go out of your way to see this film.
The 1080p
2.35 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on the Blu-ray looks really
good, even with some style choices. Director
of Photography Dean Semler, A.C.S./A.S.C., makes his usually fine use of the
scope frame always giving you a sense of being there and shot this in the Super
35mm film format. The anamorphically
enhanced DVD is weaker and no match for the Blu-ray, but plays back well enough
as not to be a total wash.
The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix in the Blu-ray is dialogue-based with
some of the audio in the front and center speakers more than I would have
liked, but sounds fine for such a film and the louder sequences have a good
soundfield. The lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 on
the DVD is expectedly weaker, but could have been worse.
Exclusive
extras on the Blu-ray include a Q&A with Jolie and Actress Vanesa Glodjo and
BD Live interactive functions, while we also get a 10-minutes Making Of featurette and Deleted Scenes,
some of which should have stayed in the film.
Wish there were more, but this will do.
- Nicholas Sheffo
