Slumdog Millionaire (2008/Fox Blu-ray + DVD)

 

Picture: B/C+     Sound: B+/B-     Extras: B     Film: B

 

 

Danny Boyle has always been a director of talent and distinction, but I have not always liked all of his films.  At least he is ambitious each time and tries to find material that is interesting.  With his Science Fiction epic Sunshine (2007), I felt he had made a personal artistic breakthrough that most critics and viewers frankly missed out on.  The film did not get its due in the U.S., but performed well overseas and at the time, I thought his next project would likely prove to be impressive.  I could have never guessed at what would happen with Slumdog Millionaire.

 

I first heard about the film doing well at festivals and the advanced raves were impressive, sounding like hype, but I knew better.  He had accomplished something interesting and could have an indie sleeper hit on his hands.  Warner Bros. originally acquired it as part of their independent arm, but as the film was taking off, they closed that down, so Boyle got Fox on board.  The word of mouth built up and the result was not just a sleeper, but a blockbuster hit that would win several Academy Awards including Best Picture.  Needless to say I was happy with my thinking too.

 

Anyhow, the film tells the wide-ranging tale of young Jamal (Dev Patel) playing India’s versions of the hit TV game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, winning higher and higher amounts of money.  The host and authorities think he is somehow cheating, so he is arrested and being tortured!  To find out how Jamal knows, the film keeps going back to events in his life that show us how he knows the answers he knows.  Of course, he is not educated or from money, so it is assumed (a general snobby ignorance all over) he is a liar and cheat.  His horrific mistreatment is the ultimate manifestation of this oppression.

 

We see the loves of his life from movie starts to his brother to a woman he loves, his life events, the ugly things he has had to live through and how he has and has not found his way in the world.  The events are always interesting, believable and have a deep honesty one can relate too.  Then we get back to the actual game show and its on-the-TV-screen drama is eerily echoed by the uglier events behind the scenes.  At least Regis Philbin never violated The Geneva Conventions.

 

The mostly unknown in the U.S. cast is terrific, adding further believability to the raw side of this exciting film.  When I finally screened it in 35mm, I thought it could be a hit if people saw it and…

 

Of course, there is a terrific in joke in the film all along as the Simon Beaufoy screenplay drags us along with all of its palpable drama:  it is written.  Of course it is written or there would not be a script to follow, but why run in the fun of the story.  That would be like giving away the answer to a million dollar question!

 

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 AVC @ 28 MBPS digital High Definition image is a bit grainier than I remember in my 35mm theatrical presentation, with some of the styling intended by Director of Photography Anthony Dod Mantle.  It is consistent and looks good for the most part, but it misses the mark a little, while the anamorphically enhanced DVD version has a much tougher time holding color and Video Black is a major issue.  The picture looks weaker as a result.  The DTS-HD Master Audio (MA) lossless 5.1 mix has its moments with music and sound editing taking front and center stage.  It is a revelation versus most theatrical screenings and the Dolby Digital 5.1 DVD.

 

Extras include Digital Copy in both formats so one can download a low def copy for PC or PC portable devices.  You also get a full-length audio commentary by Boyle and Patel, another by Producer Christina Colson & Writer Simon Beaufoy, Music Video, 12 deleted scenes, Slumdog Dreams making of featurette and brief Slumdog Cutdown piece.

 

To my amazement, Salmon Rushdie of all people attacked the film as ridiculous and being form the same place as Jamal, though it was ridiculous.  Well, after all he has been through and the world after 9/11, you’d think he would have more important complaints.  Not that he deserves the fate the former Cat Stevens suggested after writing The Satanic Versus, but for being so petty, he should be forced to watch Harold & Maude three times.  Slumdog Millionaire may now be a tad overrated via all the hype, but it is a far smarter film than he is giving it credit for and you really should see it at least once just to see how much of the success if justified.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo