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Hotel Rwanda Blu-ray Review

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  • Hotel Rwanda Blu-ray Review

    Hotel Rwanda Blu-ray Review
    By Ian White
    The Film

    http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/Hotel-Rwanda-Blu-ray.shtml
    Published: 2011-05-22 - 04:45:12Blu-ray Disc and DVD : Blu-ray Disc Reviews

    If there was any lesson learned from the Holocaust (although I'm not
    entirely sure that all of its lessons were truly internalized), it was
    that mankind can no longer remain silent in the presence of genocide.
    The world was deadly silent during the Holocaust and not a finger was
    lifted to combat the genocides in Armenia, Cambodia, Liberia, Tibet,
    Syria, China, and many others.

    The world showed a perplexing amount of interest in Bosnia, yet could
    have cared less when 800,000 people were slaughtered in Rwanda under
    the watchful eye of the United Nations. The massacre of Rwanda's Tutsi
    population was intentionally swept under the rug by France, the U.N.,
    and the United States and it was only because of media pressure did
    the world act -- even though it was far too late. Hotel Rwanda (in a
    manner similar to Schindler's List) does not attempt to explain the
    Rwandan genocide, but instead how one man, Paul Rusesabagina, decided
    to save as many people as he could.

    Don Cheadle has proven on more than one occasion that he's a very fine
    actor (Boogie Nights, Devil in a Blue Dress, Picket Fences), but a
    different side of him emerged in Hotel Rwanda. He became Paul
    Rusesabagina on many levels, and the film ultimately succeeds because
    Cheadle figures out how not to preach; his character simply reacts to
    the utter horror that surrounds him and his family and does something
    quite unnatural -- he gets involved even though he knows he's likely
    to pay the ultimate price. We would all like to think that there is a
    "Rusesabagina" or "Schindler" inside of us; as I walked through
    Schindler's former factory in Krakow in 1995, I wondered to myself "if
    only there had been 10,000 more Oskar Schindlers."

    Rusesabagina's actions saved over 1,200 people (who he hid inside the
    hotel he managed) and it is a startling tale to watch unfold, but as I
    watched the film, it kept gnawing at me that something was amiss. The
    film is certainly powerful, but the story seems like it was toned down
    to not rattle the powers that be. I hate to use the term "whitewash",
    but director Terry George could have been even more explicit with the
    violence and I don't think it would have diluted the story one bit.
    Spielberg got away with it (although he also didn't go as far as he
    could -- based on my conversations with my grandparents who survived
    Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen) and George could have as well. An
    excellent film that could have been even more powerful and
    illuminating -- although watching the events in Libya, Syria,
    Afghanistan, and Darfur, it's obvious that mankind hasn't learned a
    damn thing.

    The Picture


    MGM has been "hit or miss" with some of its recent catalog Blu-ray
    releases, but Hotel Rwanda might be the best of the bunch with
    spectacularly deep blacks, fantastic color, and one of the sharpest
    looking images I've seen on a Blu-ray release this year. The film's
    organic film-like structure looks exceptionally clean and crisp. The
    1080p transfer (which is offered in the film's original 2.35:1 aspect
    ratio) has no visible noise or compression artifacts and offers a
    tremendous amount of detail. Reference quality in every respect. Nice
    job MGM. Too bad The Manchurian Candidate didn't look as good as this.

    The Sound

    For a film that is dialogue-heavy, I was quite surprised by the DTS-HD
    Master Audio 5.1 mix; it offers an intense use of the surround and LFE
    channels. Dialogue is strong and evenly balanced, and the entire mix
    is quite immersive. The surround channels are frequently called upon;
    gunfire, screaming crowds, and a lot of ambient effects. My subwoofer
    (which has been quiet of late with some of the MGM releases) erupted
    during some sequences and scared the hell out of my guests. The score
    which includes tracks from Wyclef Jean and the Afro Celt Music System
    is first-rate stuff and beautifully recorded. A very impressive
    surround experience to say the least.

    The Extras

    MGM has done a good job with the bonus material, but there really
    isn't anything on the Blu-ray that wasn't offered on the DVD release
    from 2005. The commentaries feature a mixture of guests; Don Cheadle,
    Wyclef Jean (who composed some of the music for the score), director
    Terry George, and the real-life Paul Rusesabagina. Rusesabagina is the
    most interesting as he's the only one who can really provide any
    first-hand knowledge of the events in Rwanda. He's an amazing man with
    a great story to tell.

    The feaurette about the making of the film isn't a studio fluff piece,
    but a rather terrifying telling of the genocide from the real Paul
    Rusesabagina. The second featurette about his return to Rwanda is
    brief, but still quite fascinating as he has the chance to interact
    with some of the Hotel des Milles Collines employees.

    Final Thoughts

    Hotel Rwanda may not pack the same punch as The Killing Fields, but
    this tale of heroism in the face of untold barbarity and genocide was
    one of the best films of 2004 and was unfortunately lost in the
    shuffle of Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby and Scorsese's The Aviator.
    There is no excuse now to avoid this film because the Blu-ray transfer
    is exceptional on all levels and well worthy of a place in your film
    collection. And the price is right to boot. Highly recommended.

    Product Details:


    ¢Actors: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix
    ¢Director: Terry George
    ¢Format: Widescreen, Subtitled, Dubbed
    ¢Video Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
    ¢Video Resolution: 1080p/24
    ¢Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
    ¢Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0, French
    Dolby Digital 5.1
    ¢Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
    ¢Region: Region Free
    ¢Rating: PG-13
    ¢Number of Discs: 1
    ¢Studio: MGM
    ¢Running Time: 121 Minutes
    ¢DVD Release Date: May 10, 20111
    ¢MSRP: $19.99
    ¢Extras:
    - ¦Commentaries - Don Cheadle, Wyclef Jean, Paul Rusesabagina, Terry George
    - ¦Message for Peace (SD, 27:56)
    - ¦Return to Rwanda (SD, 14:32)
    - ¦Theatrical Trailer
    Where to Buy:

    ¢Hotel Rwanda Blu-ray (Amazon.com)
    Overall
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