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The post Home Video Hovel: Anatomy of a Fall, by Rudie Obias appeared first on Battleship Pretension.
Anatomy of a Fall was one of the most buzzed about movies from 2023. It received rave reviews from critics, a healthy box office with a $35.6 million worldwide haul (from a budget of $6.7 million), an Academy Award for best original screenplay, and the Palme d’Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. The French film also received another high benchmark for movies, the Criterion Collection treatment.
The premium home video release comes in two formats, DVD and Blu-ray (sorry, no 4K Ultra HD release available), a new 2K digital master with 5.1 surround DTS-HD audio (approved by director Justine Triet), and comes with a number of bonus features to deepen the movie-watching experience.
Co-written by Triet and Arthur Harari, and directed by Triet, Anatomy of a Fall follows Sandra Voyter, played by Sandra Hüller (The Zone of Interest, Toni Erdmann), a novelist on trial for the mysterious death of her husband at their mountain chalet in southeastern France. Although her husband’s death may be considered an accident, death by suicide, or murder, the film examines the ins-and-outs of a marriage on the edge of collapse and the raw emotions that come from jealousy, infidelity, and guilt. It’s intentionally vague whether Voyter is guilty or innocent, Anatomy of a Fall is really about the secrets and lies of relationships.
The film presentation looks immaculate and pristine, but considering that the movie was released in 2023, it already looked as sharp and shiny as it ever was going to be. This is where a 4K Ultra HD master of Anatomy of a Fall would have been appreciated. The streaming version on Hulu is available in resolutions of up to 4K Ultra HD, depending on internet speeds, so a consistent 4K master could’ve been a stronger selling point for the Criterion Collection release. The video quality is there and it looks amazing, but a 4K release would’ve been a cherry on top of already robust release.
As far as bonus features, there’s a new interview with Triet and her approach to making Anatomy of a Fall. It was rooted in her documentary background, which shows in the film’s courtroom scenes.
But a real favorite is a short behind-the-scenes look at working with Messi, the French Border Collie dog actor that played Snoop. Everybody loves Snoop! There’s some interesting insight at what dog trainer Laura Martin Contini brought to the film, namely coaching Snoop’s near-death scene, as well as how Contini and Triet worked together to map out and execute a long tracking shot to follow the dog throughout a crime scene into the home. The bonus features are rounded out with an essay titled “Seeing and Believing” from Alexandra Schwartz, staff writer at The New Yorker.
The Criterion Collection release of Anatomy of a Fall is worth picking up, if you’re a fan of the movie, or a fan of the home video distribution company, as a whole. The picture and audio quality are clean and rich, while the bonus features provide a deeper appreciation of the movie. However, if you just want to watch the movie itself, a more than capable version of Anatomy of a Fall is available on Hulu too — without any extras.
In the meantime, the Criterion Collection release serves as a showcase of appreciation for top-tier cinematic storytelling.
The post Home Video Hovel: Anatomy of a Fall, by Rudie Obias first appeared on Battleship Pretension.
The post Home Video Hovel: Anatomy of a Fall, by Rudie Obias appeared first on Battleship Pretension.