http://www.hometheaterspot.com/fusionbb ... 42/#845142The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 paws)
# Film:
# Extras:
Audio/Video total rating:
( Max score: 100 )
95
Studio and Year: Sony Pictures/SLB Films - 2007
MPAA Rating: PG
Feature running time: 138 Minutes
Genre: Musical/Drama
Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: MPEG-4 (AVC)
Video Aspect: 2.40:1
Resolution: 1080p/24
Audio Format(s): Hindu Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English Descriptive 5.1
Subtitles and Captions: Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese (Mandarin Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English (UK), English (US), Finnish, French (Parisian), German, Greek, Hindi, Icelandic, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugual), Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin Am), Swedish, Thai, Turkish
Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan
Directed by: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Music by: Monty
Written by: Prakash Kapadia & Sanjay Leela Bhansali
DVD Release Date: May 6, 2008
"Beloved"
MY TWO CENTS:
From Sanjay Leela Bhansali, one of India's most acclaimed directors, comes Saawariya, a timeless love story based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's "White Nights." Destiny weaves its magical spell when a shy musician's (Ranbir Kapoor) chance encounter with a beautiful young woman (Sonam Kapoor) leads to four unforgettable nights filled with music, passion and romance. Overflowing with colorful costumes, lavish sets and eye-popping song-and-dance numbers,
I have heard the term Bollywood but never bothered to find out its meaning. I went to Wikipedia and found some good information for those like myself who are not familiar with the term:
“Bollywood is commonly referred to as Hindi cinema, even though Hindustani, understood as the colloquial base common to both Hindi and Urdu, might be more accurate. The use of poetic Urdu words is fairly common. Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. Bollywood is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the Indian film industry. Bollywood is one of the largest film producers in the world.
So there you have it. Saawariya is a timeless story of two young star-crossed lovers whose passions take them to the brink of self-destruction. Raj is a free spirited artist, idealist and dreamer, feels at home in the world when he arrives in a quaint, picturesque town. When he meets Sakina, a somber, shy and enigmatic girl desperately awaiting the return of her past love, he is instantly enamored. As a tumultuous romance blossoms between Raj and Sakina, they are faced with tests of faith and commitment. Sakina battles her newfound feelings for a man that is not her betrothed, and Raj must decide if he loves Sakina enough to set her free.
I found this to be an entertaining film filled with song and dance numbers reminiscent of Broadway style entertainment. The story was a bit on the naïve side but sometimes simpler is better. After a while I felt an air of triteness in the extensive song numbers but that tapered off in the third act. At almost two and a half hours I thought that this was just a bit too long. The beautiful sets and elaborate costumes used in the film added to its appeal. I found the cast to be quite charming and appreciated their performances. This film used strong visual elements as part of its story line and it works big time. Everything from the use of large set pieces, intricate costumes, boldly vibrant colors, choreography, and stunningly attractive actors help to entice the audience into the world of Saawariya.
Parental Concerns:
The rating is for thematic elements, brief nudity, some language and incidental smoking. There was nothing here that would be inappropriate for pre-teenagers and above.
AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65
(Each paw rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 paws per category)
Audio: 96
# Dynamics:
# Low frequency extension:
# Surround Sound presentation:
# Clarity/Detail:
# Dialogue Reproduction:
The 5.1 channel DolbyTrueHD audio presented on Saawariya had an average bit rate of 3.2 mbps and was of reference quality. This is a truly vivid, and sometimes bombastic mix that drenched the entire room in aural stimuli. Every detail is clearly audible within the mix which rests on a cushion of crystal clear sound that ebbs and flows with precision. The numerous musical numbers are reproduced with strong dynamic presence that has a resplendent nature. The sound field is literally alive at the listening position as well articulated instrumentation and airy vocals combine to put you in the heart of the performances. The surround mix is aggressive at times as it cleanly replicates the sound of falling rain, pounding thunder and the wonderful room filling deep synth bass that accompanies much of the film’s superb music score.
I was amazed at how precise and clear the dialogue sounded. Minute nuance within the track was easily discernible. This made whispered words, the whisking of hair, the soft jingle of jewelry or the touching of another’s face clearly heard. Normally we tend to attribute reference quality audio to action based films. This film definitely does not fall into that category but this mix could easily be used to demonstrate the positive attributes of any surround sound system.
**My audio ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
Video: 94
(Each paw rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 paws per category)
# Resolution/Clarity:
# Black level/Shadow detail:
# Color reproduction:
# Fleshtones:
# Compression:
The 1080p MPEG-4 (AVC) encoding on this BD-50 had an average bitrate of 32 mbps which definitely translated positively to the image which was of reference quality. I think that the thing about Saawariya that seems the most prevalent is its beautiful, bold, and deeply saturated colors. There is a plethora of colors in varying tones and hues that simply look stunning in high definition. Flesh tones are highlighted by the beautiful complexions of the cast and came across with succulence and subtle texture. The sets are cast using various shades of blue in design and lighting to create a mellow atmosphere. Blacks are rich and inky (while exhibiting a very slight crushing effect) with an extended dynamic that looks phenomenal when coupled with the diverse use of color in the film. Shadowy areas exhibit above average detail although some is lost due to the aforementioned black crush. Detail is abundant and clearly indicative of fine overall resolve which offers three dimensional images quality.
At times certain shots, specifically close ups, appeared to have been filtered (probably in post production) which caused them to soften moderately. This was not the norm nor did it negate the appearance of other elements within the shot. Contrast levels were elevated which made the dark backgrounds against the lavishly colored costumes and set pieces really pop. Overall this was an incredibly satisfying high definition experience that will look great on your display.
**My video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The bonus features contained on this blu-ray disc are average and provide a documentary highlighting the music from the film and a premiere night piece which offers a glimpse of the highlights from the opening night. Both contained quite a bit of footage from the premiere night along with insights from the director, singers, composer, cast, and production staff. Lastly there was a BD Trailer for The Water Horse: legend of the deep and two Citibank commercials in standard definition which were in Hindu.
# Making of the music featurette
# Premiere night featurette
# BD Trailer
# Citibank commercials
WRAP-UP:
Saawariya is an entertaining film that features great casting and excellent song and dance performances. Its release on Sony blu-ray will delight fans with its superlative audio and video quality. I can’t say that I am now a Bollywood convert but my first experience with it was a positive one.
By Ralph Potts
Executive Editor
Reference Review System:
Sony VPL-VW50 SXRD 1080p High Definition Front Projector
Carada Precision Brilliant White 96" Screen
Oppo 970HD universal disc DVD Player (480i HDMI)
Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Panasonic DMP-BD30 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)
Marantz DV7001 Universal Disc Player
Denon AVR 5308CI THX Ultra 2 Preamp/Video Processor
Outlaw Audio Model 7700 seven channel amplifier
B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 seven Channel amplifier
Canton "Ergo" Series speakers
Axiom Audio QS8 Quadpolar speakers
SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)
APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector
Wireworld, VizionWare, Audioquest, Best Deal Cables - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
Cool Components - CP-CP102 cooling package
Regards,
Ralph C. Potts
Executive Editor
Home Theater SpoT
My Home Theater
My DVD/HD DVD/Blu-ray Collection
Become A Club Spottie! Click Here!
Login 
Register
FAQ
Search
anyway will cut you a sample just for this probably tomorrow... its beautiful!
