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John Sayles,
writer/director of Limbo, is a legendary independent filmmaker.
He makes terrific films that are wonderfully natural, very
well written and acted. I don't find myself thinking in terms
of characters with his films, but in terms of people. The
people he writes are very three dimensional and real. Limbo
has a wonderfully organic feel to it, in no small part due
to the terrific acting of the three leads in this film, Mary
Elizabeth Mastrantonio, David Straithairn, and young newcomer
Vanessa Martinez.
While on
the surface this film seems a survival thriller, that is somewhat
incidental. The real drama here is how these circumstances
reveal things about the people in the movie emotionally and
what it means to their relationships. I really look at this
as a movie about relationships and commitment. This movie
takes some time to develop and may be s bit slow for some.
I might also add that as much as I liked this movie it's tough
to recommend unequivocally, especially given the ending. I
won't give anything away, but I can say that my wife was very
unsatisfied with the ending of the movie, and I suspect that
might be the case for many. But for those that appreciate
good writing and acting and movies that are about people,
I think you'll appreciate this.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
The anamorphic
widescreen aspect ratio for Limbo is 1.78:1 and this is one
of the most natural presentations I have ever seen. Haskell
Wexler's photography is so low-key that you can never spot
anything that looks even remotely like lighting. Columbia's
transfer of this wonderful photography is flawless and highly
detailed. It has that depth and three-dimensionality that
makes you feel like you're really watching film. There are
no artifacts or imperfections of any kind. This is a reference
quality video presentation.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
While this
is a DD 5.1 soundtrack Limbo is not a "sound" film. The only
outright problem is that dialog is a bit subdued in the early
part of the film. The score and live music in the film are
nicely recorded, and presented. There are just a scarce few
instances in which any sound at all emanates from the surrounds.
I would also add that Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio sings live
on the set in this film and sounds very good doing it.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? The disc
contains not only a trailer for Limbo, but also one for Sayles'
The Secret of Roan Inish (which I can only hope is sign that
we can look forward to seeing that wonderful film on DVD in
the future. It's an absolute favorite of mine and my wife's.)
There is also an isolated music track with highlights form
the score which is also presented in DD 5.1, as well as a
running commentary by Sayles. The only complaint I have on
this commentary is that at times I wanted to here less about
the technical aspects of making the film and more about the
story and the narrative. But it is interesting nevertheless,
especially if you're interested in cinematography.
Parting Thoughts
Great movie,
great filmmaker. Though not an full special edition, there
are some nice extras and the transfer is terrific. A must
for John Sayles fans.
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