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Piercing Brightness (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Soda Pictures Review written by and copyright: Samuel Scott (22nd December 2013). |
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The Film
 ***This is an A/V and extras review only. For reviews on the movie from various critics, we recommend visiting HERE.*** Inspired by Lancashire having the highest rate of UFO sightings in the UK, as well as hosting one of the earliest splinter Mormon communities in the world, the film uses Preston and its inhabitants as a springboard to investigate religious, racial and class based social hierarchies. Two youths land in a spaceship outside Preston. Their mission: to re-establish contact and effect the retrieval of the Glorious 100 sent to earth millennia ago in human form to study and observe the development of another race. After making contact with one of the 100, now a Pakistani shopkeeper (Bhasker Patel) they discover that many of their kind have become corrupted, forgetting their original purpose and slowly becoming influenced by and in turn influencing their adopted home... Piercing Brightness was shot on location in the summer of 2011 and is the outcome of a two-year relationship between the artist, In Certain Places and the individuals, communities and businesses of the city of Preston. The production team of professional actors and crew from TV and film worked with over 100 people from Preston as part of the production, including UCLan students and 70 members of the public who applied to be extras in the film as well as local actors. Eerily beautiful, Piercing Brightness uses different formats and archival footage of UFO sightings to create a film that is as experimental as it is entertaining.
Video
Soda Pictures presents Shezad Dawood's directorial debut onto Blu-ray in the original aspect ratio of 2.35:1. The transfer is 1080p and uses an AVC MPEG-4 codec. Filmed using a mixture of digital and 16mm elements, the transfer is good, but not great. Firstly, it should be mentioned that you can easily tell which scenes were filmed on 16mm and which were not, and the 16mm scenes do look better than I had expected them to. Detail is reasonable apart from in the shadows, and although it doesn't amaze, fans will be quite happy. Some scenes are much sharper than others. Whilst some scenes lack depth and clarity, others - such as when the two Chinese characters are all in white in a room where all their belongings and decor are also white - look great. There is some footage which has been filmed to look like old science fiction films of the 30's/40's with a distinct 'archival footage' look to them, and these are probably the high points of transfer. There were some strange vertical lines which almost look like scratches at the top left of the screen in the first few minutes, but they could have been a choice (albeit strange) of Dawoods, as he certainly goes through quite a large repertoire of styles during the run time. The feature runs 80:18.
Audio
There are two audio tracks included here: - English/Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 - English/Mandarin LPCM 2.0 Stereo I opted for the 5.1 track, which was more than adequate. The surrounds get good use from the score (which I imagine was put together by local musicians from Lancashire), and features a mixture of dance music, and tense, sci-fi style, tension building melodies. Sound effects are quite subtle, but work well when used, and directionality and channel separation is good. Dialogue is clear at all times and volume levels consistent. More ambient environmental noises would've been welcome to accompany the score, but what we have is suitable. There are no drop outs or scratches in the audio track, apart from during the 'archival' looking scenes (purposely done). Optional English subtitles are available, but for the Mandarin dialogue only.
Extras
Acid Mothers Temple Live at AND Festival (19:19) is footage of the band Acid Mothers Temple playing live in front of an audience whilst footage from the film plays behind them on a theatre screen. The text screen at the start of this extra states it is 'experimental', but I have another word for it. This was a very lengthy and boring viewing experience, and although I have no doubt the musicians are talented, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the audience who likely paid to hear this. Next we have an interview with director Shezad Dawood moderated by Michael Stanley (16:00). This is a much better extra, and Dawood talks about the links and symbolism of his artwork and how they expand out into his films without belittling the paintings. He talks about the narrative in his film and the version of "Piercing Brightness" in the Oxford gallery he has titled "Trailer". He also talks about the different texture layering and filters used. This is certainly an interview worth listening to for those interested in the art scene and how it can tie in with cinema. Dawood is a good interviewee giving in-depth answers without ever sounding pretentious. The rest of the extras are self-explanatory. Start-up Trailers: - "Two Years at Sea" (1:05) - "Eames" (1:52) - "Patience" (1:23) "Random Acts" trailer (3:03)
Overall
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