BLU-RAY
REVIEW: BRIDGE OF SPIES
1/31/2016

OVERVIEW:
Disney and Dreamworks invite you to take a step back into an era of espionage and Cold War. Steven Spielberg directs a dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, Bridge of Spies tells the story of James Donovan (Tom Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on a near impossible mission to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. Bring home this high stakes suspense story on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and Digital HD February 2, 2016.
SYNOPSIS: A dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of a series of historic events, “Bridge of Spies” tells the story of James Donovan (Tom Hanks), a Brooklyn lawyer who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on a near impossible mission to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. High stakes and suspense power a story inspired by true events that capture the essence of a man who risked everything and vividly brings his personal journey to life.
BLU-RAY:
The film is
presented in widescreen in a 2.40:1 aspect ration preserving its
theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the
picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good,
a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement
to the picture. It also includes English,
French
and Spanish subtitles.
VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.40:1) 16x9
AUDIO:
English DTS-HD Master Audio
7.1/Dolby Digital 5.01
Latin Spanish, Canadian French
Subtitles -English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
Blu-ray™ unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring 6X the picture resolution of DVD, exclusive extras and theater-quality surround sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.
A CASE OF THE COLD WAR:
BRIDGE OF SPIES – The story of James Donovan, Francis
Gary Powers and Rudolf Abel encapsulates the Cold War era—a
tense political climate shrouded in propaganda, espionage and
the threat of nuclear war. This piece explores the characters
and the real-life people they’re based on, ordinary men in
extraordinary circumstances. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks
share personal stories of the Cold War, describing how
experiences from their youth were part of the attraction to the
script, how this influenced the way they approached the film and
why the history behind Bride Of Spies resonates across
generations and is relevant in today’s political climate.
U-2 SPY PLANE: BEALE AIR FORCE BASE – Showcases
spectacular footage shot at the Beale Air Force Base of the U-2
plane and the scene where Powers and other pilots are instructed
about their spying mission, including a cameo appearance in the
film by Francis Gary Powers son, Gary Powers Jr. and discussion
with the Air Force liaison about the significance of the scene
and why they got behind the film
SPY SWAP: LOOKING
BACK ON THE FINAL ACT – Steven Spielberg and his team
stage the pivotal scene of the film at Glienicke Bridge, the
very same location where the historic exchange of Soviet spy
Rudolf Abel and U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers took
place. Gary Powers Jr. shares his memories of his father’s
experience with voiceover recordings from Francis Gary Powers,
as filmmakers and the cast recreate a page of Cold War history
while filming in the presence of Germany’s Chancellor Angela
Merkel.
BERLIN 1961: RECREATING THE DIVIDE
– A mix of behind-the-scenes footage with iconic archival
imagery transports viewers to another place and time as the
filmmakers construct the Berlin Wall, envision what it was like
to cross through Checkpoint Charlie, and recreate the divide. On
set in Berlin just days after the 25th anniversary celebration
of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a historian who lived through
the experience describes what being there means to her. In
Poland, where the Wall was recreated for the film, tanks,
hundreds of extras and powerful sequences make the setting feel
epic and surreal.