BLU-RAY REVIEW: THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS
01/22/2017

OVERVIEW: On Jan. 24, DreamWorks Pictures’ “The Light Between Oceans,” a lush, classical romance, starring two-time Academy Award® nominee Michael Fassbender (Best Actor, Steve Jobs), Oscar® winner Alicia Vikander (Best Supporting Actress, The Danish Girl), and Oscar and Golden Globe® winner Rachel Weisz (Best Supporting Actress, The Constant Gardener), arrives home on Digital HD, Blu-ray™, DVD and On-Demand. The mesmerizingly beautiful film is based on the 2012 best-selling novel by M.L. Stedman, which swept readers away with its transporting story of fate, love, moral dilemmas and the lengths one couple will go to see their hard-fought dreams realized.

The in-home release of “The Light Between Oceans” will carry audiences even deeper into this timeless tale of love and impossible choices through never-before-seen bonus features, including a documentary which reveals director Derek Cianfrance’s unique approach that allowed the all-star cast to embody their characters and examine the power of love; a historical look at New Zealand’s Cape Campbell Lighthouse that serves as Janus Rock, a key element in Stedman’s novel; and insightful and in-depth audio commentary led by Cianfrance.

Cianfrance was transfixed by M.L. Stedman’s writing and remained faithful to her book, explaining, “The most meaningful compliment on the film I’ve received so far was from Stedman herself, who said she spent the day weeping after attending a screening … weeping because she felt that she was understood.” According to Stedman, “The result is an exquisitely beautiful and emotionally authentic film that stays true to the spirit of my novel, yet also embodies the deeply personal interpretation of the director and his actors. It’s been a great privilege to watch it come into being.”

SYNOPSIS: DreamWorks Pictures’ “The Light Between Oceans” stars Michael Fassbender as Tom Sherbourne, a young combat veteran and lighthouse keeper on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia; Alicia Vikander as Isabel Graysmark, the beautiful and spirited daughter of the school headmaster on the mainland of Partageuse; Rachel Weisz as Hannah Roennfeld, a resident of Partageuse who is desperately hoping to find her husband and baby lost at sea; Bryan Brown as Septimus Potts, Hannah’s wealthy, influential father; and Jack Thompson as Ralph, a salty, sea-faring skipper.

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 Spanish and French subtitles.

VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.40:1) 16x9

AUDIO:
English 7.1 DTS-HDMA & 2.0 Descriptive Audio, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks DVD = English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, English 2.0 Descriptive Audio

Subtitles - English SDH,Spanish 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.

DIGITAL HD with UltraViolet™ lets fans watch movies anywhere on their favorite devices. Users can instantly stream or download.

Bringing The Light to Life – For weeks, the cast and crew of “The Light Between Oceans” lived in trailers on Cape Campbell, an isolated region of New Zealand, to film the movie adaptation of the best-selling novel. This documentary chronicles the unique approach and shooting style of director Derek Cianfrance and the production journey that inspired Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz to fully embody their characters and explore the power and depths of love.

Audio Commentary – View the film accompanied by an in-depth and thoughtful conversation between director Derek Cianfrance and his film studies professor Phil Solomon.

Lighthouse Keeper – The filmmakers, cast and Cape Campbell Lighthouse inspector/maintainer Rob Sword share the history of the lighthouse and explain the typical duties a lighthouse keeper like Tom Sherbourne would have during an assignment on Janus Island.