DVD
REVIEW: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
03/29/09
OVERVIEW:
“A gaudy, gorgeous rush of color, sound and motion” (Manohla
Dargis, New York Times), Slumdog Millionaire is loosely
based on the fictional novel “Q and A” by Indian writer
Vikas Swarup, which tracks the life of Jamal Malik, an
impoverished child living in Mumbai’s sprawling slums. After
losing his mother, Jamal (played as a teen by Dev Patel) and
his brother Salim (played as a teen by Madhur Mittal) must
do whatever necessary to survive. Jamal’s travels are filled
with memorable encounters, good and bad, but along the way
he meets another orphan child, Latika (played as a teen by
Freida Pinto). When Jamal and Latika become separated, he
becomes romantically determined to reunite with Latika… even
if it means appearing on the Indian version of “Who Wants To
Be A Millionaire?” Jamal begins drawing on his past
experiences to answer the questions that will inevitably
lead him to vast wealth and lost love. But after lasting
longer than anyone ever expected, Jamal is accused of
cheating and must prove to the police and the show’s
producers how he knows the answers by retelling his arduous
childhood in a series of flashbacks.
SYNOPSIS:
Jamal Malik (Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of
Mumbai, is about to experience the biggest day of his life.
With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away
from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's "Who
Wants To Be A Millionaire?" But when the show breaks for the
night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could
a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence,
Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and
his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the
road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika
(Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of Jamal's
increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the
answers to the show's seemingly impossible questions. But
one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with
no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show?
When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final
question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about
to find out. At the heart of its exuberant storytelling lies
the intriguing question of how anyone comes to know the
things they know about life and love.
DVD: Slumdog Millionaire is presented in
a widescreen format with a 2.35:1 aspect ration. The
transfer looks clean, judging from the watermark screening
received it is very difficult to determine the real quality
of the video, however I wont doubt that the final product
will be just fine. The picture is
complemented with a 5.1 digital sound in English
and Hindi, Dolby surround in French . It also includes a
French, Spanish and English subtitles.
In terms of special features the DVD
includes over 33 minutes of deleted and extended scenes
all worth watching. It also includes the special featurette
"Slumdog Dreams: Danny
Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire", which is
very intereting and exceptional 2 part documentary. In this
featurette Danny Boyle and the rest of the filmmakers
take viewers into the journey of making Slumdog Millionaire.
In my opinion this is one of the best behind the scenes that
I have seen. It answered many of the question that I have in
my mind about the film.
Overall the realism
presented by Danny Boyle in this film is one of the best
that I have seen, only the realism presented by Fernando's
Meirelles City of God comes close to Slumdog Millionaire.
The film was able to accomplished something that Academy
Award Winners have not being able to do, to have the critics
and the masses in agreement as to what was the best picture
of 2008.
VIDEO:
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
AUDIO:
English
and Hindi
5.1 (Dolby Digital).
Subtitles - English Spanish - Optional
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Deleted Scenes
A total of twelve deleted scenes all worth watching (33:47)
Slumdog Dreams: Danny
Boyle & The Making of Slumdog Millionaire: An
outstanding behind the scenes documentary. Danny Boyle and
the rest of the filmmakers take viewers into the journey of
making Slumdog Millionaire. (22:46)
Commentary by Director Danny Boyle and Actor Dev Patel
Commentary by Producer Christian Colson and Writer Simon
Beaufoy
Slumdog Cutdown
RATING BREAK DOWN:
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