Bleak House Blu-ray

Bleak House

Despite an at-times uneven 1080i/VC-1 transfer, the Blu-ray edition of Bleak House proves its worth with an above average presentation that should satisfy anyone willing to overlook a few relatively minor blemishes. First the good. Directors Justin Chadwick and Susanna White populate their palette with (don't say bleak... don't say bleak...) drab and lifeless colors, but skintones are spot on, candle-lit interiors are exceedingly warm, and contrast is comfortably stark. Blacks are also deep and fully resolved, imbuing the series' well-delineated shadows with a rich, natural quality. Moreover, depth is convincing and dimensionality is commendable. Sadly, even though the episodes were shot using high definition cameras, detail is somewhat hit-or-miss. Overall clarity is impressive -- objects are sharply defined (sadly with the help of some edge enhancement), hair and stubble look great, and designer Andrea Galer's elaborate costumes have been rendered with care -- but too many fine facial and fabric textures have been wiped away by overzealous digital scrubbing. Likewise, the picture is quite clean, but faint artifacting interferes with the technical integrity of close-ups. While I doubt most viewers will be seriously distracted by any such shortcomings, each one holds Bleak House back from reaching the heights of BBC Video's stunning Cranford transfer.

All things considered, Bleak House looks pretty good (particularly for a television production presented in 1080i), but suffers from too many fundamental issues to wow anyone who isn't already engrossed by the story.

While it unfortunately adheres to the two-channel, nuts-n-bolts audio presentation of the series' television broadcast, Bleak House features a hearty (albeit slightly unspectacular) LPCM stereo track (1.5 Mbps) that handles what little it's given without succumbing to any major technical mishaps. Dialogue is crisp, clean, and intuitively prioritized amongst other elements in the soundscape, bass tones are surprisingly weighty (considering the LFE channel isn't utilized), and effects remain stable and balanced throughout the production. The result is undeniably flat and front-heavy, but it bests most of the stereo presentations I've reviewed. I do wish Bleak House delivered the multi-channel polish and prowess of Cranford, but its LPCM stereo track nevertheless emerges as a noteworthy addition to this release.

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