Hunger Blu-ray

Hunger

 (2008)

Hunger Blu-ray delivers truly amazing video and audio in this absolutely must-own Blu-ray release
In Northern Ireland’s Maze prison in 1981, twenty-seven-year-old Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands went on a hunger strike to protest the British government’s refusal to recognize him and his fellow IRA inmates as political prisoners, rather than as ordinary criminals. McQueen dramatizes prison existence and Sands’s final days in a way that is purely experiential, even abstract, a succession of images full of both beauty and horror.

For more about Hunger and the Hunger Blu-ray release, see the Hunger Blu-ray Review

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Stuart Graham, Liam Cunningham
Director: Steve McQueen (II)

Hunger Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov, February 2, 2010

Winner of the prestigious Camera d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the BAFTA Awards, Steve McQueen's "Hunger" (2008) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are: an interview with Steve McQueen, which was conducted by Criterion in 2009; an interview with Michael Fassbender, which was conducted by film critic Jason Solomons in 2008; "The Provos' Last Card?" - a news program produced by the BBC series Panorama four months after the death of Bobby Sands; trailer and more. The Blu-ray disc also arrives with a 16-page illustrated booklet containing film critic Chris Darke's essay "On The Threshold". With optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked". Please be advised that the film contains disturbing footage that may not be appropriate for minors!

At Maze

Hunger is a film about a horrific journey - a journey to death. In 1981, twenty-seven-year-old Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands went on a hunger strike to protest the refusal of Margaret Thatcher's government to recognize him and a number of other IRA inmates as political prisoners. 66 days later, Sands died, and Thatcher declared that: "Faced with the failure of their discredited cause, the men of violence have chosen in recent months to play what may well be their last card. They have turned their violence against themselves through the prison hunger strike to death. They seek to work on the most basic of human emotions-pity-as a means of creating tension and stoking the fires of bitterness and hatred."

After seven months, the strike was called off, but nine other men had already died. Thatcher's government granted all the prisoners' demands but their political status was never recognized. During the strike, Sands was elected MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone.

Hunger truly is a film that is absolutely impossible to describe with simple words. I don't know if I have ever seen another film as disturbing yet pure and beautiful like it. Gaspar Noe's Irreversible comes close, but there are completely different emotional overtones in it. In Irreversible, there is fear and anger. In Hunger, there is pain and pride.

In an interview included on this Blu-ray disc, the director of Hunger, Steve McQueen, explains how he wanted the audience to participate in the strike, not observe it. McQueen also points out that he wanted the audience to literally smell the feces and urine covering the walls and floors of the H-Blocks, feel the cold. And Hunger does precisely that, it truly suffocates its viewers with its powerful, often unbearable visuals.

The center piece in Hunger is a conversation between Sands (Michael Fassbender, Eden Lake) and a priest, Father Moran (Liam Cunningham, The Wind That Shakes The Barley), sympathizing with the Irish cause. Sands announces his decision to go on a hunger strike while Father Moran attempts to change his mind. It is a terrific clash of ideas and beliefs, one that in a way reflects perfectly the dilemma many in Northern Ireland have been struggling with for years.

Hunger is based on a script by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, and while it often refers to specific political events, it is hardly a political film. Rather, it is a film about human beings' inexorable desire to destruct each other and suppress everything that makes them human, their inability to recognize the value of human life.

Michael Fassbender's performance is magical, bold and gut-wrenching. The actor went on a dangerous, closely followed by a medical doctor, diet in order to portray Sands as accurately as humanly possible. And, indeed, Sands' last days in Hunger are undoubtedly amongst the most utterly disturbing scenes one is likely to see in mainstream cinema. The level of authenticity is unbelievable. The rest of the cast - and Liam Cunningham in particular - is just as impressive.

In 2008, Hunger won the prestigious Camera d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival as well as the European Discovery of the Year award at the European Film Awards. In 2009, the film won six IFTA award (Irish Film and Television Awards), including Best Film and Best Actor as well as Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the BAFTA Awards.

Hunger Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG- AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Steve McQueen's Hunger arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

According to the booklet provided with this release, the high-definition transfer was created from the original 2-perforation 35mm negative, which was scanned on an ARRISCAN pin-registered scanner at 2K resolution, and approved by director McQueen. Unsurprisingly, Hunger looks spectacular on Blu-ray. Detail is terrific, contrast levels consistent throughout the entire film, and clarity excellent. A number of scenes from the H-Blocks look like giant impressionist paintings - they are disturbing yet incredibly beautiful (at the end of the film, right before Bobby Sands dies, the colors are simply overwhelming). Edge-enhancement and macroblocking are never a serious issue of concern. There are no stability fluctuations that I noticed either. Finally, the high-definition transfer is free of debris, scratches, flecks, etc. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Hunger Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

There is an interview with Steve McQueen on this Blu-ray disc in which he talks about how incredibly important the sound is in Hunger, and I wholeheartedly agree. There are sighs, terrifying cries, and casual noises in the film that are of utmost importance (the mass beating of the Irishmen was simply unbearable).

The dialog is crisp, clean and easy to follow (though I personally had the English subtitles turned on as some of the Irish accents were incredibly thick, and, frankly, I had a difficult time understanding everything that was being said). Leo Abrahams and David Holmes' outstanding music score also sounds fantastic. All in all, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is incredibly nuanced and serving the film exceptionally well.

Hunger Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

Steve McQueen - an interview with Steve McQueen, which was conducted by Criterion in 2009. Here the director of Hunger talks about the message of his film, how it was received by the critics in the UK and Northern Ireland, the events surrounding the death of Bobby Sands, etc. Not subtitled. (18 min, 1080p).

The Making of Hunger - this program includes interviews with director Steve McQueen, actors Michael Fassbender, Liam Cunningham, Stuart Graham, and Brian Milligan, writer Enda Walsh, and producer Robin Gutch. Not subtitled. (14 min, 1080i).

Michael Fassbender - an interview with the actor, which was conducted by film critic Jason Solomons in 2008. Here Michael Fassbender talks about the challenging task of playing Bobby Sands, the incredible physcial transformation he underwent, the film's reception, etc. Not subtitled. (14 min, 1080i).

"The Provos' Last Card?" - this 1981 news program was produced by the BBC series Panorama four months after the death of Bobby Sands. Reporter Peter Taylor goes to Norther Ireland and the Maze prison to better understand the causes and effects of the controversial and ongoing hunger strike. Interviews are conducted with Provisional Sinn Fenn leaders Gerry Adams and Ruairi O'Bradaigh, Democratic Unionist Party leader Rev. Ian Paisley, and Social Democratic and Labour Party leader John Hume, as well as the youth and families of Northern Ireland. Not subtitled. (46 min, 1080i). Trailer - (2 min, 1080p).

Booklet - a 16-page illustrated booklet containing Chris Darke's essay "On The Threshold" (Chris Darke is a writer and film critic based in London. His work has appeared in Film Comment,Sight & Sound, Traffic, and the Independent).

Hunger Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

Hunger is a powerful, disturbing, beautiful, bold and impeccably acted film. It is perfect! Criterion's treatment is just as impressive - the film looks and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray. The supplemental features included on the disc are also very informative. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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