Remember the Titans Blu-ray delivers stunning video and great audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Based on a remarkable true story, "Remember the Titans" follows the explosive dramatic events that took place in Alexandria, Virginia in 1971 when African-American football coach Herman Boone (Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington) was hired to guide an integrated but racially polarized high school team, the T.C. Williams Titans. Angry, stubborn and a rigid task master, Boone faces a cool reception from the team's players as well as an awkward relationship with assistant coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton), a local white coach with seniority and a tradition of winning who was bypassed for the job. As the two men learn to overcome their ignorance and bigotry and realize that they have much in common and integrity, honor and a strong work ethic. They work together to transform a group of angry unfocused players into a dynamic winning team of responsible young men. In the process, they also unite a divided community and ensure that Virginia will always "Remember the Titans."
For more about Remember the Titans and the Remember the Titans Blu-ray release, see the Remember the Titans Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on January 14, 2008 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5.
I'm not a savior or Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, or the Easter Bunny. I'm a football
coach.
That's all.
As you can tell from my reviews of Invincible, Gridiron Gang, and We Are Marshall, I love football movies, and Remember the
Titans
is another good one. It's not part of the "inspirational trio," as I like to call them, that the three
aforementioned
films make up (they were all released within months of one another in theaters), but
Titans
is every bit as good. It's hard to believe this movie is almost eight years old because it fits in so
well
with the influx of football films. While inspirational, this is more of a morality tale that portrays
an
instance at the height of segregation in the 1960s when race riots were commonplace and
hatred
abundant. This is the story of one African-American football coach breaking racial lines and
creating a team
in
the truest sense of the word. They learn to see past skin color and care more about the
game and
also, more importantly, the man behind the helmet and under the skin.
Coach Boone rallies the troops.
In 1971 Virginia, T.C. Williams High School's football program is among the elites. The team is
coached by Hall of Fame candidate Bill Yoast (Will Patton, The Punisher). Amidst the mounting racial
tensions and under pressure from the African American community, the school unexpectedly
replaces Coach Yoast with Herman Boone (Denzel Washington, Deja Vu), a black coach from North Carolina
with winning experience, but not at the highest level of competition. The team is instantly
divided between the races, and disdain for coach Boone amongst the team and the community
rises. Boone re-hires Yoast as an assistant coach, or perhaps better said as a bridge between the
old regime and the new, and certainly between the races. As training camp heats up, tensions
continue to flare. Nevertheless, the team slowly but surely begins to gel under Boone's tutelage.
Soon, the
respective "leaders" of the races on the team, Julius (Wood Harris, The Wire) and Gerry
(Ryan Hurst, We Were Soldiers) begin to bond, and so too
does
the team. They are a whole unit once camp is over, segregation a thing of the past, and the
dinner table separated between "offense" and "defense" rather than "black" and "white." Back
home, the team struggles to remain together in the midst of the continued battle over
segregation,
but as the team begins winning games, the town is forced to embrace them as they set an
example that demonstrates the true meaning of the word "team."
Remember the Titans is a fine film that is predictable but nevertheless manages to
entertain while engendering a powerful message about not only the value of teamwork but also
about
seeing past the superficial and into what makes a man a man. While the racial tensions
portrayed in the film are palpable and based on real events, they are, if anything, underplayed in
the severity and divisiveness that really tore various Southern communities apart in the 1960s
and early 1970s. The movie presents some wonderful sequences, and the subplot of Julius and
Gerry, who transform from enemies into the closest of friends, is portrayed and acted very well
between the actors, who have a touching and honest camaraderie on screen. Denzel
Washington turns in a fine performance as Herman Boone, and his approach to the material as
the tough coach you love to hate but also learn to love is second to none. Remember the
Titans may not be the greatest race film ever, it may not be the greatest football movie ever,
and it may no be the greatest inspirational movie ever, but it's so good at each genre that it's
hard not to put this movie somewhere near the top of all three lists.
Remember the Titans is yet another entry into Disney's ever-growing list of Blu-ray discs
with excellent transfers. Presented in 2.35:1, 1080p high definition, the viewer is awestruck by
the rich colors of autumn and the stunning clarity and beauty of this transfer is evident right
from
the get-go. It has a very natural appearance that is lifelike and real. Flesh tones appear to be
nearly perfect. This transfer offers perhaps the deepest and purest black levels I've seen, rivaling
the
best Blu-ray has to offer to this point. Detail is extremely high as individual threads and stitches
are seen in clothing and fine detail is present in faces. Outdoor scenes are stunning with a
realistic look
and feel.
A scene where coach Yoast and his daughter are sitting outside under a tree made me feel like I
was outside in the early morning with the sun shining brightly through the leaves and a light
mist
of dew on the ground. I could almost smell the fresh air. There are a few pops and speckles here
and there over the print, and that's the only fault I can find with it. It's most notable when
Coach
Boone
takes them to the battlefield at Gettysburg. This is a superb transfer that is nearly perfect in
every
regard.
Remember the Titans is presented on Blu-ray with a PCM uncompressed 5.1 soundtrack. A
lesser quality Dolby Digital 5.1 track is also included. While this is a fine track on the whole, I was
slightly underwhelmed by it. It definitely lacks the punch I've come to expect from the top tier
soundtracks on football films, or on any film with hard hitting action. Bass is present but it doesn't
punch you in the gut. As the film begins, surrounds are almost nonexistent. As the movie
progresses, the track seems to pick up some steam. Ambience emerges from nowhere and the
surrounds become
more active. The final two football games in the movie pack a harder hit than the rest of the track,
but it still proved to be underwhelming compared to the best tracks out there. On the plus side,
dialogue comes across as natural and is never lost under the music or other parts of the soundtrack.
Separation across the front soundstage sounds great with both action and nuances well placed.
While this is a perfectly adequate track, I expected a bit more zest.
Remember the Titans includes a number of special features sure to please fans of the
film. First up are two commentaries. The first features director Boaz Yakin, producer Jerry
Bruckheimer, and writer Gregory Allen Howard. This track offers a mostly dry and bland look at
the film with mention of historical accuracies in the film, casting, filming techniques, and so on.
It's informative and probably best suited for a listen by students of film but not the casual viewer.
The second track features real-life coaches Herman Boone and Bill Yoast. Some of my favorite
commentary tracks feature "real" people rather than actors and filmmakers, and as such this one
is pretty good. Boone and Yoast share how they were approached by filmmakers and their
reaction to finding out it wasn't an elaborate prank. Boone shares his reactions to the film and
discusses his feelings both then and now about the story of the Titans. Boone proves to be an
excellent storyteller but a little quiet and reserved, and that's OK. His reserved nature adds an air
of credibility and honesty to his story and both participants prove to be well informed, educated,
and kind. This track is definitely worth a listen.
Next up is a Movie Showcase that allows viewers to immediately jump to scenes that
"showcase the ultimate in high definition picture and sound." Six deleted scenes make up the
next group of extras. They are presented in 480p with a total length of 8:07. 'Remember
the Titans:' An Inspirational Journey Behind the Scenes (480p, 20:59) features Pittsburgh
Steeler great and NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann hosting a promotional piece for the film that
features cast and crew discussing the film. This is pretty typical stuff. Denzel Becomes
Boone (480p, 6:15) showcases actor Denzel Washington's preparation for portraying the role
of Herman Boone. The piece features segments with the real Herman Boone, director Boaz
Yakin, and writer Gregory Allen Howard. This is a good short piece that I felt was the best on the
disc outside of the commentary track with Boone and Yost. Finally, Beating the Odds
(480p, 6:20) is a piece that discusses the difficulty in getting the script accepted by a studio and
Jerry Bruckheimer's interest in bringing this story to the big screen after the script had been
rejected
multiple times by multiple studios.
Remember the Titans is an important film that tackles subject materials that continue to
be the topic of discussion and tension even today, some 35+ years after the true life events that
inspired the film. Showcasing a great story, believable characters, terrific acting, and a meaningful
message, Remember the Titans is a film well worth seeing. This Blu-ray disc boasts
wonderful video quality, solid audio quality, and an above average set of supplements. Highly
recommended.
