The Reader Blu-ray

Weinstein Company | 2008 | 124 mins | Rated R | Apr 28, 2009

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Video Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 1.85:1 Audio English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 French: Dolby Digital 5.1 English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 English: Dolby Digital 5.1 French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (less) Subtitles English, English SDH, Spanish English, English SDH, Spanish (less) Disc 50GB Blu-ray Disc

Price List price: $29.95  Amazon: $13.99 (Save 53%) Third party: $12.87 (Save 57%) Usually ships in 24 hours Blu-ray rating Users 4.3 Reviewer 4.0 Overall 4.1 Based on 9 user ratings Playback Region free

The Reader

The Reader arrives on Blu-ray with a subdued but stunning 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that, aside for some slight edge enhancement, thoroughly outshines its drab and dreary genre brethren. Skintones (of which there are many) are natural and healthy; never flushed, never peaked, never too pale. Saturation is lovely as well, bolstering the lush hues and heavy shadows cinematographers Roger Deakins and Chris Menges rely on to grant dramatic scenes even more power. More importantly, delineation is revealing, dimensionality injects a convincing amount of depth into the image, and contrast is spot on throughout the film. Detail may not be as pristine as it is in the latest CG-laden actioner-of-the-month, but it does possess a filmic integrity that allows each shot to impress on its own merits. Textures are crisp and refined, the smallest freckle and lightest hair are visible, and foreground clarity is, dare I say, flawless. It helps that artifacting, banding, crush, and source noise are nowhere to be found. Sure, a fine mist of grain overlays the image at all times, but it's far too steady and unobtrusive to be any sort of distraction. As far as I'm concerned, the Blu-ray artisans at Weinstein have really outdone themselves this time with a truly remarkable presentation.

The Reader Blu-ray, Audio Quality

While The Reader's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track doesn't lavish its wares as readily as the disc's video transfer, it nevertheless handles the film's uncomfortable silences, tricky courtroom acoustics, and hushed dialogue without a hitch. Voices and ambience don't inhabit a square space, they inhabit a living, breathing world. The rear speakers rarely assault the listener with aggressive activity, but constantly support the atmosphere of each scene -- the streets are teeming with realistic chatter and passing cars, hushed conversations are peppered with soft breathing, and the film's intermittent music is perfectly prioritized within the rest of the mix. The LFE channel makes its intentions known on even fewer occasions, yet still manages to inject notable weight and heft into on-screen objects and movement. Likewise, there aren't many scenes in which directionality steals the sonic show, but a lighthearted spring getaway, a tense cross-examination, and a troubling prison visit demonstrate the track's prowess and polish. Ultimately, even though it won't turn many heads or wake up the kids, The Reader still sounds quite good.

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