Warren Miller's Dynasty

 (2010)

Warren Miller's Dynasty Blu-ray delivers great video and audio in this mediocre Blu-ray release
From the rulers of the kingdom — like Chris Davenport, Daron Rahlves and Ingrid Backstrom — to the heirs apparent — like Austin Ross and Chris Benchetler; from the wise sages like Mike Wiegele to the princess Lexi Roland, Dynasty is more than just a family album of skiers and snowboarding. It’s a story. The story stretches back to the ancient mountains of China, to the deep Canadian bush — from a parking lot big-air jump in Michigan to Norway’s Arctic Circle. It’s shouted from the top of Colorado’s Rockies and around the rocky rim of Lake Tahoe. This is a story that’s rewritten each winter, and one we’ll never tire of telling. How else would our love of snow get passed down from generation to generation?

For more about Warren Miller's Dynasty and the Warren Miller's Dynasty Blu-ray release, see the Warren Miller's Dynasty Blu-ray Review

Warren Miller's Dynasty Blu-ray Review

Skiing royalty hits the Blu slopes with this latest from Warren Miller Entertainment.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman, October 11, 2010

Keep living.

Filmmaker/winter sports enthusiast Warren Miller has for 60 years now been documenting the world of skiing and snowboarding through his exceptionally-made line of films that are as much about their stunning visuals and the amazing athletes who perform some of the most incredible stunts on a board or pair of skis as they are about the very soul of the sport and the camaraderie between ski enthusiasts that make up one of the world's most enduring fraternities. Through Dynasty, Miller's production house celebrates a milestone anniversary with one of the most electrifying and large-in-scope productions yet, but that "anniversary" connotation doesn't mean that Dynasty is anything less than vintage Warren Miller. Dynasty captures the beauty, scope, and grandeur of the sport while highlighting a crop of globetrotting skiers who wear their heart on their sleeve and live for the snow, expressing their buoyant and childlike enthusiasm for the sport and the lifestyle that comes with it. Both the perfect introduction to the world of Warren Miller and a video that longtime enthusiasts will cherish, Dynasty captures the world of skiing and snowboarding quite unlike anything else out there -- at least anything that exists separate from the Warren Miller library.

It's all downhill from here.

Warren Miller's Dynasty -- narrated by Olympic hero Jonny Moseley, who also shows up for a little skiing -- is not only a winter sports video, but a travelogue that takes its viewers to some of the hottest ski and snowboarding destinations in the country and around the world. Beginning with a stop at Lake Tahoe's resort -- known as a Mecca for skiing -- Dynasty introduces audiences to some of the winter sports world's most incredible athletes, all of whom are eager to share their love of sport and put on a show for their fans. The slopes of Tahoe, Washington's Crystal Mountain, Colorado's Rocky Mountains, Alaska's most challenging slopes, and even the planes of the American Midwest are showcased not only as top ski and snowboarding destinations, but as havens for athletes who find in their chilly majesty both personal peace and physical challenge with every downhill run. Even better, Dynasty takes viewers on a globetrotting tour of some of the world's best and most historic ski destinations. British Columbia's Blue River, Norway, and China -- yes, China, the country believed to be the birthplace of skiing -- are represented as not only sporting hotbeds but as historically importnat venues that will both challenge the world's best and engender in them a greater appreciation for the history of their sport. Whether Traveling to exotic locales, going downhill with some of the world's finest disabled skiers, or looking at the new and old technologies alike that have come to shape the sport, Dynasty has it all. Oh, and the high-flying skiing and amazing athleticism of its stars is just a little fun to watch, too.

Dynasty isn't a traditional documentary. This isn't a dry recounting of events or even a seamlessly-structured piece. Dynasty has something of a piecemeal feel to it, where it jumps around form place to place and skier to skier, making it more about the people and the sports they love than some official record of things. What better way to make a Ski video? That loose structure and absence of a more strict narrative seems like the perfect way to capture the essence of what the skiing lifestyle is all about. Whether the dangerous slopes, the daring moves, or the uninhibited enthusiasm for all things winter sports shared by the easygoing skiers and snowboarders who are both at the peak of the sport and on top of the world thanks to their free-spirited lifestyle, Dynasty's free and easy structure captures not just the nuts-and-bolts that make up the slopes and athletes but their very spirits that are nothing short of contagiously fun. That's what Dynasty and the Warren Miller brand is all about; it's not the sport and the great photography but the people who are the true lifeblood of the Warren Miller videos. As the Dynasty supplemental piece 60 Years in the Making puts it, Miller videos would be but nature documentaries without the people who populate them.

That's not to suggest that the awe-inspiring stunts, gorgeous visuals, and impressive photography aren't critical elements in making a Warren Miller feature. Dynasty certainly benefits from each, and while the film impressively captures something of a raw façade, it's grounded in some slick filmmaking techniques that elevate the picture to achieve a rare combination that allows the realism to perfectly mesh with a polished and professional foundation. Dynasty superficially revels, and rightly so, in the sweeping vistas, larger-than-life characters, big air stunts, and incredible moves on the slopes, but the filmmakers have made these exciting elements irresistible in the way that they manage to bring it all to life through not only good editing but incredible slow-motion footage, flyover shots, and other tricks of the trade to take viewers as close as possible to the action, with several scenes leaving the audience everything but chilled from the surrounding snows and below freezing temperatures. That sense of total immersion into the world of skiing -- through not only the visuals and interviews but in the way Dynasty and other Miller films seem to so effortlessly find the soul of the sport in every video -- is the true draw. Everything in Miller movies like Dynasty works in perfect harmony to recreate the very essence of the sport quite unlike anything else out there.

Warren Miller's Dynasty Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

Warren Miller's Dynasty delivers a steady but somewhat rough-around-the-edges -- though seemingly intentionally so -- 1080p transfer. The image has a slightly gritty and subtly dulled appearance, but detail is rather strong -- particularly evident on woven caps and various winter clothes -- and colors are steady and accurate. The image is, no surprise, overwhelmingly white considering all the snow, but it displays the soft texture of newly fallen snow very well, whether untouched powder along a course or well-packed slopes that have been skied several times. Whites are steady with no evident blooming. Flesh tones appear accurate, but faces can sometimes look a bit pasty and smooth. Excess blocking or banding is never a problem. Though it's not as pristine as a brand new high-dollar Hollywood release, Dynasty captures a big-screen feel that delivers the many larger-than-life vistas, characters, and sporting accomplishments all equally well.

Warren Miller's Dynasty Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

Unfortunately, Warren Miller's Dynasty features an error in its DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack: the're no signal going to the center channel speaker. Shout! Factory has been made aware of this problem and is working hard on fixing it. This review will be updated once the studio has delivered a corrected disc.

Warren Miller's Dynasty Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

Warren Miller's Dynasty features 60 Years in the Making (1080p, DTS-HD MA 5.1, 20:01), a fascinating piece that looks back at the history of Warren Miller's films; the challenge of shooting the films; the pressure of delivering a quality film in a short amount of time while battling the ever-changing weather; the participation of the athletes; and the hard work that went into making Dynasty, including the crew's travel to China and the advanced technology that helped make this the best Warren Miller film yet. Also included is Dynasty's trailer (1080p, DTS-HD MA 5.1, 2:52).

Warren Miller's Dynasty Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

Warren Miller's Dynasty is a strong film that's absorbing and exciting, smart and seamlessly constructed, and energetic and contagious in the way it brings the world of winter sports and the people who live and love them to vivid life. Though it lacks a more cohesive feel, the somewhat random structure actually seems like a benefit to the film as it's reflective of the "anything goes" lifestyle and ever-evolving world of winter sport and the growing fraternity of athletes, enthusiasts, and amateurs alike who call it home. Centered around the people of the sport but supported by breathtaking visuals and strong filmmaking, Dynasty is a title worthy of Warren Miller Entertainment's 60th anniversary. This Blu-ray release from Shout! Factory features a flawed lossless soundtrack, but the studio is currently hard at work to make things right. Please check back later for an update; this review will be bumped to the top of the list when a corrected disc is in-hand and verified to be fixed. Until then, buyers are urged to wait on news of a corrected pressing.

Shout! Factory has officially announced that it will release Warren Miller's Dynasty on a Blu-ray/DVD combo on October 12. This documentary celebrates 60 years of filmmaking of acclaimed ski/snowboarding documentarian Warren Miller. Audio will be presented in Dolby ...