BLU-RAY REVIEW

Bigger Splash, A

Featured In Issue 210, October 2016

Picture4
Sound3.5
WSR Score2.5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
2322738
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
Graphic nudity, some strong sexual content, language and brief drug use.
(Retail Price):
$$39.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
(Running Time In Minutes):
124
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
(Disc Release Date):
9/6/2016
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
(Director):
Luca Guadagnino
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
DTS HD Lossless 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Subtitles):

In A Bigger Splash the lives of a high-profile couple, a famous rock star (Swinton) and a filmmaker (Schoenaerts), vacationing and recovering on the idyllic sun-drenched and remote Italian island of Pantelleria, are disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend (Fiennes) and his daughter (Johnson)—creating a whirlwind of jealousy, passion, and ultimately, danger for everyone involved. (Gary Reber)

Special features include eight featurettes: The Silent One (HD 0.35), The Extroverted One (HD 0:54), The Young One (HD 0:35), The Mysterious One (HD 0:54), Story & Cast (HD 02:10), Beneath The Surface (HD 02:16), The Inspiration (HD 01:09), and Another World (HD 01:51); a gallery; a theatrical trailer; upfront previews and an UltraViolet digital copy.

The 1.85:1 1080p AVC picture was photographed on Kodak film stock with Arri 35mm cameras and exhibits a warm color palette with sundrenched hues, as is evident in fleshtones in scenes on the Italian island. Contrast is at times bland with poor shadow delineation. Resolution is generally quite good but at times exhibits softness. While generally natural in appearance, the picture is rather stylized and artsy, and offers fine detail in numerous scenes. Overall, the imagery is a pleasant visual experience. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack delivers bits and pieces of rock, pop music, but only in spurts, with not much surround support, except for a night scene toward the end with unusual sounds that delivers an aggressive surround experience—nor do the rest of the sound elements deliver any substantial surround envelopment. Unfortunately, the focus is on dialogue, with some subliminal atmospherics. Even the island festival with traditional music is a disappointment in terms of dimensional envelopment. Dialogue can be nicely integrated spatially and then not. Overall, there is no sense of excitement, but generally the storytelling is all dialogue focused. (Gary Reber)