Get Low

Get Low is the story of a backwoods recluse known as Felix Bush (Duvall). For years, terrified townsfolk say he's done all sorts of unspeakable things—that he's killed in cold blood; that he's in league with the devil; that he has strange powers—and they avoid him like the plague. Then one day, Felix rides to town with a shotgun and a wad of cash, saying he wants to buy a funeral. It's not your usual funeral for the dead that Felix wants. On the contrary, he wants a living funeral, in which anyone who ever has had a story about him will come to tell it, while he takes it all in. Sensing an opportunity for a big payday, fast-talking funeral home owner Frank Quinn (Murray) enlists his gentlemanly young apprentice, Buddy Robinson (Black), to win Felix's business. Buddy is no stranger to Felix's dark reputation, but what he discovers is that behind Felix's surreal plan lies a very real and long-held secret. As the funeral approaches, the mystery—involving the widow Mattie Darrow (Spacek), the only person in town who ever got close to Felix, and an Illinois preacher Charlie Jackson (Cobbs), who refuses to speak at this former friend's funeral—only deepens. But when the big day comes, Felix is in no mood to listen to other people spinning made-up anecdotes about him. This time, he's the one who is going to do the telling about why he has been hiding out in the woods. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Director Aaron Schneider, and Producer Dean Zanuck; three featurettes: The Deep South: Buried Secrets (HD 07:40), Getting Low: Getting Into Character (HD 09:29), and A Screenwriter's Point Of View (HD 05:08); a Cast and Crew Q&A (HD 09:25); On The Red Carpet (HD 04:23); the theatrical trailer; up-front previews; and BD-Live functionality.

The 1080p 2.40:1 AVC picture exhibits a stylized historic appearance of the 1920s, with a natural realism that is visually engaging. Slightly sepia-hued browns dominate, though, some color does manage to occasionally appear, especially during daylight in the town scenes. Fleshtones are ruggedly hued but generally natural in appearance. Contrast is decent, with solid blacks and revealing shadow delineation. Some scenes are extremely dark and are best viewed in a darkened room with a display capable of excellent native contrast resolution. Detail is acceptable and generally revealing of finer textures, but at times the imagery appears soft. Overall, the picture communicates an era of candlelit interior scenes and a rough frontier feeling. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is nicely reflective of the era, with a 1920's back country banjo and fiddle music score enhanced with orchestral scored interludes that are nicely recorded. Dialogue is problematic in that spatial integration is poorly executed, especially the ADR production. Atmospheric sound effects are generally subtle but effective. Surround envelopment is sparse, though can be aggressive when present, such as during thunderstorms and during music segments. During the climax scene .1 LFE energy is strong with sub-25 Hz bass. The soundtrack is generally monaural focused. Still, the soundtrack communicates an old-time feel that is engaging and perfectly supportive of the storytelling. (Gary Reber)