BLU-RAY REVIEW

Tree Of Life, The

Featured In Issue 165, March 2012

Picture5
Sound5
WSR Score3
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):
2274934
(MPAA Rating):
PG-13
(Rating Reason):
Some thematic material
(Retail Price):
$39.99
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
139
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
A
(Theatrical Year):
2011
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
10/11/11
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Terrence Malick
(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 7.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

The Tree Of Life uses stunning cinematography and raw emotional power to excavate answers to the most haunting and personal human questions through a kaleidoscope of the intimate and the cosmic, from the raw emotions of a family in a small Texas town to the wildest, infinite edges of space and time, from a boy's loss of innocence to a man's transforming encounters with awe, wonder, and transcendence. The story chronicles a Midwestern family in the 1950s, and follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack (Penn), through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years, as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Pitt). (Gary Reber)

Special features include the featurette Exploring The Tree Of Life (HD 29:26), the theatrical trailer, and a digital copy.

The 1080p AVC picture is a slow-moving collage of bold and beautiful imagery photographed by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who won the ASC award for cinematography, using a variety of camera formats and lenses. Shot predominately on 35 mm film stock, with the "evolution" scenes filmed using primarily IMAX-formatted 65 mm cameras, and using virtually all natural light and shadow, the imagery is gorgeous. The color palette is perfectly natural, with nicely balanced hues and accurate fleshtones. Resolution is revealing of nuanced detail in facial features, hair, clothing, and object textures. Contrast is excellent, as is shadow delineation. Overall, this is a poetic visual exposé of beautiful images that captivate the eyes and emotions. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 7.1-channel soundtrack is thematically engaging, with a choral-based symphonic orchestral score composed by Alexandre Desplat, plus numerous classical works, including piano and pipe organ interludes and operatic pieces. The sweeping score accompanies the depiction of the beginning of the cosmos, the end of the Earth, and the power of nature through sonic representations of volcanic explosions and treacherous waterfalls. The .1 LFE channel is used often, to provide dramatic and robust sub 25 Hz bass support. But the soundtrack also succeeds in its quieter moments from the sound of atmospherics. Such sonics and subtle ambiance are fully energized in the soundfield with directionalized cues, with a spatially dimensional soundfield enhanced by the additional two channels. Dialogue sounds perfectly natural and integrated spatially. All of this is presented in an almost continuous musical requiem that is dreamlike and surreal. (Gary Reber)