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    • WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

    Pi (?)
    Genre:Drama

    Reviewed In Issue 32 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
    Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart, Stephen Pearlman

    WSR Review Scores
    Picture Rating: 2
    Sound Rating: 3.5
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    Reference Systems
    Critics' Composite Score:
    Internet Links

    Supplementals

    DVD General Information
    (Studio/Distributor): Artisan Entertainment
    (Catalog Number): LD60606-WS
    (MPAA Rating): R
    (Retail Price): $34.98
    (Running Time In Minutes): 85
    (Color Type): Black & White
    (Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
    (Closed Captioned): Yes
    (Theatrical Release): 1997
    (LD Release Date): 1/99
    (THX® Digitally Mastered): No

    Credits Information
    (Director): Darren Aronofsky
    (Screenplay/Written By): Darren Aronofsky
    (Story):
    (Music): Clint Mansell
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer): Matthew Maraffi
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor): Oren Sarch
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers): Randy Simon
    (Co-Producers): Scott Vogel
    (Producers): Eric Watson

    DVD Picture Information
    (Principal Photography): 16mm
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.66:1
    (Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.66:1

    DVD Sound Information
    (DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Surround
    (Theatrical Sound): Dolby Stereo SR
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (Remastered Dolby Digital): No
    (Remastered DTS Digital Surround): No
    (Additional Languages):

    WSR Narrative Review
    Story Synopsis:
    Filmed in 16mm black-and-white, ? (Pi, to the mathematically challenged) is the disturbing thriller from 1998 Sundance Festival winner Darren Aronofsky that asks you to have “faith in chaos.” It tells the story of a brilliant mathematician (Sean Gullette) who is driven to near insanity by his attempt to decode the numerical pattern behind the stock market. After being a virtual recluse for ten years, he nears the solution and finds himself pursued by an aggressive Wall Street firm as well as a mystical religious sect with plans of their own for the numerical formula.

    LaserDisc Picture:
    The black-and-white 1.66:1 LaserDisc exhibits highly contrasted images with poor detail and definition. The 16mm blow-up picture is inconsistent with noise and artifacts, but occasionally exterior scenes look better than others. The gray scale is mostly dark with deep pure blacks and few true whites, but the harshly contrasted images are nonetheless engaging.

    LaserDisc Soundtrack:
    The matrix PCM Dolby Surround soundtrack is quite spatially dimensional with an aggressive surround presence and deep bass that enhances overall ambience. The music score is well recorded with an expansive soundstage and deep bass presence. Dialogue is inconsistent, sometimes heard in the surround channel as a result of leakage. Still, this is a satisfying experience that has a mysterious presence.
    (Surround Bass Below 50Hz): No
    (Aggressive System Surround): No
    (Intense 25Hz Bass): No
    (Deep Bass Challenging): No
    (Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
    (Holosonic Soundfield): No
    (Aggressive Split Surround): No
    (Center Back Surround Imaging): No
    (Directionalized Dialogue): No
    Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
    Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
    		 No
    Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
    		 No
    Superb Color Fidelity:
    		 No
    Superb Cinematography:
    		 Yes
    Reference LaserDisc:
    		 No
    Collector Edition:
    		 No
    DVD To LaserDisc Comparison:
    The black-and-white LaserDisc and non-anamorphic DVD, both matted at 1.66:1, exhibit highly contrasted images with poor detail and definition. Both formats are similar in visual quality, with virtually no distinct differences in sharpness. The 16mm blow-up picture is inconsistent with noise and artifacts, but occasionally exterior scenes look better than others. The gray scale is mostly dark with deep pure blacks and few true whites, but the harshly contrasted images are nonetheless engaging. The DVD credited Dolby® Digital-encoded Dolby Surround matrix soundtrack does not decode on our reference processor and presents the signal as Lt/Rt (left total/right total). The LaserDisc matrix PCM Dolby Surround Soundtrack is quite spatially dimensional with an aggressive surround presence and deep bass that enhances overall ambience. The music score is well recorded with an expansive soundstage and deep bass presence. Dialogue is inconsistent, sometimes heard in the surround channel as a result of leakage. Still, this is a satisfying experience that has a mysterious presence.