- Aspect Ratio: 2.25:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Subtitles Color: White
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: Not Rated
- Run Time: 115 Mins
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Digital Copies: None
- Studio: MPI
- Blu-ray Release Date: March 5, 2013
- List Price: $29.98
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Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(The below TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:4/5]
The Big Picture tells the story of Paul Exben (Romain Duris), a handsome, successful Parisian lawyer. While on paper Paul’s life sounds like something we might all dream of (beautiful wife, two children, successful job,) Paul envies his neighbor Greg, mostly due to the freedom that Greg’s job provides him (photojournalism.) After suddenly being implicated in Greg’s murder, Paul decides to become Greg, spanning his global cross-continental odyssey of reinvention. What results is a rather enjoyable thriller, akin to that of other films featuring the Tom Ripley character.
With a fond appreciation for the Matt Damon version of The Talented Mr. Ripley, I went into The Big Picture with high expectations. Damon’s version, mostly thanks to Damon himself, is a swift thriller that never bores. Where Damon’s actually dealt with the physical character, Director Eric Lartigau decided more to focus on the attributes of the Ripley character, specifically that of having an identity crisis. I must say that this aspect really intrigued me, as this Picture is almost always entertaining, due to both the fast-paced direction by Lartigau, as well as the actual performance by Duris. Duris channels the style of a Ripley character. Here’s a man who has everything, yet still struggles to identity himself. This aspect made Ripley a highly enjoyable film, and equally does the same for this Big Picture.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The Big Picture arrives with a 2:35:1 framed, AVC/MPEG-4 encoded transfer. The film’s color palette mostly features grayed out tones, like that of blues. Black levels remain accurate, even though there are more than a fair share of darker sequences. Detail is still particularly strong, especially that of facial close-ups. Anomalies like DNR, EE or any other notices of print damage, are nowhere to be found. All in all, this transfer is a solid effort from MPI.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, available in the native French language, is solid. Dialogue is well reproduced and, via the included English subtitles, are easy to read. Atmosphere is quite impressive, especially that of the little discrete effects. Items like background dialogue, birds chirping and other items add in subtle tones. LFE is a bit reserved at times, mostly called upon during the heightened sequences, but still offers up a good amount of low-end. All in all, this mix handles the film well.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
No features have been included in this release.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
Even though MPI’s U.S. Blu-ray release for The Big Picture features zero supplements (while the U.K. has a documentary) the overall quality of the film (as well as a solid technical presentation) makes this one worth checking out.
Additional Screen Captures
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Purchase The Big Picture on Blu-ray at CD Universe
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[amazon-product]B00AADADVI[/amazon-product]
Purchase The Big Picture on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles on Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0/5]
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