- Aspect Ratio: 2:35:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: PG-13
- Run Time: 83 Mins.
- Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
- Studio: Image Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: October 11th, 2011
- List Price: $29.99
[amazon-product]B004USUOUY[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Master Harold and the Boys on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0.5/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(Screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG thus are meant as a general representation of the content and do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Master Harold and the Boys is based on the play by Athol Fugard. 17 year old Hally (Freddie Highmore) is lonely and doesn’t seem to have much to do on a particular rainy afternoon. It’s this afternoon that two of his parents’ black servants Sam (Ving Rhames) and Willie (Patrick Mofokeng) share their memories of life-long relationship. All seems well until Hally learns that his abusive alcoholic father is about to be released from the hospital. Due to their troubled past, Hally is less than excited about this turn of events. What happens next shocks everyone involved, including Hally himself. The end result is a well made film that brings the idea of friendship and hope, in even the more dire times, to the forefront of life.
I’ll easily admit that about halfway through Master Harold and the Boys, I was about ready to shut the film off. It’s not that the acting, set pieces or story wasn’t interesting. It’s more that the film felt very by the numbers, something I had seen before. You know the mindless chatter between characters in order to help pass some of the time. Yeah, that kind. But like any good critic, I decided to stick through and fight the good fight. AND boy am I glad I did! The latter half of the film is powerful, riveting and quite good…if not great. The acting, particularly that of Freddie Highmore, hits all the right notes. After Hally literally explodes at Sam, the film turns on all the right gears. We go from light in tone to the exact opposite end of the spectrum. And at this end of the spectrum, you’ll find a film that is definitely worth checking out.
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
The film arrives with a 2:35:1 framed, AVC/MPEG-4 encoded transfer that, for all purposes, looks fine. The film’s color palette, featuring the muted grays and blues, all but help to capture the essence of the time period. Detail is spot on throughout, especially with some of the set pieces that have been created. Facial close ups result in fairly accurate flesh tones but some characters (most notably Hally) have been given a kind of gold-ish tint. Nothing overly bright but definitely can look and feel a bit out of place at times. There’s a light layer of film grain in some darker sequences while the film’s print is in fine condition. All in all, this is kind of transfer that suits the film well.
Audio Quality
[Rating:3/5]
The provided DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 does what it can with the limitations found within a dialogue heavy film. Dialogue is well reproduced throughout via the center channel. Atmosphere is mostly subdued outside of your occasional background chatter or vehicle driving by. LFE, outside of musical cues, felt like it was turned off. The sound design tends to focus on the front channels rarely producing any kind of atmosphere. In all reality the track does what it’s suppose to do, just nothing overly amazing.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0.5/5]
Only the trailer is included.
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
The subject matter behind Master Harold and the Boys may not be the most interesting film halfway through. But it’s at this halfway mark that the film becomes something totally different…something…great. Image Entertainment has brought the film to Blu-ray with fine video and good audio. Recommended.
Additional Screen Captures
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[amazon-product]B004USUOUY[/amazon-product]
BestBuy.com:
Purchase Master Harold and the Boys on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:3/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:0.5/5]
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