• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
  
• Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
• Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
  
• Audio Codec: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit), English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0
  
• Subtitles: English SDH, French (Commentary-Only), Spanish
  
• Subtitles Color: White
  
• Region: ABC (Region-Free)
• Rating: R
  
• Run Time: 116 Mins.
  
• Discs: 1 (1 x Blu-ray)
• Digital Copies: N/A
  
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
  
• Blu-ray Release Date: September 18, 2012
  
• List Price: $24.99
  

–

Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:4/5]

Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures

(All 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)

–

The Film

[Rating:4/5]

1989’s dark comedy, The War of the Roses, from director Danny DeVito, is an at times uncomfortable to watch yet impossible to look away from and miraculously funny look at love gone bad. Michael Douglas (Haywire; The Game; Wall Street) and Kathleen Turner (Marley & Me) play Barbara and Oliver Rose who “meet great” according to slithery divorce lawyer Gavin D’Amato, played wonderfully by DeVito (TV’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; The Lorax), but 17-years later, things begin to turn sour. Oliver has built up a successful career as a lawyer and Barbara has spent many years fixing up their luxuriant house and raising the couple’s two kids. Now, with the house finally complete and the kids both off to Harvard, she finds herself feeling empty and neglected by a husband she increasingly can’t stand. When Oliver is rushed to the hospital for a heart attack that turns out to be a false alarm, Barbara finds she is actually happy when she thinks he might be dead. Then comes the divorce procedings, but neither one is willing to give up the house. So they both decide to stay and divide the boundaries, trying to force the other out. This sets off an increasing series of childish tricks being played that escalate in intensity and violence. Oliver crashes her dinner party and urinates on her fish. Barbara wrecks his beloved classic sports cars.

Through all of this, DeVito keeps viewers on the edge with a vicarious, funny, and outrageous peek into that blurry line between love and hate. Douglas and Turner ham it up perfectly so by the time the film reaches the grand climax involving the house’s gleaming chandelier, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mimd that these two people really can’t stand each other DeVito’s divorce lawyer, who acts as a third-party narrator offering up the story of the Roses as a warning to be headed to a potential client, also provides a memorable character.

Video Quality

[Rating:4/5]

The War of the Roses was reportedly shot with Panavision Panaflex Gold II cameras and Panavision Primo lenses on Eastman 400T 5295 and EXR 500T 5296 35mm film. It has a somewhat soft look to it and no doubt some of that softness has grown with the aging of the film. Still, this transfer from Fox for this Filmmakers Signature Series edition has a pleasant, natural appearance that has strong textural information in close-ups, natural flesh tones, and little in the way of source damage. There is a natural layer of grain over the image and no apparent video noise imparted onto the image as a result of the transfer or encoding process.

Audio Quality

[Rating:3.5/5]

An English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack is supplied that doesn’t do much to spruce up the aural experience. It has rather boxy sounding dialogue, very little information beyond the slightest ambience and atmospherics in the surrounds, and little in the way of low frequencies. An English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround mix is offered that might serve just as well.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:4/5]

This edition of The War of the Roses is stuffed with lots of great bonuses, including the film’s script, which is a big plus.

The supplements:

• Commentary by Director Danny DeVito
• Danny DeVito & James L. Brooks: Revisiting The War of the Roses (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:28:55)
• The Music of The War of the Roses: A Conversation with Danny DeVito & David Newman (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:09:11)
• Deleted Scenes Montage (1.33:1; SD; 00:23:22)
• Trailers:
  • Trailer A (2.35:1; SD)
  • Trailer C (2.35:1; SD)
  • Trailer D (1.78:1; SD)
  • Trailer E (1.85:1; SD)
• TV Spots (1.33:1; SD):
  • Christmas Map
  • Going to War
  • Days of Christmas
  • Number 1 Movie
  • Countdown
  • Graphics
• Production Gallery (1080p/24)
• Script (1080p/24)
• Booklet: Booklet contains in-depth essay on the film, bios on the actors and director, and production photos.

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:4/5]

This is a despicably good dark comedy that plays up all the worst aspects of relationships and marriage supported by richly hostile performances from Michael Douglas and Kathleen Edwards. I’d say that The War of the Roses is a work of twisted comedic genius. Recommended.

Additional Screen Captures

[amazon-product]B004MPI09M[/amazon-product]

[amazon-product]B008YAPQSY[/amazon-product]

Purchase The War of the Roses [Filmmakers Signature Series] on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

–

[amazon-product]B004MPI09M[/amazon-product]

[amazon-product]B008YAPQSY[/amazon-product]

Purchase The War of the Roses [Filmmakers Signature Series] on Blu-ray at CD Universe

Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com

Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Film
[Rating:4/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:3.5/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:4/5]

–