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The film is presented in the original 2.35:1 widescreen ratio and in 1080p high definition and perfectly shows off the amazing scenery, as previously described. I’m watching this on a 50″ Panasonic Plasma TV. However, since the film was shot in 4K, it’d be a treat to see it in that format.
The audio is in DTS HD 5.1, but as you’d expect, there’s not going to be any split-surround action here, but the score, also as previously described, is a delight and there’s atmosphere in buckets, here.
The extras are as follows:
- Making Of (28:12): This is more a random collection of behind-the-scenes moments being filmed rather than a structured ‘making of’, but is nonetheless a fascinating watch, and also features the lead actor crashing his car by mistake. Subtitles in English are available, which is handy as all the dialogue is in Russian.
- Interview with director Andrey Zvyagintsev (22:37): He describes the film as something like a revelation or a movement of the soul that can’t be articulated instantly, and then goes on to describe what the film means to him and what it can mean to the viewer, as well as talking about making it. It also includes clips of the film.
- Deleted Scenes (22:18): A combination of deleted and alternate scenes – 12 in all, plus the occasional fluff. It’s interesting how the scenes start, and then a caption tells us which scene number this was in the film (briefly, while the scene continues in the background). Haven’t seen that done before.
I love the words of wisdom from the girl in the train scene. The subtitles are slightly different in the deleted scene, but the ‘making of’ shows this clip where she quoted as saying “Trains are traps… and people, too”, which is very philosophical for a child. If I had any complaints about this extra, it’s that the chapter markings are when the captions appear, and not when the scenes begin. Slight faux-pas, there… or whatever faux-pas is in Russian.
There’s nothng that desperately needs to go back in, but they serve as great companion pieces.
- Trailer (1:46): In the original 2.35:1. I think it gives too much away so I’d avoid this before you watch the film.
Subtitles are in English, and even though this release is intended for the UK market, a lot of people do want to know whether or not the subtitles are turnoffable, so they can watch the film in its original language, untainted by subtitles. And here, yes, you can. They can only be turned off from the main menu, though, but oddly, can’t be turned off from within the film.
Chapters are a bog-standard 12. I feel one should come every five minutes on average. A lot of distributors go for a low 12 however long the film. Artificial Eye’s chaptering tends to vary from disc to disc. Unfortunately, here, it’s just the same old 12, even for a film running 142 minutes.
The menu features an almost-static image of the boy on the beach, with some subtle animation, plus a piece of the theme in the background.
Leviathan is out now on Blu-ray and DVD, and click on the packshot for the larger version.
|
FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS |
9 10 8 4 |
| OVERALL | 8 |
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 142 minutes
Year: 2014
Released: March 9th 2015
Chapters: 12
Picture: 1080p High Definition
Sound: 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
Languages: Russian
Subtitles: English
Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Digital Intermediate (4K))
Disc Format: BD50
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Producer: Sergey Melkumov
Screenplay: Oleg Negin and Andrey Zvyagintsev
Music: Philip Glass
Cast :
Kolya: Aleksey Serebryakov
Lilya: Elena Lyadova
Dmitriy (Dima): Vladimir Vdovichenkov
Vadim Shelevyat: Roman Madyanov
Angela: Anna Ukolova
Roman: Sergey Pokhodaev
Pacha: Aleksey Rozin
Sledovatel: Igor Savochkin
Arkhierey: Valeriy Grishko
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.