Plot: What’s it about?
In 1942, the Japanese forces pushed into Singapore and when they did so, they took the foreigners there prisoner. This film, based on a true story, tells the story of one band of women who are taken prisoner, who struggle to keep their spirits up in the face of adversity. The women come from all sorts of homelands, ethnic backgrounds, and social classes, but here, they attempt to overcome those differences to band together. The camp where they’re being held offers little in terms of much aside from suffering, so they have minimal resources and almost nothing to look to in times of weakness. At first, there is some space between the ladies, but as food and medicine start to wear thin, in addition to abuse from the guards, they find that they have to bond, or else face even harsher conditions. One woman strives toward an even loftier goal, as Adrienne (Glenn Close) seeks to begin a voice choir with the women, which she hopes will lift their spirits and supply them with some level of hope.
I have no problem with chick flicks per se, but Paradise Road buzzed right past me, as I simply couldn’t get into the movie in the least. As usual with the chick flick genre, this one boasts some empowered women who seek to better their situation, although in this case, it involves being held as prisoners of war, not just having a mean husband or such. But while that should add to the emotional impact of Paradise Road, it doesn’t and in truth, I never really cared what happened to most of these ladies. So where does the film falter? The cast is excellent and includes Glenn Close, Cate Blanchette, Frances McDormand, and Julianna Margulies, so it isn’t a case of poor casting choices, to say the least. I suppose the flaws lie within the character development and overall writing involved, both of which leave a lot to be desired, in my opinion. But when I scanned for reviews by others, I found a lot of praise from females, so perhaps this one is just lost on my youth and gender, who knows. I don’t think it was a terrible movie, but it never drew me in and as such, I think a rental is the best choice, unless you’ve seen and loved the film.
I’ve never been a real fan of Glenn Close, even though she’s given some good performances, perhaps due to her choice in roles. In her more aggressive roles, I love her work and look for her in suspense driven efforts, but of late, she’s taken fewer of these parts than I’d like. It seems as though Close has been tackling more smaller roles and such, which leaves me let down, as I prefer her scene chewing feature length turns. But even in the small roles Close is good, although not as impressive as she could be in more substantial cuts. Even so, she is a more than solid performer and in the end, I still look for her films where she is listed as a lead. Other films with Close include The Natural, Jagged Edge, Fatal Attraction, The Big Chill, Reversal of Fortune, Dangerous Liasons, and Air Force One. The cast here also includes Julianna Margulies (Out for Justice, The Newton Boys), Wendy Hughes (Princess Caraboo, Lonely Hearts), Frances McDormand (Fargo, Wonder Boys), and Cate Blanchette (Elizabeth, An Ideal Husband).
Video: How does it look?
Paradise Road is presented in a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Once again, Fox has supplied a terrific transfer, which in this case allows the natural landscapes to shine. The colors here have a dulled, more natural scope, but this is intentional and as such, no worries in the least. The flesh tones also come across well, with a normal texture and no pulsing at all. I didn’t see any troubles with contrast either, strong detail here and no errors with the black levels, very sharp indeed. So while this lacks the refinement of some of Fox’s more impressive titles, the transfer here is still above average and doesn’t disappoint.
Audio: How does it sound?
The disc uses a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which provides a good experience, especially when it comes to the musically driven scenes. As I mentioned above, this film has a musical edge to it and when that edge is shown, the surrounds open up and allow the music to expand. This is very good, as it ensures the music sounds excellent and as such, it makes it seem more magical and important, which makes it easy to understand why it inspires the women in the film. The rest of the audio presence is more conservative, but comes across well enough, which is what counts. The dialogue is clean and crisp throughout and the sound effects are in fine form, when they need to be. The disc also houses 2.0 surround tracks in English and French, as well as subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer.
