Plot: What’s it about?
Based on E. Annie Proulx’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, The Shipping News, as a film, does an excellent job of presenting the many different evils of human nature and the just-as-human ability to overcome them. Notably, each of the characters in the movie has been somehow victimized and copes with these evils in their own way. As to be expected with a cast of award winners, the performances are flawless and aid in making the story an intriguing one — especially while dealing with heavy-handed issues like adultery, rape, incest, suicide, and murder (all with a bit of black humor and subtle emoting).
Although the story is interesting, the viewer may become dissatisfied with its uneventful pace. But that said, it is obvious that the movie, filmed in a fishing village off the photogenic Newfoundland coast, mainly employs character development and character relationships to illustrate its theme of confronting one’s past before starting a future, and does so very successfully.
The plot follows Quoyle (Kevin Spacey, American Beauty)’s journey to self-realization when he returns to the home of his ancestors, Newfoundland. After the well-deserved death of his adulterous wife (Cate Blanchett,The Lord of the Rings), his life begins to change for the better when his long lost aunt (Judi Dench, Shakespeare in Love) talks him and his daughter into moving with her back to Canada.
He soon lands a job as a reporter for the local paper and is assigned the car wreck and shipping beats, and in the course of his newfound career as a journalist, he also begins to discover his family’s seedy past. But in the quiet reaches of Newfoundland, it seems that everyone has a secret — even though he finds friendship (and eventually love) with a single mother (Julianne Moore, Hannibal), she, too, is hiding something from those closest to her.
Hallstr÷m (The Cider House Rules and Chocolat) uses an impressive directorial style to create interesting three-dimensional characters that seem to embody different human emotions. He uses water (and fear of it) to symbolize Quoyle’s inability to deal with the overwhelming aspects of his life — Hallstr÷m brilliantly opens the film with Quoyle’s abusive father throwing him into a lake in an roughshod attempt to teach him how to swim. Then Hallstr÷m shows the young boy slowly morphing into an older Quoyle sitting and staring into space while working at his dull job as a typesetter, a job which he obviously dislikes but seemingly has no ambition to get out of. This drowning motif is used effectively throughout the story in this manner.
In fact, one of Kevin Spacey’s best scenes involves him using a ridiculously low-slung motorboat out on the ocean that eventually gets him into trouble, and with practically no dialogue whatsoever, he is able to bring the audience to the point of sheer panic.
Around him, his supporting cast is just outstanding (and even though they do not try to upstage him, the other actors occasionally do). Awards nominations would be in order for any of the three women in the film: Blanchett, with her short onscreen time, is believable as a despicable tramp of a wife who is just too hard for the Quoyle to hate (as well as the audience); Dench eloquently plays the worn down, yet good-willed Aunt Agnis who is also trying to let go of her past and move on; and Moore does an excellent job at playing Quoyle’s equally struggling love interest.
The Shipping News, although somewhat uneventful (probably the only thing to say against the film, but not as serious a complaint as you’d think), is successful in creating a memorable overall tone of redemption and self-discovery. This is a study of characters, and so it’s a good thing that the movie develops such a strong cast, both on paper and on the screen — something for which the film should be News among audience members.
Video: How does it look?
Lasse Hallstrom’s movies are, without a doubt, some of the most un-colorful around. That’s not bad, per se, as the extremely muted palette makes perfect sense here; but it would be nice to see some bright color now and then. For the most part, the 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is very good, showing the beautiful scenery of Newfoundland. Flesh tones are, as expected, a bit dull and boring but it’s the way the film was shot and not the fault of the transfer. I’d like to see some color injected into this film, but as it stands, there is none. There are some bits of grain in some scenes (this is very evident in some of the darker scenes), but for the most part it’s a testament to Disney’s day and date DVD’s. No major disappointment here, but it doesn’t deserve any accolades either.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix isn’t that great, sure it has its moments, but for the most part it sounds like a Dolby Surround mix. Channel separation is clear and well-defined and there isn’t really anything to complain about, then again there’s nothing that really stands out either. The dialogue is very crisp, as we hear each and every word that comes out of Spacey’s sullen mouth. What would the movie be without that? The surrounds are used occasionally, and to some good effect when they are used. The overall experience is a bit disappointing as this is a new to DVD movie and most all new films should sound a little better than this.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Not that many supplements on this disc, but a pretty good commentary from Lasse Hallstrom, Robert Nelson Jacobs (Screenwriter) and the Producers (Linda Knowlton and Leslie Holleran). They are all proud of their work and are pretty chatty throughout the film. Most of the information is from Hallstrom, who offers tidbits about the film and its production. Additionally, there is a Making Of featurette entitled "Dive Beneath the Surface of The Shipping News". This is your basic making of featurette complete with interviews with the actors, Hallstrom and Robert Nelson Jacobs all interspliced with the non-anamorphic scenes from the movie. There are some selectable photo galleries as well and some "Sneak Peeks" that feature a trailer for the delayed "Gangs of New York" which has yet to hit theaters (though no trailer for this movie could be found). All in all, The Shipping News is a good movie with above average video and audio quality. The supplements are enough to whet the appetite, but nothing more. Recommended for a rental at the very least.
