The most durable war films tend to have a personal dimension, andDark Blue Worldis no ... more
exception. This simple but affecting story of Czech air pilots serving in the RAF during the Second World War is sensitively directed by Jan Sverak from a script by h...
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Having flown for the British Royal Air Force, Czech pilot Franta Slama (Ondrej Vetchy) ... more
finds himself imprisoned in a post-WWII totalitarian Communist labour camp for betraying his country. Rewinding this story, award-winning director Jan Sverak takes u...
The most durable war films tend to have a personal dimension, andDark Blue Worldis no ... more
exception. This simple but affecting story of Czech air pilots serving in the RAF during the Second World War is sensitively directed by Jan Sverak from a script by his father Zdenek, whoseKolyawas an unexpected but deserved hit with UK audiences.Dark Blue Worldfocuses on the relationship between Frantisek Slama (played with quiet authority by Ondrej Vetchy) and his protégé Karel Vojtisek (a fresh-faced Krystof Hadek). Escaping Czechoslovakia during the Nazi invasion of 1939, they enlist in the RAF, where the father/son relationship is threatened by their mutual attraction to the apparently widowed Susan (Tara Fitzgerald, thoughtfully understated). The film's culmination sees them reconciled in moving circumstances, and the perspective is widened by scenes set in 1950: Slama, as with most Czech soldiers who fought with the Allies, having been sentenced to hard labour by the Communist authorities as a potential security threat. His decent treatment by a German doctor, as opposed to the brutality of the Czech guards, points up the tragic irony of those who fought for freedom, only to finish up on the "wrong" side of the Iron Curtain.Sverak maintains a persuasive balance between action sequences--into which out-takes from the 1969 epicThe Battle of Britainhave been seamlessly integrated--and the intimate portrayal of human relationships at a time of profound cultural upheaval. The musical score, tellingly arranged by Adam Klemens, centres around the pre-war song "Svita"--a haunting reminder of old-world charm in contrast to new-world grimness.Dark Blue Worldpersuasively locates a human quality within the historical framework, and so makes for rewarding viewing.On the DVD:Dark Blue World's original 2.35:1 aspect ratio (enhanced for widescreen TVs) reproduces with excellent clarity. Subtitles are in English only--necessary as the soundtrack includes dialogue in Czech and German--with full English subtitles for the hard of hearing. There's a joint running commentary from the Sveraks, an insightful making of documentary, and featurettes giving the low-down on visual effects and aerial sequences. The running photo montage allows for a full run-through of the indelible song "Svieta", and both the English and (very different) Czech trailers are included. Would that all present-day films were as well catered for. --Richard Whitehouse
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
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Advantages: Generous 75ml bottle Disadvantages: No atomiser, doesn't last well
Hugo Boss hit the fashion market a good few years ago now, famed for expensive suits and contemporary gentlemans fashion. It's not just clothes though, over the years Hugo has released occasional scent, beginning with "Boss No. 1" back in 1985. There must have been something of an "aftershave boom" in the late 1990s and through into the new millenium as there was a constant stream of new scents being released by most of the big fashion houses.
So it was that, in 1999, Hugo Boss released "DarkBlue" onto an unsuspecting world.
Following on from the wildly successful "Hugo", DarkBlue had a lot to live up to. Hugo, alongside Eternity for Men, had become something of a staple for men aged around 20. So where would DarkBlue fit into the picture? It was squarely aimed at the nightlife, party-people market. The dark-blue glass bottle ...
Advantages: Action and adventure, great scenes, Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp Disadvantages: A bit long
Pirates of the Caribbean at World end is the third movie in the Pirates trilogy. It follows the crew of the Black Pearl (the Pirate ship) rescuing Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' locker and then preparing to fight the East Indian Trading Company who are intent on extinguishing piracy. I'm not going to spoil the rest of the plot/movie for you as I believe you should see it for yourself so I will just now review the rest of the DVD and what I thought of the film/films.
At the box office it was actually the most successful film of 2007 and is the second most successful film in the series. I think even if action and adventure films aren't for you (they aren't my most favourite) this would still be a film you like as it is very funny in places, the sets are brilliant and the action really is very well choreographed. My one complaint with it ...
Advantages: Plot , Acting , Scenery Disadvantages: Don't find out what happened to Anne Marie's sister
I have wanted to see the movie Blue Crush ever since it came out in the cinemas way back in 2003 when I was twelve years old! However six years later , which brings us to the year of 2009 and me to the age of eighteen , browsing through the DVD's on sale in my local Wilkinson's , it dawned on me that after all this time of wanting to see this movie , I still hadn't gone to the actual effort of watching it. So I promised myself there and then that this time I WAS going to watch this film , and so I picked up a copy of the DVD and took it to the counter.
On the same day , i was looking forward to a quite night in with a DVD , and it was then that i decided to watch the DVD. Also the same day , I had just booked my holiday for next year - a two week cruise and so I was in a bit of a 'sun , sea and sand' mood , so this film was perfect ...
SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date
04/11/2002
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
CDR 33523
Barcode
5035822352339
Screenwriter
Zdenek Sverak
Languages
Main Language
English
Subtitle Language
English
Hearing Impaired Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Featurette - 1. AERIAL SYMPHONY, 2. The Making of the Visual Effects, Documentary - 1. The Making of DARK BLUE WORLD, Audio Commentary, Trailer - 1. Original Czech Theatrical, Additional Trailers, Photo Gallery, Web Link
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Czech English German
DVD Description
In 1939, as Hitler and Germany ran roughshod over Eastern Europe, many people escaped, including Czech pilots who joined up with the British Royal Air Force to fight the Nazis. Jan Sverak's moving war drama, DARK BLUE WORLD, details the story of one such group of Czech pilots who are at first laughed at by their British superiors until they prove themselves in the air. Ondrej Vetchy stars as Franta Slama, the father figure to this motley group of men who desperately want to win back their country. Krystof Hadek plays Karel Vojtisek, Franta's young daredevil protegee who falls in love with an older British woman, Susan (Tara Fitzgerald), whose soldier husband is missing in action. When Franta and Susan grow close, everything threatens to erupt. Sverak, whose previous film was the Oscar-winning KOLYA, has crafted a beautiful film filled with believable, complex relationships, well-drawn characters, and plenty of finely choreographed air-battle scenes between the young, headstrong Czechs and the perfectly organized Nazis. The acting is excellent, especially the love triangle of Hadek, Vetchy, and Fitzgerald, and terrific support is provided by Oldrich Kaiser as Machaty, the piano-playing Gable look-alike. The film's politics are based on real events; when the Czech pilots who flew for the RAF returned home, they were treated as the enemy, not as heroes, and Sverak intercuts harrowing scenes from 1950 in which the pilots who survived the war are subject to jail and torture in their own land.
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