Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Member since:11.07.2000
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At the time Notting Hill was released theatrically there was talk that some scenes had been deleted from the final cut but would show up on the eventual dvd release. Well whoever said that didn't mention the fact that if you were american you'd get them but us in the UK where the film was shot and made by a mainly british crew wouldn't.
The film is a lightweight enjoyable romantic comedy with some good laughs and is enhanced by a scene stealing Rhys Ifans. Grant bumbles his way his foppish english charm with his character William Thacker, a bookstore owner that falls in love with Hollywoods biggest star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) Although it's not without it's pitfalls and sticky situations. There are few well shot scenes such as William walking through the market as the seasons change but the one thing I don't like is Richard Curtis' constant fallback on middle class london dinner party characters that raised their ugly heads in Bridget Jones as well.
As for the dvd well the film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The trasnfer is very good with a sharp picture quailty and no real signs of print blemishes and dirt. The sound is a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that is pretty limited to the front speakers but you normally find this with most comedy mixes.
Now for the extras goodies, what you get is the trailer, some cast/crew biographies, production notes and pointless map of notting hill with some referance points. Now compare this to the Region 1 that get's an audio commentary, deleted scenes, isolated score track and a segment with Hugh Grant and you can see that once again the UK dvd owner get's shafted. This grinds me even more when the film is quite british and there is no reason why this material shouldn't be included.
I can't comment on the quality of these extras as I'm not that much of a fan of the film to warrant myself buying the better disc. I happened to pick the R2 up quite cheaply which is the only reason I have it.
But if you love the film then you know which way to go. Normally i'd give the film 3 stars but as a dvd it gets a lower rating.
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Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
If people ought to buy the dvd for the film, it would be helpful if you said more about the film, IMHO. I buy a dvd for the film, not the (often bogus and complete made up) "cut outs" and promo interviews. Greetings, Mischa
They don't really make many romantic comedies likeNotting Hillanymore--blissfully ... more
romantic, sincerely sweet, and not grounded in any reality whatsoever. Pure fairy tale, and with a huge debt toRoman Holiday,Notting Hillponders what would happen if a be...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
They don't really make many romantic comedies likeNotting Hillanymore--blissfully ... more
romantic, sincerely sweet, and not grounded in any reality whatsoever. Pure fairy tale, and with a huge debt toRoman Holiday,Notting Hillponders what would happen if a be...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
William Thacker (Hugh Grant), is the owner of a bookshop in the heart of Notting Hill in ... more
London. One day, by a one-in-a-million chance, the worlds most famous actress, Anna Scott (Julia Roberts), comes into his shop. He watches in amazement as she leav...
William Thacker (Hugh Grant) is the owner of a bookshop in the heart of Notting Hill in ... more
London. One day by a one-in-a-million chance the worlds most famous actress Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) comes into his shop. He watches in amazement as she leav...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Good sweet movie with fun people and of course our favourite Hugh Disadvantages: If your not a fan of Julia and Hugh, you may not like this movie
Rachee 05.10.2002 (05.10.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Notting Hill (DVD)