The Film
Woody Allen pulls off one of his more solid pieces of work in You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. The lighthearted look at an estranged elderly couple and their daughter who is flirting with divorce is a train wreck, but one that isn't too painful to watch. The characters, who can be a bit overly-developed, are comedic in nature. Alfie (Anthony Hopkins) leaves his wife in a fit of mid-life crisis. His wife Helena (Gemma Jones) is wrapped up so tight in illusions that she can't understand why her husband would leave after her nagging wore him down.
Their daughter Sally (Naomi Watts) has a toxic marriage to Roy (Josh Brolin), who is trained in medicine but instead of taking the final step to become a doctor, decides to become a novelist and is destined to become a one-novel wonder. The family dynamic pulls in outsiders such as clairvoyants, coworkers and even the neighbor across the alley to tell a story in that typical Woody Allen style.
The Picture
Set in London, the picture captures the vibrant city in clarity in this 1.78:1 transfer. While the film spans at least a few months, it always seems to be high summer with parks taking on the bright green and bloom of the season. It's quite pretty, except in a few scenes the light source changes brightness quite drastically. In a restaurant at lunchtime the brightness changes to a few degrees lower. The crisp detail of the picture remains through all of this.
The Sound
One thing about Woody Allen films is they're dialog heavy, often with a bit of narration. This time around, Allen himself does not narrate, instead actor Zak Orth did his best Woody Allen impression to set up characters and pull the film through. There is definitely a distinction between the narration and the drama. The DTS-HD Master Audio presentation brings both dialog and music into the sound field appropriately.
The Extras
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger's Blu-ray release is so devoid of extras, there aren't even previews before the menu screen. That's likely a call from director Woody Allen, who avoids bonus features in most cases. The Blu-ray has the film's theatrical trailer and just one preview that can be viewed on demand.
Allen isn't one for extras, or even dressing up the credits. It's said that one of Allen's earlier films had such an elaborate intro credit sequence that it became a large portion of the movie's budget and never again did Allen go all out for the credits. You generally see a black screen with white lettering. It's possible the music being played is in public domain if not owned by the studio.
Final Thoughts
Woody Allen's twisty neuroticism comes across a bit heavy in some of his movies. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger doesn't suffer quite so much from this trait. It remains light and even fun. It's nothing memorable, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.
Product Details
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