Review of Others, The

Introduction

The Others offers a jaunty little spin on the haunted-house theme as Grace (Kidman) fights with her sanity to keep a seemingly supernatural presence out of the mansion she and her children inhabit. After her initial servants vanished "into thin air", three other servants mysteriously appear and the rules of the house are explicitly (and forthrightly) explained by Grace. Her children suffer from a rare disease (Xeroderma Pigmentosum - an intense allergy to light) therefore the curtains must be kept closed at all times.

Initially Grace does not wish to see that the house seems to have an unwelcome presence, however little tell-tale signs creep in demonstrating all is not right… and what are those servants up to?

Opening to US audiences in late summer last year, the film offered a welcome intelligent respite to all the brain-dead summer blockbusters doing the rounds, and went on to be a world-wide hit. And justly deserved this is too. Director Amenabar gradually notches up the tension, never letting go of his audience, and allowing his characters and story to develop at a natural pace. The children`s allergy to light means thick curtains have to be closed at all times. This, combined with the constant and mysteriously thickening fog really enhances the claustrophobia.

Performances all round are exceptional, Kidman plays an uptight spinster, fighting with the harrowing thoughts about the uncertain death of her husband in the war. We witness her gradual decline as she grapples with possible supernatural forces at work in her house. Flanagan plays the nanny of the children and head maid flawlessly - a strong, independent woman who carries herself with a grace and air. She understands her place in society, however her intelligence and decorum command respect.

Most notably however, are the two children. Anne (Asherton) is the older, more dominant sibling. Her attitude is clever yet conniving, whilst her brother (Bentley) is more insecure and highly dependant on the three strong women in his life.

The tale ends with an excellent twist that I should have, but did not see coming. One of those that allows you to watch the film a second time with a different pair of "eyes". Obviously not retaining all the shock and impact of it`s first viewing, this still manages to make you jump after repeated viewings. Highly recommended.

Video

The production design is a cinematographers wet dream! The heavy curtains and ever-thick fog provide a wonderfully moody lighting, combined with drab and muted post-war clothing to set the eerie tone perfectly. The 2.35:1 print provides us with a wide screen showing the scale of the house and allowing us to peek around corners when the camera wonders the corridors. This would all be for nothing if the DVD couldn`t cut the mustard. Thankfully it does.

The fog ranges from a mild, light mist hovering over low ground, to thick soup, and in one scene, changes rapidly from one to the other. The DVD captures this perfectly. Shadow detail is also exemplary, and it needs to be! With so much candle-light and gloom on offer it could be hard to pick out the heavy wooden doors, thick curtains or detail of the wallpaper. Not so here! Wonderful, an excellent visual rendering.

Audio

Horror and thriller films have always had good relationships with sound designers. And they need to have, to first register our fears on a more subliminal level; and then to frighten the be-jesus out of us! Again, this works exceptionally well. This one has the added benefit of only turning on the "be-jesus" sound when it needs to, leaving a subtle, quiet and moody score to fill in for the majority of the film. This is excellently done and sets the scene in the house perfectly, being creepy and weird right on cue. And when it lets rip, this DVD can really show you what 3D sound is really about! Take the example when Grace hears clomping upstairs - the camera pans to the ceiling, Grace looks up at us, and the clomps should start rear centre, moving forward and over to rear left, eventually crashing down slightly above and just behind you. Watching this in a darkened room can be a nerve-jangling experience!

Features

Seems strange to me that the extras for this disk came on a second DVD. I have known DVDs with more extras than these to be packed onto one disk. However what we have are:

A Look Inside The Others - a good documentary with the usual talking heads, but with more info than the majority and a candid look at the actors on set.

Visual Effects Piece - an excellent and quick, visual way of showing how a shot is made up. The effect starts off as one image, and then splits into four showing the live action, CGI, background shot and the final composite image. Admittedly I would have liked a commentary on this rather than having to deduce everything for myself.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum - is an excellent short documentary on the disease portrayed in The Others. You realise how this rare disease transforms the life of the people who have to live with it. A family set up a help-group when their daughter was diagnosed. This was an excellent success and the activities the group gets up to at the end of the documentary is touching, showing how these people cope.

Intimate Look at Director Alejandro Amenabar - this shows Amenabar working on the set with Kidman et al, and is a wordless documentary. No talking heads explaining how wonderful he is, so you just get the truth. Nice.

The stills gallery and theatrical trailer round up the extras.

These, on the whole, are good extras. However you will probably only watch them once. If this is a two-disk set, I believe there would have been enough room on the first disk for a commentary, but one isn`t supplied.

Conclusion

A good, solid hour-and-three-quarters of entertainment here. The picture is top notch, the sound is subtle, moody and awesomely frightening when it needs to be. Extras are above par and the film is a well-acted thriller. It has that unique strength of being a film that can be watched and enjoyed by many. Families can sit down and watch it, as would viewing with a bunch of mates and some beers. Thrill seekers will love it and anyone with a half-decent AV system should have already bought it! Shame on you if you haven`t!