Review of Truly, Madly, Deeply

Introduction

Nina (Juliet Stevenson) has recently lost her husband, Jamie (Rickman), and has a hard time letting him go and moving on with her life. We see her and her love for Jamie and start to explore what some of us have experienced: the ability to love so deeply, with fierce passion and devotion and being unable to move ahead without a lot of time to heal. It`s a charming film and well written too by Anthony Minghella. The film doesn`t dwell on anything needlessly and the scenes all serve a purpose in the story.

Eventually Nina manages to get her life back and meets Mark who intrigues her. This is the turning point and we know that it`s finally time to move on. All in all this film is wonderfully done, and I can`t begin to tell you how charming Juliet Stevenson is here.

Video

There doesn`t seem to be a widescreen version available on any region that I`ve seen so far which is always a shame for movie which isn`t particularly old. I`m sure it wasn`t screened like this in the cinema. The 4:3 fullframe transfer is quite good for the most part with one or two outdoor scenes which seem grainier than the rest. There is some minor dirt from time-to-time but it doesn`t detract from the film at all. It`s clean and very watchable.

Audio

Only one sound option here, DD2.0. This is one of those films where an overblown 5.1 soundtrack isn`t needed and we can easily hear all the dialogue. It works.

Features

Chapter selection, English and French language tracks, various subtitle options and a very average trailer. How do you sell this film in a trailer? The US disc has the additional Director Commentary with Anthony Minghella and an interview with him too. Why aren`t these features here? It`s something which would set this film apart from others at this price point. I really did wish that MGM would at least match the US disc and give us some more material to look at.

Conclusion

Despite the lack of extras here compared to the American disc, Truly, Madly, Deeply is an enjoyable film. Juliet Stevenson`s performance is very good and this is one of the key reasons why the film plays really well. Alan Rickman playing opposite her is also quite good if you can get away from the Hans Gruber character of Die Hard (!). Watching their relationship onscreen and knowing that it`s not really `real` is quite interesting and is something that you try to keep at the forefront of your mind as you watch. I do forget this though and get caught up in the story.

So who does this film appeal to? Well, I`d say that the appeal is quite wide and is suitable for all. It`s an all round entertaining film with fine cast performances and a steady, if somewhat slow, pace. If you fancy a night in and a slightly romantic-esqe film without getting too slushy then this movie is definitely recommended.