Review of Brotherhood of The Wolf (3 Disc Collectors` Edition)

Introduction

I bought Brotherhood of the Wolf after a friend raved about it having seen the Region 2 edition of the movie. However, on his recommendation, I decided to opt for the three disc Canadian Collectors` Edition on the basis that it contains the director`s cut of the movie and also features a French DTS 5.1 soundtracks with English subtitles.

Set in 1766, a series of brutal monsters terrorise the people of France and as the attacks multiply, the King becomes desperate to end the fear and send a renowned scientist and a his companion, a Mohawk Indian, to track and kill the beast. Their lack of progress frustrates the King and he recalls them sending his own Lieutenant to do the job instead - who quickly returns saying that the beast is dead. However, as the killings continue, it is clear that it is very much alive...

Video

The video is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, and is of average quality, perhaps hindered slightly by the 152 minute running time, two Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks and the DTS 5.1 soundtrack - optimum picture quality for this much data would probably require the movie to be split over two discs.

As far as the visuals go, the film is wonderfully well made and makes great use of locations, with the monster itself being the only unconvincing aspect of the production. The picture is not bad, but suffers from some grain, especially on darker scenes, but this is never troublesome.

This disc features the director`s cut, which offers some footage not seen on the UK editions of the movie, particularly the scene where a beast is caught and prepared for the king, as well as some other less significant scenes.

The subtitles are easy to read and provide more than enough information to enjoy the movie.

Audio

Of the three soundtracks on offer, I didn`t bother with the English dubbed track as a matter of principle - movies should ALWAYS be watched in their native language, or shouldn`t be watched at all in my opinion.

Of the remaining two French soundtracks, whilst the Dolby Digital 5.1 track is good, the DTS 5.1 soundtrack is better, and the sound quality and range surprised me, not expecting such good sound from a non Hollywood movie.

Full use is made of the channels and dynamic range provided by DTS, and right from the start, it is apparent that this is going to be a noisy in your face movie, with the opening killing shaking the room, with oodles of bass power and sounds panning around the room. My French isn`t really up to scratch any more, but the dialogue was clear and throughout the movie.

Features

Whilst this three disc set is laden with extras, if you`re not fluent in French, the two audio commentaries will be of little use to you as unfortunately there are no English subtitles for either of them.

The remaining documentaries are excellent, although again in French, however there are English subtitles so you`ll be able to follow what is going on. On disc two, there is a 78 minute "Guts of the Beast" making of, which tells you pretty much everything you might want to know about the film, and this is joined by a 77 minute "Brotherhood of the Wolf: Behind the Scenes" which provides even more information - combined these are two of the most comprehensive documentaries available on DVD. In addition, there is a 43 minute deleted scenes featurette and an interview, trailer, storyboards and gallery. All in all, a very comprehensive collection of extras.

The disc is packaged in an Amaray case, double the normal width to accommodate the three discs, which contains an informative glossy 14 page booklet with information about the film and the chapter breaks.

Conclusion

Brotherhood of the Wolf is a superb movie, and one that I wish I`d made an effort to see earlier, despite the 152 minute running time, the movie never drags and is entertaining, interesting and thought provoking. The film is a superbly made epic drama that is worthy of ever bit of praise that it has received.

The sound is excellent, and although the picture is only average, it is more than adequate throughout. There is also a very good range of extra material, although the audio commentaries are only of use to French speakers.

Recommended.