Doubt, Blu-ray (2009)
Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Playwright/Screenwriter/Director: John Patrick Shanley
Studio: Miramax 056537 {Release date: Apr. 7, 09]
Video: 1.85:1 for 16:9 1080p HD
Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD (48K/24bit), French DD 5.1, English DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
Extras: “Doubt: From Stage to Screen,” Scoring Doubt, The Cast of Doubt, The Sisters of Charity, Commentary track by writer/director John Patrick Shanley, Previews
Length: 103 minutes
Rating: *****
Clearly one of the best films of the year, Doubt had five Academy Award Nominations and drew magnificent performances from all four of its leading characters. Set at a small Catholic church and church school in the Bronx in the 1980s, the story pits the contrasting personalities of the school’s rigid principal Sister Aloysius (Streep) against that of the popular parish priest of the church, Father Flynn (Hoffman). The nuns are patterned on an actual order, The Sisters of Charity, and Shanley wrote his original play based on his having been brought up in a Catholic church school in the same neighborhood.
Sister Aloysius is a living model of the fire-breathing Nunzilla toy. In fact, when she calls up a boy for disciplining for a very minor infraction, Father Flynn observes “The dragon is hungry today.” She believes she has uncovered a terrible sin of Father Flynn’s based on his unusual interest in a troubled black boy, though she has no proof whatever. There is a compelling scene between her and the boy’s mother which secured Viola Davis a nomination for best supporting actress. The story is riveting, partly due to the expert acting and settings, but also to making one think of the trials of falsely-accused priests, teachers and others caught up in the public concerns of admitted pedophile activities in institutions.
The Blu-ray transfer is without fault, the darker scenes having considerable detail, and during the outdoor rain scenes the surround seem to replicate even the vertical sensations of rain coming down on one. The discussion by Shanley about moving his play from the stage to the screen is most interesting. The bonus features are not only worth seeing but for once they are also in hi-def – blessings on Miramax!
– John Sunier
