White Oleander DVD Review:


Synopsis

Ingrid Magnussen (Michelle Pfeiffer), a feminist poet, poisons her ex-boyfriend in a fit of jealousy and is sentenced to life in prison, forcing her orphaned daughter, Astrid (Alison Lohman), to live in a series of foster homes with five very different women. As she experiences forbidden love, religion, near-death experiences, drugs and starvation -- and, eventually, true love -- Astrid keeps in touch with her mother via letters to prison.

The Video

WHITE OLEANDER is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The film transfer was outstanding. The presentation was sharp, detailed and sparkling. During certain scenes I did detect a few signs of grain and speckles but it’s not enough to merit any major concerns. The color pallet was nothing more than brilliant. Colors were vivid and accurate giving us a very natural palette. Black levels were deep and rich, and shadow detail was clean without any unnecessary dullness. By and large, Warner Brothers has done another outstanding video transfer, WHITE OLEANDER looked absolutely superb.

The Audio

WHITE OLEANDER is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The audio exhibited excellent. The rear surrounds were only used for general ambience; the front surrounds got the greater part of the forward channels. The elements moved decently in those speakers, but they didn’t blend to the rears with the expected level of vividness that most would expect on a 5.1 track. Audio quality seemed fine. Speech came across natural, and I noticed no signs of edginess. There wasn’t much else to talk about regarding music score or effects, the soundtrack displayed an unexciting presentation for the most part, in it’s own right, the soundtrack worked generally well for this type of film.

The Extras

Feature-Length Commentary By Director Peter Kosminsky, Producer John Wells and Original Novel Author Janet Fitch.

Enthralling Additional Scenes

2 Behind-the-Scenes Visits With the Cast and Creators: The Journey of White Oleander and The Making of White Oleander

Overall

WHITE OLEANDER is a gripping, brilliant and hauntingly beautiful film. There’s a certain quality and grace about this film. WHITE OLEANDER is a well-acted Soap Opera. The film focuses on one young woman's struggle to fight that destructive cycle. With an exceptional video transfer, a decent audio track and some a sizeable roster of extras; WHITE OLEANDER is a straightforward purchase for fans of the book and/or the film. The DVD comes highly recommended.

Film Rating: 4 out of 4

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