Trumbo Blu-ray Review

Universal's 1080p transfer of "Trumbo" stands out as a top-tier high definition disc, characterized by its immaculate clarity and substantial depth. The video presentation exhibits exceptional detail in close-ups and mid-level shots, faithfully capturing the subtlest nuances in facial features, clothing textures, and background objects. The primary colors make a striking impression against the film's muted secondary hues and sepia-toned aesthetic. Skin tones are natural and tonally divergent, adding to the lifelike quality of the imagery. The black levels are robust and dynamic, with discernible shapes and structures in unevenly lit and darkened environments, enhancing the overall visual experience.

The neutral, yet appealing color palette—courtesy of a digital shoot—embellishes the vibrant depiction of attire, such as the intricate fabric and seam definition of suits. Faces are impressive with a complex maze of lines, freckles, hairs, and makeup, showcased in razor-sharp detail. Background elements are crisply defined, contributing to a sense of depth, while specific close-ups offer remarkable insights into textures, such as fine paper texturing and typewriter mechanics. The image retains its integrity without perceptible compression anomalies or source interferences, offering a slick and sophisticated visual treat.

Vibrantly conceived to evoke Hollywood's Golden Age, the 1080p/AVC MPEG-4 transfer flaunts exceptional clarity and contrast. Despite the lack of film grain that might have enhanced the period feel, the clean source material impeccably renders Hedda Hopper's elaborate hats and colorful outfits while maintaining natural and stable flesh tones throughout. Black levels are consistently rich, and no noise or banding disturbs the pristine imagery. Even as the narrative might falter, this pristine video presentation continuously stimulates the senses, maintaining an engaging visual quality that stands out in any Blu-ray collection.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack for "Trumbo" provides a robust and immersive listening experience, adeptly handling the full spectrum of elements contained within the film's audio landscape. The front-loaded perspective ensures well-defined and articulate dialogue that resonates clearly throughout the room. Surround activity is present, albeit moderate, often manifesting as rear channel spatial cues and selective directional sounds that enhance the overall atmosphere. This layout proves to be a fitting match for the source material, ensuring that every low-level detail and subtle nuance is discerned with clarity.

Rich in tonal depth and fidelity, the track stands out with its ability to create an enveloping aural environment. Room-filling ambiance at parties, realistic exterior details, crowd reactions, and distinct sonic accents such as typing strokes and slamming doors are deftly reproduced. While primarily front-channel focused, subtle atmospherics occasionally bleed into the rear channels, delivering a full-bodied soundscape. Dialogue is centrally placed, retaining perfect prioritization and clarity, while Theodore Shapiro’s music score benefits from a wide dynamic range, breathing life into pivotal scenes. Strong bass frequencies add heft to the mix without introducing any distortion, ensuring a seamless listening experience that complements the narrative effectively. Minor issues, such as the occasional misplacement of sounds like a movie projector whir, do not significantly detract from the overall quality of this exceptionally satisfying audio presentation.

The Blu-ray extras for "Trumbo" provide an underwhelming addition to the main feature, offering minimal insight into the film's subject or production. The two short featurettes included are "Who is Trumbo?" and "Bryan Cranston Becomes Trumbo," both of which fall short of delivering substantial content. "Who is Trumbo?" presents a cursory overview of Dalton Trumbo's life through brief interviews and film clips, amounting to a superficial summary rather than a comprehensive exploration. Similarly, "Bryan Cranston Becomes Trumbo" offers a fleeting look at Cranston's transformation into the titular character, mainly featuring comments from the film’s cast and crew. Both featurettes lack depth and fail to provide the enriching detail that enthusiasts might expect.

Extras included in this disc:

• Who is Trumbo?: Key figures discuss Trumbo's life with film clips.
• Bryan Cranston Becomes Trumbo: Insight into Cranston's portrayal, with cast and crew comments.
• Digital HD Copy

"Trumbo" directed by Jay Roach, delves into the Red Scare era, spotlighting Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), Hollywood’s top screenwriter in 1947, who was blacklisted for his Communist beliefs. The film portrays Trumbo's tenacity as he clandestinely continued writing Oscar-winning screenplays, steadfastly challenging the oppressive system. Despite the narrative's compelling underpinnings, the film often simplifies complex themes, sometimes equating Communism with benign kindness. Nevertheless, Cranston's portrayal of Trumbo stands out, infusing his character with a blend of dignity, self-assuredness, and wit.

The engaging first half of the film, which focuses on Trumbo's battle against political persecution, slowly builds steam before excelling in depicting his covert scriptwriting period. Supported by John Goodman’s portrayal of producer Frank King, this section highlights Trumbo’s resilience and ingenuity. However, mixed technical execution emerges in its depiction of iconic stars, juxtaposing actual footage with actors’ performances which occasionally detracts from immersion. Helen Mirren’s standout portrayal of Hedda Hopper along with Christian Berkel as Otto Preminger add robust layers to the narrative.

Despite its earnest intentions and adherence to factual accuracies – such as portraying Trumbo's quirk of writing in the bathtub – the film is not without flaws. Roach’s direction occasionally falls short of fully embracing the gravity of Trumbo's story, introducing an awkward whimsicality that undermines the film’s potential impact. Yet, Cranston’s performance, capturing the essence of Trumbo with captivating charisma, ensures that the critical message of upholding free speech and standing against oppressive ideologies resonates strongly throughout.

"Trumbo" stands out in its second half, transitioning from political discourse to a more intimate portrayal of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Bryan Cranston's nuanced performance captures the charm and complexity of Trumbo, a man whose personal battles and professional brilliance unfold as he crafts iconic screenplays under pseudonyms. While the film occasionally stumbles in pace and historical accuracy, it excels in humanizing a significant chapter of Hollywood history. Universal's Blu-ray presentation of "Trumbo" shows strong technical merits with impeccable video and sound quality, though it falters in the supplementary content department.

Despite occasional historical and definitional ambiguities, "Trumbo" is an engaging biopic that admirably sheds light on the personal and professional upheavals Trumbo faced during the Hollywood Blacklist era. Cranston's embodiment of the character is a standout, but the film struggles to elevate itself from a mere primer on the subject to an invigorating exploration of its darker underpinnings. The Blu-ray release follows suit, delivering high-quality video and audio but providing only minimal supplementary material, which may leave some audiences wanting more in terms of insightful content about this complex period.

In conclusion, "Trumbo" offers an insightful yet restrained examination of Dalton Trumbo's life and the Hollywood Blacklist. The Blu-ray release excels technically with exceptional video and audio quality, courtesy of meticulous transfers. However, it falls short on special features, thus diminishing its overall appeal. This release is still worth a watch for Cranston's compelling performance and the film’s effort to humanize an iconic figure against a backdrop of political paranoia.