What Maisie Knew Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "What Maisie Knew" is notably impressive, maintaining a professional quality that enhances the viewing experience. The 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 codec ensures a largely flawless transfer, with only a few minor, briefly appearing white speckles in the early stages. The film boasts a strong, consistent grain structure, reinforcing a filmic quality that complements both detailed close-ups and expansive distant shots. The natural clarity and crispy reproduction of facial and clothing lines are exemplary, ensuring that every scene retains fine definition. Urban, country, and beachside locations are all rendered with consistent attention to detail.

The color palette is robust yet balanced, with bright reds and urban grays appearing rich without being overly saturated. Black levels are solid, adding to the depth of the image, while flesh tones are accurate, maintaining a realistic visual narrative. Despite some reviewers noting a slight lack of super-fine detail and a subtle haze in specific scenes, these elements actually enhance the dream-like quality of the film without detracting from overall image quality. The film's ambiance is thus preserved, achieving a balance between clarity and artistic intent.

In summary, "What Maisie Knew" on Blu-ray delivers an engaging and technically proficient visual experience. While not ultra-crisp by modern high-definition standards, the transfer leverages its strengths in contrast, color accuracy, and depth to provide a rich, film-like experience that aligns well with the filmmakers' vision. The grain and slight haze not only add to the aesthetic but also prevent the image from feeling artificially clean, allowing viewers to fully immerse themselves in Maisie's world.

The Blu Ray audio presentation of "What Maisie Knew" features a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack that, although promising in certain aspects, displays notable inconsistency in dialogue clarity. On the positive side, musical definition excels, with expansive front end spacing and subtle surround support enhancing the film’s sonic environment. Sound effects such as door knocks and city traffic manifest with impressive authenticity, immersing viewers in the vibrant setting with natural environmental effects. Nonetheless, dialogue is central and typically clear, maintaining ease of listening when properly balanced against the score and ambient noises.

However, this track intermittently struggles with volume balance, requiring frequent adjustments to comfortably hear the actors’ dialogue. This inconsistency is present throughout, often necessitating an increase in volume for conversation scenes and a decrease during Julianne Moore's musical segments to avoid distortion. Fortunately, the bustling urban backdrop compensates partially by adding atmospheric depth through dynamic range, pushing prominent sounds through the front channels while distributing subtler elements in the surround channels. Although it falls short of a fully immersive experience, these atmospheric components create a vivid representation of Manhattan that somewhat reconciles the mix's shortcomings in dialogue clarity.

The Blu-ray extras for What Maisie Knew provide a comprehensive and insightful enhancement to the main film, featuring an engaging commentary track from directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee. Their discussion spans topics such as character development, thematic elements, and the intricacies of directing a film from a child's viewpoint, all while maintaining a conversational flow. The commentary is both informative and entertaining. Additionally, the disc includes deleted scenes that offer further glimpses into the narrative, revealing moments like a locksmith interaction at the beach house, a brief photo shoot, and a neighborly encounter involving Maisie and a dog. These extras significantly enrich the viewer's understanding and appreciation of the film.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: Directors David Siegel and Scott McGehee discuss film creation, character arcs, cast, themes, music, and more.
• Deleted Scenes: Locksmith, Photo Shoot, Run Out and Holly, and Susanna Music Video.
• Previews: Additional Millennium Entertainment titles.

"What Maisie Knew" is a haunting cinematic exploration of the turmoil and trauma of a child caught in the throes of a bitter parental battle, masterfully depicted from Maisie's perspective. Onata Aprile's portrayal of Maisie is nothing short of revelatory, conveying a depth of emotion and awareness that many films fail to achieve through extensive dialogue. Her silent reflections and reactions to her parents' chaos poignantly communicate the immense psychological burden she bears, making her performance the film's linchpin. Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel construct a narrative that unfolds with dream-like logic, sometimes cutting off scenes abruptly and blurring timeframes, which effectively mirrors the confusing and disjointed experiences of a young child navigating the complexities of adult conflicts.

The supporting cast elevates the emotional gravity of the film. Alexander Skarsgård and Joanna Vanderham deliver compelling performances as stepparents who gradually become more significant to Maisie than her biological parents. Their evolving roles subtly underscore the film's themes about the true essence of family and parental love. Steve Coogan's portrayal of Beale, Maisie's narcissistic father, is marked by an unsettling balance of detachment and occasional self-awareness, adding layers to his character. Although Julianne Moore's portrayal of Susanna, Maisie's rock-star mother, occasionally seems miscast, her character's deceitful tenderness towards Maisie is disturbingly effective.

Adapted from Henry James' 1897 novel, "What Maisie Knew" transcends potential melodrama through its unsentimental and realistic depiction of divorce from a child's vantage point. The film astutely demonstrates how Maisie's parents’ facade of affection unravels to reveal their self-centeredness, leaving Maisie adrift in a seemingly supportive yet fundamentally neglectful environment. This raw and heart-wrenching depiction of familial dissolution not only captures the emotional devastation of divorce but also invites viewers to reconsider the often-overlooked child's perspective in such turbulent situations. The result is a film that is both difficult to watch and impossible to forget.

Millennium's Blu-ray release of "What Maisie Knew" offers viewers an emotionally charged film experience, marked by exceptional performances and masterful storytelling. The film, adapted from Henry James's novel, revolves around the life of young Maisie as she navigates the tumultuous waters of her parents' bitter divorce. Onata Aprile delivers a standout performance as Maisie, providing an authentic and innocent perspective amidst the chaos. Steve Coogan and Julianne Moore excel in their roles, embodying the flawed, self-centered parents whose actions drive the narrative forward. Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel craft a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of love, hate, and family dynamics.

The Blu-ray presentation is exemplary, showcasing excellent video quality with crisp details and vibrant colors. The transfer highlights the film's aesthetic strengths, with natural skin tones, rich textures, and scenic backdrops that enhance the viewing experience. The audio quality is equally impressive. The dialogue remains clear and precise throughout, while the musical score resonates effectively, complementing the film's emotional undertones. However, the supplementary content is minimal, comprising a short behind-the-scenes featurette and some interviews with the cast and crew. While these additions are insightful, a more comprehensive package would have been appreciated.

There's a good bit that happens in "What Maisie Knew" that's not fit to publish in a capsule review for fear of spoiling not necessarily events, but the meaning behind them. Safe to say, however, that the one overarching theme seems to be that with hate comes bondage and with love comes freedom. It's a very tastefully done movie, even if it's sometimes nearly impossible to watch for its language and themes, if only because it's so effective at making the parents such despicable characters full of false pretenses and full of themselves rather than real love for one another, let alone their daughter. It's certainly a movie worth seeing, particularly so for anyone with any doubts about their ability to properly raise a child in a home built on love. Millennium's Blu-ray release of "What Maisie Knew" delivers excellent video and audio. Supplements are a bit short, but welcome. Highly recommended.