Testament
Of Youth (2014/Sony Blu-ray)
Picture:
A Sound: A Extras: B Film: B+
James
Kent's Testament of Youth (Remembrance for a Lost Generation)
is based on the memoirs of Vera Brittain, which expresses a very
interesting story. It gives us a World War One drama from the
perspective of a woman, which we rarely see. The story focuses on
Vera Brittain, played by the Ex Machina star Alicia Vikander.
Vera (Vikander) decides to become a nurse so she can, in some way, be
close to her fiancé Roland Leighton, played by Kit Harington, who
along with Vera's brother Edward, played by Taron Egerton from
Kingsman: The Secret Service, quickly enlists for service in
the war.
One
thing you must not be expecting when you watch Testament of Youth
is a lot of fighting/action scenes of violence, because that is not
exactly what this movie is about. The movie wants to take you to the
other side of war, which is about the loss of different family
members and friends, the tragedy of an era stuck in war where losing
a leg or being sent home blinded will have you be considered one of
the lucky ones, and yes, there is of course the young romance story
that Vera Brittain (Vikander) experiences while juggling being a
nurse during WWI.
The
movie is very well done from a directing and cinematography
standpoint. Each scene fits in and does not seem out of place for
this WWI period piece of young romance and tragedy. There is a
stellar cast of newly rising stars, and if you have not seen these
young actors yet I suspect you will.
This
romantic war period piece is brought to you in 1080p Blu-ray high
definition with a 2.39:1 widescreen presentation. Every scene looks
spectacular and properly conveys the harsh environment times, with
the muddy battlefields and the beautiful English countryside. You
are able to get a sense of what it looked like during that time and
the cinematographer gives the proper touch of color correcting to set
the mood/tone of each scene. The audio comes through flawlessly with
its lossless English DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 mix.
The
bonus features on the disc for Testament of Youth include
Deleted Scenes, Commentary with Kit Harington and Director James
Kent, Testament of Youth Behind the Scenes, and the Theatrical
Trailer.
-
Jordan Whiteko
