Big River Man (2009/Umbrella Entertainment/Region Four/4/PAL)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C Documentary: B-
PLEASE NOTE: This DVD can only be operated on
machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region 4 PAL format
software and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment at the
website address provided at the end of the review.
Martin Strel is a man whose life has been about taking on
the toughest in endurance challenges around and at a much older age than he used
to be, takes on that and much more in John Maringouin’s Big River Man (2009), a new documentary about the man and his
determination to set more world records and call attention to environmental
abuses. A Slovenian national hero, he is
a unique character and takes this trip with his family at his side.
Some of what we see is totally expected of the
able-bodied, tough guy approach that became a pop culture staple in the 1980s,
but there are also other interesting moments and a few embarrassing ones. Of course, Mr. Strel is not in the shape he
used to be in, so you wonder what his limits are, but he holds in there more
than you’d expect and the piece is not as exploitive as it could have been.
Not a great piece, but a good one that knows how to be a
documentary and not an exploitive “reality TV” type piece, you’ll enjoy it if
the subject seems interesting. However,
it never exceeds its story and may not be for everyone. Otherwise, it is not bad.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.78 X 1 picture is often soft and mixed in quality due to both the
documentary nature of the production and mix of video formats, usually low def
digital at best. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound
is not bad for so much location audio, but is stereo at best. Extras include a trailer for this and other
Umbrella releases, and 25 minutes of Q&A on the film from the 2009 Sydney
Film Festival.
As noted above, you can order this PAL DVD import
exclusively from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
- Nicholas Sheffo
