Of
Julia Roberts' romantic comedies, NOTTING HILL ($27) is one of
the most charming. Certainly no PRETTY WOMAN, but very pleasant
and quite enjoyable. The film also benefits from the straight-laced English
comedy stylings of her leading man Hugh Grant, not to mention a wonderful
supporting cast of characters who threaten to steal the movie away from
the two big stars.
In
NOTTING HILL, Roberts portrays Anna Scott- the most famous and
instantly recognizable actress in the world. As you can see, the role
isn't much of a stretch for Roberts. While making a film in England, Anna
happens into a travel bookstore run by William Thacker (Grant). After
a couple of humorous incidents, the mismatched twosome begins a friendship
that leads to romance. Unfortunately, "happily ever after" doesn't
always happen in the movies, as Anna and William's relationship hit a
number of serious bumps. The delightful supporting cast of NOTTING
HILL includes Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee, Emma Chambers
and Hugh Bonneville.
For
their Ultimate Edition Universal Studios Home Video has made NOTTING
HILL available on DVD in both full screen and 16:9 enhanced wide screen
presentations on separate discs of this two-disc set. The full screen
version doesn't seem cropped in any way, but without its theatrical framing,
NOTTING HILL looks like a cable TV movie. Watching NOTTING
HILL in wide screen is definitely a more satisfying experience,
since the 2.35:1 framing is more cinematic and gives the film far more
character. The wide screen image is very clean, bright and beautifully
detailed. Colors are fully saturated, yet flesh tones remain completely
convincing. There are no signs of chromatic distortion of bleeding, even
in the strongest hues. Blacks are right on the money, plus the picture
produces wonderfully smooth contrast, in addition to impressive shadow
detail and depth. Digital compression artifacts hardly ever made their
presence known.
NOTTING
HILL features a fairly standard comedy mix, which is presented in
both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 channel renderings. Sound effects are
never elaborately used and the rear channels see little activity- outside
of the track's music and ambient effects. However, dialogue usually sounds
fairly natural and reproduced with excellent intelligibility. There is
little call for the bass channel to do anything other than giving the
film's music a full-bodied sound. Speaking of the music, Trevor Jones'
score is quite pleasant and is reproduced with marvelous fidelity. Pop
songs are equally well mixed into the soundtrack and are rendered with
an engaging quality. The differences between listening to NOTTING HILL
in Dolby Digital and DTS aren't great, but the higher bit rate of the
latter does give the music a warmer sound and a slightly more lifelike
quality to the foley effects. A French Dolby Surround track is also provided,
as are English and Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound enhance the DVD's interactive menus.
Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as some supplements, which are spread across
the two discs. A running audio commentary featuring director Roger Michell,
writer Richard Curtis and producer Duncan Kenworthy has been included.
The commentary can be amusing if one appreciates a wry British with, plus
it contains all the production detail one has come to expect from such
tracks. The commentary has also been transcribed into a subtitle channel
for Americans that can't understand those speaking the Queen's English.
A Spotlight On Location featurette is also included on the
DVD. The fifteen minute program feature interviews with cast and crew
and is somewhat better than standard PR fluff, although doesn't contain
any real meat. More than ten minutes worth of deleted scenes, including
an alternate ending are present on the DVD. The Seasonal Walk On
Portobello Road features split screen and shows how the film’s
most interesting shot was achieved. Hugh Grants Movie Tips
is nothing more than a few minutes with the actor on the set. The
Travel Book is an interactive map of the film's title location.
NOTTING HILL also includes two music videos- Elvis Costello performs
She and Shania Twain performs You've Got a Way.
A photo montage that is underscored by Trevor Jones' music has also been
included on the DVD, as have the U.S. and international theatrical trailers.
Production notes and cast biographies/filmographies close out the supplements.
I
found NOTTING HILL to be a rather enjoyable romantic comedy that
produces a number of solid laughs. This Ultimate Edition release provides
everything that a fan could possibly want from this feature, including
an excellent wide screen presentation and good sound. Fans who didn't
pick up the earlier release of NOTTING HILL will want to snap up
this DVD.
Of
Julia Roberts' romantic comedies, NOTTING HILL ($27) is one of
the most charming. Certainly no PRETTY WOMAN, but very pleasant
and quite enjoyable. The film also benefits from the straight-laced English
comedy stylings of her leading man Hugh Grant, not to mention a wonderful
supporting cast of characters who threaten to steal the movie away from
the two big stars.
In
NOTTING HILL, Roberts portrays Anna Scott- the most famous and
instantly recognizable actress in the world. As you can see, the role
isn't much of a stretch for Roberts. While making a film in England, Anna
happens into a travel bookstore run by William Thacker (Grant). After
a couple of humorous incidents, the mismatched twosome begins a friendship
that leads to romance. Unfortunately, "happily ever after" doesn't
always happen in the movies, as Anna and William's relationship hit a
number of serious bumps. The delightful supporting cast of NOTTING
HILL includes Rhys Ifans, Tim McInnerny, Gina McKee, Emma Chambers
and Hugh Bonneville.
For
their Ultimate Edition Universal Studios Home Video has made NOTTING
HILL available on DVD in both full screen and 16:9 enhanced wide screen
presentations on separate discs of this two-disc set. The full screen
version doesn't seem cropped in any way, but without its theatrical framing,
NOTTING HILL looks like a cable TV movie. Watching 
NOTTING
HILL features a fairly standard comedy mix, which is presented in
both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 channel renderings. Sound effects are
never elaborately used and the rear channels see little activity- outside
of the track's music and ambient effects. However, dialogue usually sounds
fairly natural and reproduced with excellent intelligibility. There is
little call for the bass channel to do anything other than giving the
film's music a full-bodied sound. Speaking of the music, Trevor Jones'
score is quite pleasant and is reproduced with marvelous fidelity. Pop
songs are equally well mixed into the soundtrack and are rendered with
an engaging quality. The differences between listening to NOTTING HILL
in Dolby Digital and DTS aren't great, but the higher bit rate of the
latter does give the music a warmer sound and a slightly more lifelike
quality to the foley effects. A French Dolby Surround track is also provided,
as are English and Spanish subtitles.
Full
motion video, animation and sound enhance the DVD's interactive menus.
Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as some supplements, which are spread across
the two discs. A running audio commentary featuring director Roger Michell,
writer Richard Curtis and producer Duncan Kenworthy has been included.
The commentary can be amusing if one appreciates a wry British with, plus
it contains all the production detail one has come to expect from such
tracks. The commentary has also been transcribed into a subtitle channel
for Americans that can't understand those speaking the Queen's English.
A Spotlight On Location featurette is also included on the
DVD. The fifteen minute program feature interviews with cast and crew
and is somewhat better than standard PR fluff, although doesn't contain
any real meat. More than ten minutes worth of deleted scenes, including
an alternate ending are present on the DVD. The Seasonal Walk On
Portobello Road features split screen and shows how the film’s
most interesting shot was achieved. Hugh Grants Movie Tips
is nothing more than a few minutes with the actor on the set. The
Travel Book is an interactive map of the film's title location.
NOTTING HILL also includes two music videos- Elvis Costello performs
She and Shania Twain performs You've Got a Way.
A photo montage that is underscored by Trevor Jones' music has also been
included on the DVD, as have the U.S. and international theatrical trailers.
Production notes and cast biographies/filmographies close out the supplements.
I
found NOTTING HILL to be a rather enjoyable romantic comedy that
produces a number of solid laughs. This Ultimate Edition release provides
everything that a fan could possibly want from this feature, including
an excellent wide screen presentation and good sound. Fans who didn't
pick up the earlier release of NOTTING HILL will want to snap up
this DVD.
