Brooklyn appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie came with an appealing transfer.
Sharpness seemed fine. A smattering of wider shots came with a smidgen of softness, but those instances remained modest, so the majority of the film looked accurate and concise. No jaggies or moiré effects materialized, and I saw no edge haloes or print flaws.
In terms of colors, Brooklyn mixed teal and amber with the occasional splash of red. Those choices largely seemed predictable but I can’t complain about their execution, as the tones seemed appropriately rendered. Blacks appeared dark and tight, while shadows came across as smooth and clear. The image seemed positive from start to finish.
For a character-driven effort, Brooklyn boasted a surprisingly active soundscape. Not that it threatens to dazzle the viewer, but the mix added more pizzazz than anticipated. The soundfield opened up on a number of occasions, mainly during street scenes. A visit to Coney Island brought out a nice feel for place as well.
The most active sequences probably came from those on the boat that brought Eilis to America, as those used the channels well. Other segments lacked the same level of activity, but they contributed a nice sense of dimensionality to the story.
Audio quality worked fine. Music was rich and warm, while effects seemed accurate and dynamic, with good low-end as appropriate. Speech sounded natural and distinctive. I felt pleased with this more than adequate soundtrack.
When we shift to extras, we open with an audio commentary from director John Crowley. He offers a running, screen-specific look at cinematography and color palette, story/character/adaptations, cast and performance, sets and locations, music, editing, and related domains.
Crowley provides a fairly forgettable commentary. While he throws out the occasional nugget, too much of the track progresses slowly, and it comes with a lot of dead air. These factors turn this into a bland, mediocre chat.
11 Deleted/Extended Scenes run a total of nine minutes, 37 seconds. With an average running time of about 52 seconds, these clips don’t allow for much new material to emerge. One in which Eilis sees racism in action seems moderately interesting, but the rest are fairly ordinary.
We can watch the deleted/extended scenes with or without commentary from Crowley. He tells us a little about the sequences as well as the reason for their deletion. Crowley adds some good notes.
Next we find six promotional featurettes. We get “The Story” (3:28), “Home” (3:01), “Love” (2:58), “Cast” (4:07), “The Making of Brooklyn (3:37) and “Book to Screen” (4:00). Across these, we hear from Crowley, producers Amanda Posey and Finola Dwyer, author Colm Toibin, screenwriter Nick Hornby, and actors Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Emory Cohen, and Julie Walters.
The pieces cover story/characters, cast and performances, locations, period elements, and cinematography. These offer a smattering of details but they usually live up to their billing and provide little more than promotional material.
A Gallery follows. This presents 24 images from the set. It seems fairly forgettable overall.
The disc opens with ads for Demolition, Youth and He Named Me Malala. Sneak Peek adds clips for Desert Dancer, Mistress America and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. We also locate the trailer for Brooklyn.
When Brookylyn engages its sweet, romantic side, it charms. Unfortunately, too much of the film concentrates on melodrama and depicts its lead character as self-centered, factors that make it hard to embrace. The Blu-ray provides very good picture and audio as well as mediocre supplements. Despite glimmers, Brooklyn lacks consistency.
