The Wife appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This turned into an appealing presentation.
Sharpness was solid. A smidgen of softness hit some interiors, but the majority of the film came across as accurate and well-defined.
Jagged edges and shimmering were only a minor problem, and I saw no edge haloes or print flaws.
Colors seemed low-key, with an emphasis on teal and orange. These choices felt less than exciting, but the Blu-ray represented them in the desired manner.
Blacks provided appropriate depth, while shadows appeared smooth. Expect an image that replicated the source well.
I felt unimpressed with the bland DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Wife, as it failed to make much of an impression. The soundfield gave us mild ambience at most, without much use of the various channels.
This meant it focused on the front speakers and didn’t bring us much in terms of scope. Even for an introspective character film, the soundscape seemed awfully flat and subdued.
Audio quality was fine. Speech came across as natural and concise, and effects demonstrated passable delineation. They had little to do but they seemed acceptable.
Music appeared adequate, as the score and songs came across with decent range. Everything here felt ordinary, so the audio added little to the presentation.
How did the Blu-ray compare to the DVD version? The BD’s lossless audio showed a little more range compared to the DVD’s lossy affair, but the soundtrack’s restricted scope meant the two felt pretty similar.
As for visuals, those showed notable improvements, mainly because the DVD looked totally blah. With superior delineation, colors and blacks, the Blu-ray delivered a substantially stronger image.
A few extras fill out the disc, and Keeping Secrets lasts six minutes, 37 seconds. It features actor Glenn Close as she discusses her character and performance. Close offers a short but interesting overview.
In Conversation spans 38 minutes, 12 seconds and includes a live panel with Close, director Björn L. Runge and actors Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater, and Annie Starke.
They talk about aspects of the production, characters and performances. It’s good to see the participants together and this turns into an engaging discussion.
Finally, Q&A runs 16 minutes, 19 seconds and provides a chat with Close and novelist Meg Wolitzer. They cover story/characters, cast and performances and connected domains. Much of this feels repetitive after the preceding programs, but on its own, it works fine.
The disc opens with ads for Puzzle, The Seagull, The Rider, Maria By Callas, Boundaries and The Happy Prince. We also get a trailer for Wife.
As a character study, The Wife feels stagnant and trite. Despite a good cast, the movie lacks much real emotional impact. The Blu-ray comes with very good visuals and acceptable audio as well as a few bonus features. Though not a bad film, The Wife doesn’t blossom into anything memorable.
To rate this film, visit the original review of THE WIFE