Winter’s Bone appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Across the board, the transferred looked pretty good.
Sharpness was fine. A little softness occurred in some wide shots, but those instances didn’t become a concern, so overall definition seemed positive.
I noticed no jagged edges or moiré effects, and the presentation lacked apparent edge haloes or other artifacts. I also saw no print flaws, as the movie always seemed clean.
In terms of colors, Bone opted for a cool palette that emphasized blues and tans. While not exciting, the colors looked fine within the design parameters.
In addition, blacks were dark and tight, while low-light shots were clear and well-depicted This was a positive presentation.
As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it added a little breadth to the experience. The movie didn’t deliver a rock-em-sock-em soundscape, but it managed to suit the settings.
The emphasis remained on general environment remained, and that was fine. I felt the soundfield fit the material.
Audio quality always pleased. Speech remained natural and concise, with no edginess or other flaws.
Though the film offered little score, the music felt well-reproduced, while effects came across as accurate and clear. All of this made sense for the film, even if the mix didn’t give us much to impress.
The disc comes with a mix of extras, and we open with an audio commentary from writer/director Debra Granik and director of photography Michael McDonough. Both sit together for this running, screen-specific look at the source and its adaptation, story and characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, music, photography, attempts at realism, costumes, and related domains.
Introspective and engaging, the commentary covers the film well. Granik and McDonough delve into the appropriate mix of subjects in a positive manner that tells us a lot about the production, so expect a high-quality chat here.
The Making of Winter’s Bone fills 46 minutes, 38 seconds. Though a few comments from the set appear, “Making” mainly shows us raw footage from the shoot, with a smattering of movie clips involved as well. It also includes a deleted scene not found in the prior collection, and it repeats one of the segments from that compilation.
I tend to enjoy this sort of material, and this becomes an engaging reel. Some of the footage feels more interesting than the rest, but I still like this collection of shots.
In addition to an Alternate Opening (1:29), we find four Deleted Scenes (10:17). The former shows Super 8 footage of the family that gives the movie a somewhat idyllic feel. It would’ve made for an interesting contrast with the grimness that follows.
As for the other scenes, they offer little in terms of real plot or character information. We see a bit more of Ree’s siblings as well as her friend Gail, but none of them add anything substantial.
We also find a kind of music video for “Hardscrabble Elegy” by Dickon Hinchliffe. This combines Super8 footage of the movie’s environs with the song in question. It’s not especially memorable.
The disc opens with ads for Biutiful, Tetro, Apocalypse Now and The Next Three Days. We also get the trailer for Bone.
A grim journey into the lives of the rural poor, Winter’s Bone can become a tough tale to take. However, it delivers such a rich, natural view of its subject matter than it winds up as a compelling drama. The Blu-ray brings pretty good picture and audio as well as a mix of bonus materials. Winter’s Bone proves effective.