THE OTHERS-

 Alejandro Amenabar’s American debut film, “THE OTHERS” is a must-see film, and the special dvd presentation from BUENA VISTA HOME ENTERTAINMENT makes this a must-have for any collection!

 If one’s honest, there have been relatively few horror films that could qualify as even decent, let alone great.  “THE OTHERS” is one of those rare exceptions.  It’s destined to be remembered as one of the greatest horror films of all times, … a real classic.  From the opening title sequence, it’s evident that we’re being asked to let go of the world we know for another one.  Nicole Kidman’s voice invites us to listen to a story, while in the background beautiful Dicken’s-like sketches engross the screen to flickering candlelight.  The music is outstanding as well, and it too, has been created by Amenabar. 

The story takes place in 1945, at a mansion on the Isle of Jersey.  A religious, controlling, but caring mother and two children live there alone, while waiting for her husband to return from the war.  Making things harder, her children suffer from a disease making them overly sensitive to light.  The mother, Grace, has had to create another world, without light, for them to live in.  It appears chilling and unsettling to the audience, and apparently to the servants, as the last ones left without any notice.  Also, without notice, three new servants appear at Grace’s doorstep: An older man and woman, and a young mute girl.  They’ve worked as servants in this house for the previous owners and appear to be the perfect replacements.  Of course, soon after the new servants assume their job, strange occurrences begin to happen.  One of the ingenious things Amenabar has achieved with the tale, is to allow the audience to see several mysteries taking place at the same time.  There is some secret involving a past incident with the children Grace doesn’t want them to speak of.  And, there are other mysterious actions taking place which only the film audience is made privy too.  It’s harder, after “The Sixth Sense” to make a horror film that can surprise the audience…..Everyone is always trying to predict any possible twists.  Still, there is a doozy of one here!  And it’s actually revealed in a manner even better constructed than the one from “Sixth Sense” wherein Willis’ ring falls off, presenting startling revelations.  The shocking revelations of “THE OTHERS” burst out in an even more gripping, technically dazzling manner. 

 Both “THE OTHERS” and “THE SIXTH SENSE”, while being entirely different films, with completely different styles, are outstanding, and close to being the “CITIZEN KANE(s)” of horror films.  Although completely different in plot, they’re both similar in that their twists are both startling and ingenious.  The only(and there is “one”) flaw or “give-away” of what’s to come, occurs in a line of dialogue that should have been edited out.  When Grace suddenly encounters her husband, finally returning home from the war, there’s a line of dialogue where he states “I bleed sometimes”.  At best, the audience can’t help but think he’s weird, but worse, it makes one think “something” has happened to him.  It’s a line that truly hurts the mystery surrounding him.  

BUENA VISTA(DIMENSION HOME VIDEO” has presented “THE OTHERS” with the proper 1.85:1 aspect ratio and 16:9 enhancement.  The film’s continuously fog-filled setting, and candle-lit hallways, can’t be easy to transfer.  Surprisingly, the image is generally crisp. Although it becomes a little soft at times, it’s quite slick overall.  The colors are perfectly presented, though intentionally subdued.  Fleshtones appear natural throughout.  The contrast is nearly flawless, allowing for the deep, blacks and grays, so crucial during many of the darkest scenes. 

For some reason, BUENA VISTA didn’t elect to include a DTS track, as they usually do on their bigger releases.  Still, the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is splendid, offering numerous directional effects and a wonderful atmosphere, created by the beautiful score, though mostly delegated to the front speakers.  The dialogue is always intelligible and free from distortion.  The surround usage is restrained, but extremely effective. 

The film appears by itself on one disc.  The 2^nd disc includes supplements.

“A LOOK INSIDE THE OTHERS” is quite simply the best “behind-the-scenes” featurette, we’ve seen so far on dvd!  While it offers cast and crew interviews, it also has many “behind-the-scenes” moments. 

XP: A LOOK AT THE DISEASE is a short segment which explores the phenomenon of the real disease referred to in the film, centering on one real-life family wherein the daughter suffers, and must stay inside. 

There is a short segment exploring the visual effects, and while it looks impressive, it’s a shame that there’s no “For dummies” explanation, of what is exactly being revealed to us.  The best segment, however, reveals Amenabar at work! It’s easy to see why anyone would want to work with him! 
 Also: A 4-minute look at the visual effects, an 8-minute look at the director, stills gallery, trailer(full-frame/5.1)