Hamnet 4K UltraHD

"Hamnet" tells the story behind one of Shakespeare's most memorable works, "Hamlet<" it is an inspiring journey of love and the creative billiance that shaped a legacy and became Shakespeare;s greatest masterpiece. (Gary Reber)

Special features include commentary with Director Chloé Zhao, the featurettes "Family Is Forever" (HD 07"27), "Cultivating Creativity" (HD 04:35) and "Recreating The Tudor Period" (HD 10:10) and a Movies Anywhere digital copy.

The 1.78:1 2160p HEVC/H.265 4K Ultra HD Dolby Vision/HDR10 picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed digitally using the Arri Alexa 35 camera system and sourced from a 4K Digital Intermediate. The setting is England's Tudor Period. The houses are constructed of stone and wood with dirt passageways between the houses. Outside the community are the forests and meadow landscapes. Everything appears incredibly realistic and natural. The dark forestry trees and greenery is lush. A variety of emerald hues provide the tones of the forest and Agnes' gardens. The overall color palette exhibits perfectly naturally saturated hues. The colors exhibit earthy tones throughout. Flesh tones appear natural, HDR contrast is excellent. Black levels are deep. Shadows exhibit dark shadings even during daytime scenes. White levels are naturally illuminated with night scenes lit by candles. Resolution is superb. Fine detail is exhibited throughout, especially the wood grains in the home and village building architecture and settings in which Agnes and William live. The buildings are constructed with only a few small windows to let in light. Facial features reveal fine detail in skin pores, lines, beards and hair. Clothing reveals fine textures, though often grayish in appearance. Objects appear realistic in texture. This is a beautiful vision of the life of Shakespeare and the hard life conditions of the period. At times, the imagery is dark and requires a fully darken viewing environment to fully appreciate. (Gary Reber)

The Dolby Atmos/Dolby TrueHD 7.1-channel soundtrack is hauntingly dynamic sounding with excellent soundstage imaging. Atmospherics are realistic throughout with realistic soundscapes of the forest, rain, and the interior environments of the homes, Sound effects are realistic, such as footsteps on gravel, buzzing of bees, rainstorms and a galloping horse are supported by a strong bass presence. Foley sound effects are perfectly synced to picture. At times, deep bass extends to sub-25 Hz as an atmospheric sound effect. The orchestra/choral score is haunting and occupies a wide and deep soundstage that aggressively extends to the surrounds. Surround support is engaging in scenes in which Shakespeare is seen walking through dirty London streets and alleyways, as well as during rainstorms, and during the performance of Hamnet in the Globe Theatre. Dialogue, which at times is directional, is intelligible with decent spatial integration.

The Immersive Sound element is comprised of an extension of the orchestra score to the height layer as well as occasional atmospherics and a sound effect or two. Overall, the music enhances the dimensionality of the sound field but is sporadic. Added treatment would have benefited the sense of dimensional realism.

This is an incredibly well-crafted holosonic® soundtrack that delivers superb fidelity and powerful emotional impact.(Gary Reber)