WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

Awfully Big Adventure, An
Genre:Drama

Reviewed In Issue 20 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Georgina Cates.

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 5
Sound Rating: 4
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
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Supplementals

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): New Line Home Video
(Catalog Number): ID3015LI
(MPAA Rating): R
(Retail Price): $39.98
(Running Time In Minutes): 112
(Color Type): Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): Yes
(Theatrical Release): 1995
(LD Release Date): 12/1/95
(THX® Digitally Mastered):

Credits Information
(Director): Mike Newell
(Screenplay/Written By): Charles Wood
(Story): NA
(Music): Richard Hartley
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): Mark Geraghty
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor): Jon Gregory
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers): NA
(Co-Producers): NA
(Producers): Hilary Heath & Philip Hinchcliffe

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Flat
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.66:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.66:1

DVD Sound Information
(DVD Soundtrack): Dolby Surround
(Theatrical Sound): Dolby Stereo SR
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital):
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround):
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
Director Mike Newell brings An Awfully Big Adventure to life, a movie based on the novel be Beryl Bainbridge. In Liverpool after World War II, young Stella Bradshaw (Georgina Cates), becomes the stage manager of a seedy theatrical company. She falls in love with the company’s arrogant homosexual director, Meredith Potter (Hugh Grant), but succumbs to the advances of the eccentric actor, P.L. O’Hara, (Alan Rickman) who is playing Captain Hook in the company’s production of Peter Pan. Her sexual encounters with O’Hara are a lesson in what it takes to make it in the theater. Billed as a comedy, An Awfully Big Adventure is a disturbing film about child abuse, rape and incest in the grown-up world of the theater.

LaserDisc Picture:
The matted 1.66:1 picture is sharp and detailed with excellent contrast, accurate fleshtones, and colors that are vivid with deep, solid blacks. The picture has a warm, beautiful quality that conveys a wonderful naturalness. Noise and artifacts are absent for a solid picture.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The soundtrack has excellent dialogue reproduction with a natural portrayal of room tone and scene presence. Subtle surround envelopment is provided by an inconsistently expansive music score and other ambiant sound effects, which otherwise sound mono.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz):
(Aggressive System Surround):
(Intense 25Hz Bass):
(Deep Bass Challenging):
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield):
(Aggressive Split Surround):
(Center Back Surround Imaging):
(Directionalized Dialogue):
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
Superb Color Fidelity:
Superb Cinematography:
Reference LaserDisc:
Collector Edition: