Review of Notting Hill

Introduction

Most viewers approach this film with understandable trepidation. A sort of `direct indirect` sequel to Four Weddings and a Funeral, there was always a risk that Notting Hill was going to end up a re-hash.

Thankfully, that was not the case. A delightful stroll through the lives of a crowd of London friends who get entangled with a Hollywood star provides ample entertainment for the length of the film.

Video

The video transfer on this disc is pretty much flawless. The colours are rich and vibrant, and the definition is excellent. I noted no digital effects at all, and the general impression of the picture is that it is reference quality. There are a few darker nightime sequences, and these too come up to scratch with excellent quality.

Audio

Again, the sound on this film is excellent. Being a film of a "softer" nature, the sound does not get as much of a workout as with some titles. What does come across brilliantly though, is the use a reproduction of music. The benefit of CD quality sound on DVD really shines through when a film makes such strong use of so many popular songs.

Features

Unfortunately, the Region 2 disc stumbles behind the R1 in this quarter. Although there is a little bit of material about Notting Hill, some bios, and apparently some DVD ROM features too (I didn`t check them), it doesn`t take more than five minutes to view them and they`re pretty unexciting. The American disc, on the other hand, gets a featurette, deleted scenes AND a commentary track - making it a `Collector`s Edition`. And this is a film made in the UK, prominently by UK companies, with a London landmark as it`s touchstone !! Sheesh...

Conclusion

This is a lovely film, and I don`t care that all the critics compared it to Four Weddings. Julia Roberts blows away Andie McDowell`s performance (I was never taken with "I can skulk if skulking were required" or "is it raining, I hadn`t noticed"). Fans of Grant will also get exactly what they pay for - more of him playing a character remarkably like Hugh Grant ! I think there are enough distinctions to rate both films highly in their own respects. It`s a shame that such a great disc has that tinge of disappointment about it because the R1 is so much more to offer. The film by itself, however, is an excellent DVD, and a very enjoyable experience.