Review of Deewaar

Introduction

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this film is how alien its underlying assumptions are to a society saturated with messages. Dewaar rests on a moral struggle. To be torn between following ones heart and doing what`s expected is a common conflict, but it`s regularly invoked with the understanding that the heart knows what it wants and eventually gets it; the only question is how.

Director Yash Chopra understands the character of Vijay, who recognizes that beneath the skin, he is the mirror image of a person torn between what they want and responsibility to the family, the coolie tormented by his poor past and to their personal relationships.

The film chronicles the life of Vijay with raw power and compelling scenes. This film served as a breakthrough for the team of Salim-Javed, Yash Chopra and Amitabh Bachchan, who had gone on to do films like Trishul (1978) and Kaala Patthar (1979). As Vijay, Bachchan lets loose a fierce and awesome character whose ambition deeply impressed the public imagination, an acting tour de force he never again equalled thus retaining his angry young man image forever on celluloid. Also Nirupa Roy as the Mother and Shashi Kapoor give an equally good performance. This film is a must watch with a wonderful message, powerful screenplay and a great performance from the cast.

Video

The DVD is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, a full screen picture as per the Director`s original vision when the film was screened in cinema.

The sharp and crystal clear picture has no signs of any artefact or grain, delivering a fresh crisp digital quality that only impresses for a film this old. There are limited signs of shimmering and wear and tear is near non-existent. This clearly impressed everyone as the film is over 20 years old and yet the print is in excellent condition.

The detailed picture on this DVD is due to the average bit rate which is very high, providing plenty of information to view, which has never been seen before in a home format. Skin tones and colour fidelity are outstanding giving a natural feel to the film. The colour saturation never appears to be worn off or distorted so for a film this old it creates a truly remarkable presence. The contrast and dark details also marvel with brilliance.

Audio

The sound is mono and is free from major distortion, doing its job in giving clear audio information that accompanies this film. Some scenes have low hissing noises during quieter scenes but this is due to the films original ageing negative and doesn`t really affect viewing.

Features

The menus are impressively animated with the soundtrack of the film being played. The menus are thematic in design and are very easy to navigate. No extras are provided but space on the DVD is wholly given to the main feature. The high bit rate seen during the main feature, helps to maintain great picture quality. English subtitles are optional.

Conclusion

The films print is in excellent condition and this DVD transfer fully utilizes the DVD format as much as possible. Another job well done by DEI.

This DEI DVD is now discontinued, as rights now fall upon EROS. So try to find the DEI DVD version rather then the EROS version if you want to purchase the film for the digital format.