Review of Harrison`s Flowers

Introduction

The title character is not the hero of this story at all: rather it is his wife Sarah who is the heroine. Married to Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Harrison Lloyd, also father of her two children, both want to spend more time together as a family, leading to Harrison telling his editor that he is leaving the dangerous world of war journalism. But he is sent away for one last assignment, to Yugoslavia in 1991 in the midst of civil war.

Soon after arriving in Yugoslavia news reaches Sarah that her husband has died, crushed underneath a collapsed building. But Sarah is in denial: she refuses to believe that he is dead. After seeing who she believes is her injured husband being carried away to a hospital in siege-ridden Vukovar, she resolves to fly out by herself to find and bring back the man she loves with an almost reckless passion.

Video

Harrison’s Flowers is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, which is a pleasure to watch. The print is free from dust and damage, the colours are realistic and the image is pretty sharp and clear throughout the film.

Audio

One of the biggest surprises I had when putting the disc into the player was the availability of a DTS soundtrack: generally these only appear on loaded discs, or Superbit releases. A pleasant surprise then, especially as during the second half the film changes from being mainly dialogue driven to a war movie of sorts, replete with explosions and gunfire to really test out your setup. A DD 5.1 track is also included, and, just as with the DTS alternative, is very good during this more action-orientated second half. The sounds of war are well represented, using surround effects very accurately and a generous amount of bass. However, as with most cases the DTS is that noticeably bit better, sounding clearer and more powerful.

Features

Only the trailer for the film is included – and to emphasise the lack of features, it even appears on the main menu and not in a ‘special features’ sub-menu.

Conclusion

It is strange that a story with such obvious dramatic qualities can end up so emotionally flat. Harrison’s Flowers has a good cast, is well shot and has some truly incredible war scenes; what it misses however, along with a well-judged pace and a smart script. is the passion that both Harrison and his wife must have possessed during this period in their lives. The comments made by the characters after these events, interspersed throughout the film, only serves to slow down the action and adds little to the narrative. The film also ends surprisingly – and disappointingly - abruptly. Without this emotional core, what could have been a very good movie becomes a rather bland TV movie.

Likewise the DVD, which has very good picture and sound, also falls short of a great DVD due to its lack of any extras.