Search - The Shipping News on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 2001 DVD Release: 06/18/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 51 mins Studio: Miramax Total Copies: 12 Genres: Drama, Romance, Romantic Drama

The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by E. Annie Proulx becomes this drama from director Lasse Hallström. Kevin Spacey stars as Quoyle, a struggling, emotionally drained newspaper reporter suffering through a wretched marriage with the abusive Petal (Cate Blanchett), a promiscuous wild woman who tries to sell their daughter, Bunny, into adoption before she's killed in a car wreck. Retrieving his daughter, Quoyle sets out for Newfoundland, his ancestral home, with his long-lost Aunt Agnis (Judi Dench). Although he initially finds life on the island to be as forbidding and severe as Agnis herself, Quoyle gets work as a shipping columnist for the local newspaper "The Gammy Bird," owned by eccentric fisherman Jack Buggit (Scott Glenn). Quoyle's work soon finds an appreciative audience and he begins to rebuild his life, dating local single mother Wavey (Julianne Moore), learning some sea craft, discovering his family's dark history, and finally earning some self-respect. Agnis, in the meantime, starts her own successful business and faces a traumatic incident from her childhood involving Quoyle's late father. The Shipping News (2001) co-stars Rhys Ifans and Pete Postlethwaite. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Kevin Spacey - Quoyle
Julianne Moore - Wavey
Cate Blanchett - Petal Bear
Judi Dench - Agnis Hamm
Pete Postlethwaite - Tert Card
Scott Glenn - Jack Buggit

Kevin Spacey and Cate Blanchett star in the seething drama The Shipping News. Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, this transfer by Miramax is a solid effort filled with sharp colors and dark black levels. While the movie itself doesn't include many bursting colors (mostly muted whites and grays), overall, this is a very pleasing transfer with only a slight amount of edge enhancement present in the image. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English and French. This film is mainly a dialogue-driven drama, and as such, doesn't feature tons of directional effects or sounds. While a few effects do pop up in the rear speakers from time to time, overall this is subtle mix that sports no hiss or distortion. Also included on this disc are English and Spanish subtitles. The extra features available on =The Shipping News include an informative and insightful commentary from director Lasse Hallstrom, screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs, and producers Linda Goldstein-Knowlton and Leslie Holleran. Also included is a short and rather boring featurette about the making of the film titled "Dive Beneath the Surface of The Shipping News," a few photo galleries from the film and its production ("Behind the Scenes," "Portraits," "Scenic Views"), and some sneak peeks at a batch of Miramax releases (though the trailer for The Shipping News is conspicuously missing). ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide