Children of Men (Widescreen Edition)
by Alfonso Cuarón
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Pam Ferris, Peter MullanDirector: Alfonso Cuarón
Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki
Composer: John Tavener
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 109 minutes
Published: 2007-03-01
DVD Release Date: 2007-03-27
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Children of Men (Widescreen Edition)
Movie Review: Powerful film
Summary: 5 Stars
WARNING- SPOILERS AHEAD:
A dystopian tale set in 2027 and based on a novel by P.D. James, "Children of Men" takes place in a future where women suddenly become infertile. The world is tearing itself apart and the only sea of tranquility is Britain yet that tranquil sea is very much an illusion as the nation has turned into a police state where everyone must carry their passport to prove they are citizens or be shipped out to a war zone like concentration camp. Theo (Clive Owen) once an activist seems trapped in an emotional war zone of his own of apathy having never recovered from the death of his son nearly a decade before. His own emotions have become still born. When his ex-wife (Julianne Moore) the head of a radical terrorist group called The Fish asks for his help in smuggling a pregnant woman named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) to safety, he is reluctantly drawn into her plan for the money but finds that his emotions immerge from their cocoon as well becoming the man he used to be.
In a dreary year for science fiction films, "Children of Men" finally presents an oasis of memorable images, characters and observations. Director Alfonso Cuarón wisely turned down the chance to director the sequel to his "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" to helm this project. Brilliantly directed with a marvelous, rich screenplay by Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (one suspects that the bulk of the writers on these projects worked on earlier drafts that have little resemblance to the final product) the film uses the heavy handed imagery of P.D. James novel to its advantage. Clive Owen continues to prove he's a magnificent and underrated actor. He brings depth and presence to his world weary portrayal of Theo. The film features strong support performances by Danny Huston, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Caine adding a sense of gritty reality to the proceedings.
The gritty look of the film is quite intentional as the director Alfonso Cuarón ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", "Y Tu Mama Tambien") wanted to make the audience feel as if they were seeing a realistic look at the future. As a result the film has both the gritty feel of a documentary in terms of the film grain but also in terms of the constant camera movement throughout the film.
END OF SPOILERS:
While there aren't a huge amount of special features many are worthwhile. First up we get three deleted scenes that run around 2 minutes. While none of them are essential at least two amplify the desperate situation that Theo finds himself in; one features Theo's apartment manager showing up at his door for four months past due rent while another continues Theo's meeting with his cousin who is a member of the government and collects artwork.
We also get "Children of Men Comments by philosopher Slavoj Zizek" which most folks are going to skip. While some of his observations are interesting, they're the type of observations that you'd hear in a basic philosophy class. I suppose they are included to give legitimacy to this science fiction film but his comments aren't necessary to recognize the power of this film.
"Under Attack" highlights the long takes used throughout the film. We hear from star Owen, director Cuarón and the producers discussing the difficulty in shooting the action sequences with these long fluid takes shot on location. Cuarón's vision for the film required constant camera movement which doesn't allow the filmmakers to fake it as they might normally. In particular we see the sequence where Theo, his ex-wife and others attacked in the country in their car and how it was put together with physical effects allowing for a 12 minute uninterrupted take.
"Theo and Julian" allows us to hear the actors Julianne Moore and Clive Owen's thoughts on their character. Director Cuarón also chimes in on the collaborative nature of creating a character with his actors and integrating their suggestions into an already finished script. It's clear that he relishes the collaborative nature of film and that the performers that have worked with him enjoyed the project as well.
"Futuristic Design" focuses on the production design with comments by producer Hilary Shor and how they had to straddle the line between the futuristic look of the film while also grounding it in our world. Jim Clay and Jennifer Williams the production designer and set designer respectively discuss how the natural instinct is to go for a visually strong look for a science fiction film. He suggested they fight that instinct create and use ugly environments that refer to our current world to bring home the gritty reality of the film as much as possible. Using London as their background the designers created a world that is as old and tired looking reflecting the biological sterility facing mankind but also reflects a world that is at the brink of collapse.
"Visual Creating the Baby" highlights the delivery scene in the film. Created with CGI this sequence was difficult to shoot because they couldn't use a real baby for the sequence and had to use a combination of prosthetics, CGI and physical effects to create the sequence. Small details such as Theo's breath in the freezing room where the baby is delivered were created in post-production and digitally inserted.
An effective, powerful science fiction thriller, "Children of Men" features a number of powerful performances from Owen's world weary take on Theo to Moore's activist Julian their performances bring gravity to the situations in the film adding another level suggesting this world is just around the corner from our own.
Summary of Children of Men (Widescreen Edition)
Set in 2027, scientists are at a loss to explain why humans can no longer procreate, but the discovery of a lone pregnant woman leads to a desperate journey to protect her and save the future of mankind.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 4-SEP-2007
Media Type: DVD
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