Director
Roger Michell

Cast
Julia Roberts,
Hugh Grant,
Rhys Ifans

Music
Trevor Jones

William Thacker (Hugh Grant) is basically a nobody, who runs a small bookshop in London. One day his luck changes and Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) strolls into his shop for a browse. He is awestruck when she leaves but as fate would have it he runs into her shortly after in the street. +

After a hilarious drama with William's flatmate Spike (Rhys Ifans) he finally gets to meet her again and they go out for dinner with Williams Sister and his friends, where Anna begins to show that she is just a normal person, and not just a figure as a famous actress.

Their on again off again relationship seems to go on forever. But the crazy antics of Williams’s friends especially his disgusting flatmate makes it an enjoyable journey. Without giving too much away. This is a pretty stock standard plot but the twists and the humour make it all worth while in the end.

So How Does This Transfer Hold Up??
The quality of this 2.35:1 framed anamorphic transfer is excellent. I was most impressed. The images were generally sharp and clear although at times there is that nice romantic soft glow about the texture. The colour is exquisite, perfect skin tones and nicely saturated colour. I did find some small faults though. There are quite a lot of very slight instances of ailiasing, but one to note was an aerial shot of the Park Bench at night in which the bars on the bench are pretty annoying. I was also disappointed to see some bad dust flecks from the film. Two, which bothered me, are one bad mark above the background picture when the two are in the Kitchen and one when they go to dinner. Other than these the rest of the transfer is quite good. Certainly better quality than most.

Video Highlights
Ch 03 13:31 – Black spot on the wall in the background
Ch 05 38:19 – More flickering marks
Ch 05 47:40 – Really obvious aliasing in the Park Bench and the grass.

The audio is also impressive. Confusing though, are the two English 5.1 tracks. There has been mention from others that these are exactly the same, but alas they are not! There are actually differences in the musical composition. You have to listen hard but there is. Other than that there aren’t a lot of highlights in the audio. The dialogue is always clear at time I had to reach for the remote and turn up the volume though which was a tad annoying. I didn’t find any sync problems. The musical score is great. Definitely one of the best aspects of the film. There is a fantastic mix of classical background with some nice catchy modern hit songs. Big thumbs up to Trevor Jones for the score.

Audio Highlights
Ch 01 :39 – Good use of surrounds for opening musical sequence.
Ch 11 1.18:57 – Good use of surrounds for camera shutter sounds.
Ch 15 1.45:00 – Great music in the rears.

Extras have improved here. The menu was great, including nice revolving scenes from the film on the right of the screen. I was also impressed to find that while each selection is characterised with those little icons there is a much better selection method. A dark line underneath now highlights each selection. Then we have the theatrical trailer, Production notes and the Cast and Crew biographies. The biographies are very informative but are a little tedious considering they are also included in the case booklet and the DVD Rom features. Getting a little repetitive. There is also a guide and maps to the real Notting Hill.

The DVD Rom features the Bio’s again, which also have nice little hot spots where the actor’s names become their character names as you drag your mouse over them. There is also the plot summary, Behind the Scenes shots, and the universal web links.

We also miss out on a few features from the region 1 title. Audio Commentary (not my favourite extra anyway)[ed. grrr Cass big grrrrrr], Featurette - Hugh Grant's Movie Tips, Deleted Scenes, Music Highlights, Universal Showcase and Additional DVD-ROM Features

I also have to mention the fabulous Super Jewel case and the little booklet included in it. Much like a CD.

Overall the film rates pretty high with me but then it is a great Chick Flick. I loved Rhys Ifans. He played his character so well and was scene stealing at all times. This is a great film and certainly value for money.

Review Equipment
TV: GE 68cm (16:9 selectable)
DVD: Samsung DVD907 (via S-Video)
Receiver/Proc: Sansui A505/Sony Amp & Yamaha DSP-E390
Speakers:-
Fronts: Wharfdale Diamond R6 (on a pair of custom made stands you'd KILL for)
Centre: Venturi
Rears: Sony bookshelf

- Reviewed 12th December 1999