Last Chance Harvey Blu-ray Review

'Last Chance Harvey' arrives on Blu-ray with a 'nice' region free 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 transfer that's framed nicely in the widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio.
The transfer looks bright and airy, reflecting the look of London in a clean, positive light. If I was projecting a film print that looked like this, I'd say it was a 'thin' print where density is a bit on the light side. This can be quite pleasing in daytime exterior shots as the image looks quite bright, but in the occasional dark scenes there is some greyness where contrast isn't quite as chunky as it could be with blacks suffering accordingly. The overall colour is a little desaturated but skin tones look fine and the image is sharp enough. There's no ringing as the sharpening tool seems to have been left alone or applied caringly, there's also a lack of obtrusive grain but as a new, recent print was used, you'd expect that. Overall, this is a perfectly acceptable transfer, but not one that's remarkable given the recent source material.

The audio on 'Last Chance Harvey' comes in a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround mix that is generally front weighted, ensuring that the dialogue (it's all about relationships) is clear and crisp. The front stereo pair are enlivened by the pleasant music score which does its job to help the film along while not becoming intrusive. The surrounds are used occasionally for London street effects, but the mix could never be described as enveloping. It's not that kind of movie. A film about relationships needs to have a certain amount of intimacy and the front focus achieves this. So, no great subwoofer workouts here either - just a good, serviceable track that doesn't attempt to steal the show from the excellent cast.

• Audio Commentary
  
  
  Here we have a 'nice' commentary track featuring Director Joel Hopkins, ably supported by Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. It sounds like they all got on well together during the production as they all have nice things to say about each other. It's entertaining as comm. tracks go and gives us a 'horse's mouth' account of what went on during the shoot.

  
  
  

• 'An Unconventional Love Story' (Very good SD, 16mins)
  
  
  This is quite an enjoyable featurette with interviews and on set footage with the cast and crew. Hoffman and Thompson explain their good working relationship that transferred to the screen as 'chemistry' that made the movie work. We hear from director Joel Hopkins about the challenges they faced filming in London.

  
  
  

• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 2 mins)
  
  Nice to see how the film was promoted, or not as the case may be.
  

The Dustin Hoffman & Emma Thompson vehicle 'Last Chance Harvey' arrives on Blu-ray with a good, if unremarkable 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 transfer framed at 2.35:1.
We have a clean, dirt free image that's bright and sharp, although contrast isn't quite as biting as you'd expect from such a recent movie.
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track provides us with clear, crisp dialogue while the main stereo pair is reserved for the pleasant music score and surrounds come into play with the London street ambience.
We get an interesting Commentary track from the director and two Leads, while a production featurette provides some 'behind the scenes' footage and interviews.
A gentle love story that has some real charm and proves that the stars have what it takes to bring it alive.