Having systematic murder play out along the margins makes it no less disturbing. In the aftermath, the focus remains on Saul, as he and the other workers drag and stack bodies. It's as if he has developed an internal mute button to block out the reality of what is happening - what he is facilitating. We are in Saul's head, experiencing what he does. The screams, the pounding on the walls and doors, play as horrific background noise. Instead, we are drawn to Saul's impassive expression, which is almost a relief. As men and women are herded into the showers, we see them along the margins of the frame. We know better, of course, and eventually, so do they.īut the focus remains steadfastly on Saul, with the camera either framing his face or following along just behind him.
We see Saul in close-up, as we will for much of the film, stoically leading men and women into a room, where they are told to strip down and clean up in the showers, then get something to eat. The stunning long, opening tracking shot lets us know what Nemes is up to. What makes "Son of Saul" so unique, though, in addition to showing us the grisly day-to-day business of death camps, is the way he and cinematographer Matyas Erdely shot the film: The focus is almost entirely on Saul. Nemes, who also co-wrote the film, based it in part on secret writings members of the Sonderkommando hid. It is soul-shattering work, though one wonders if any soul at all remains after doing it for a while. At times, there are so many dead bodies the incinerators cannot accommodate all of them. After that, they drag the bodies of the victims - called "pieces" by the Nazi guards - to incinerators or, when they begin to overflow, to trenches. Saul (Géza Röhrig in a brilliant, haunting performance) is a Sonderkommando - a prisoner whose life is temporarily extended by the forced labor of leading other prisoners to their deaths in the showers, then searching their belongings for hidden gold, jewels or other "shiny" valuables. The film is set in a German death camp, most likely in the closing stages of World War II. These questions and more are at the heart of "Son of Saul," László Nemes' shattering, inventively staged debut feature, a Holocaust drama like you have never seen before. (15 min, 1080p).Faced with inhuman horror, suffering through life with a termination date all but stamped on your forehead while unimaginable suffering goes on around you - at what point does literal truth cease to be important? What lies must we tell ourselves to maintain even a semblance of sanity? In Hungarian and German, with optional English subtitles. Short Film - "With a Little Patience" (2007) - presented here is László Nemes' very first short film about a beautiful office clerk in Nazi camp during WW2.Deleted Scene - in Hungarian, with optional English subtitles.In Hungarian, with optional English subtitles. Behind the Scenes GoPro Footage - raw footage from the shooting of the film, with direct comparisons.The session was hosted by historian Nikolaus Wachsmann. Director Laszlo Nemes discusses the production history of the film, the historical accuracy of the material, key themes and messages and their relationship with the unique visual style, the use of sound, etc. Q&A with Director Laszlo Nemes - this session was held after a special 35mm preview screening of the Son of Saul at the Curzon Soho cinema in London in April 2016.In Hungarian, with imposed English subtitles and text. Trailer - original trailer for Son of Saul.Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content). ( Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Ultimately, excluding some minor encoding optimizations that could have been made, the film really does look quite strong in high-definition. (The entire film was in fact timed photochemically). Elsewhere the muted primaries also introduce flatness that under different conditions would have been deemed inappropriate. In some cases, for instance, there is obvious crushing, but it does appear that the bulk of it is in fact intended.
However, the film has a very unique visual style that favors very specific color tonalities and light management that occasionally impact detail and depth.
Indeed, the basic technical characteristics are very strong. I've done some direct comparisons with my release and could not see any notable differences to address in our review. The release is sourced from the same master that Sony Pictures worked with when they prepared the North American Blu-ray release of Son Saul.
Son of saul release date 1080p#
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, László Nemes' Son of Saul arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye.