Reviewer's Rating 2 out of 5
Mrs Brown DVD (1997)

Much of the enjoyment of "Mrs Brown" stems from the fine cinematography and superb art direction. Unfortunately the DVD does little to enhance these qualities.

There are many scenes that look fine on this disc. They tend to be exterior daylight or well-lit interior shots. The moment things get any darker, then the grain starts to creep in. Night scenes are the worst with the non-anamorphic transfer allowing very little detail to come through, especially the opening in chapter one and the arrival at Balmoral in chapter six.

The sound is presented in a 2.0 mix that partially redeems this DVD. The music and foley effects are steered intelligently around the speakers with the rears kept busy with bird song and atmospherics that add to the character of the film.

And that is it! There is nothing else the disc has to offer apart from scene selection with the chapter shots incorrectly compressed. Little to no effort has been put into this disc and no attempt has been made to exploit the technology to offer you a better viewing experience. The film is marginally better than on VHS but there's no justification for you forking out more money to buy this.

Chapters: 16
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0
Extra Features: Scene selection, English for the hearing impaired.

End Credits

Director: John Madden

Writer: Jeremy Brock

Stars: Judi Dench, Billy Connolly, Geoffrey Palmer, Antony Sher

Genre: Drama, Romance

Length: 105 minutes

Cinema: 1997

DVD: 24 May 1999

Country: UK