Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

DVD Rating: ****

Reviewed by: Keith Dudhnath

Read David Haviland's film review of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
""

The picture quality is excellent and shows the contrast between the dreary cold days and the vibrant colours in other scenes. The audio quality is equally perfect, with the rear speakers used sparingly but appropriately throughout. I don't have a DTS set up, so can't comment on how it compares to the regular surround mix. Subtitling is available on the main feature, but not on the extras.

The Look Inside is a traditional featurette, with the added bonus that the cast and crew actually have things worth saying about the film. Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry's conversation follows on nicely from this, falling somewhere between being an extended double interview and a shortened commentary.

Copy picture

Deleted scenes are usually a welcome bonus, but the chronologically vague nature of the film means both that they don't work in isolation and that it's hard to judge whether they would work in the film. The Lacuna infomercial can be deemed as just another deleted scene, although one which does have enough context to stand alone.

Although the Polyphonic Spree music video is clever and well worth a look, it's an odd choice for inclusion, given that Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime and Mr. Blue Sky are more strongly associated with the film.

Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry's commentary is the best extra by a long way. We're treated to the perfect combination of a film, which warrants such depth of discussion about the innovation within it and people whose ideas and opinions are of interest to film fans and who can express them eloquently.

Eternal Sunshine is also available as a two-disc set, with some additional extras. There is a conversation with Kate Winslet and Michel Gondry, an anatomy of a scene with Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry and something going by the name of Inside The Mind of Michel Gondry.

Although I haven't seen these extras, I would advise that you seek out the version of the DVD that includes them. The quality of extras on the standard release would be welcome on any other DVD, but I was still left wanting more - much more.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is packed with invention and creativity and the opportunity to hear as much about that as possible shouldn't be passed up.

Reviewed on: 12 Feb 2006
Share this with others on...
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind packshot
An ex-couple delete each other from their memories after a painful split.
Amazon link

Read more Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind disc reviews:

Gary Duncan: DVD
Angus Wolfe Murray: DVD

Product Code: MP328D

Region: 2

Ratio: 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1; DTS

Extras: A look inside Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, A conversation with Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry, Commentary with Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, Deleted scenes, Polyphonic Spree music video, Lacuna infomercial.


Search database: