"Titanic in 3D". A Review Of The 1997 Movie – Now Relaunched Into Cinemas In 3D In 2012.

                                  
"...I'm Sorry I Didn't Build You A Better Ship Rose..."

*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE "TITANIC in 3D" MOVIE (The 3D Blu Ray Itself Is Released Mid 2012) ***

Holidaying in Ireland, I happened on the preview day of James Cameron's "Titanic in 3D" at the new Odeon Cinema in The Point Area of Dublin's refurbished docklands (or "The Quays" as they're known locally). We caught the first showing on 5 April 2012 - debuting on their all-bells-and-whistles "iSense Screen". "iSense" features razor sharp Real-3D imaging on a gigantic screen with state-of-the-art surround sound. So myself and the two kids popped along - donned the crazy specs - and started to watch. The sheer spectacle of what came next has prompted me to write this review...

I've seen about 10 films in 3D - some like "Despicable Me" have impressed and actually met the hype - the rest have either felt gimmicky or a downright hindrance - or worse a crass monetary exploitation. Even the new Aardman Animation feature film "The Pirates..." - which we'd seen some days earlier - is not great in 3D (although it's a top movie and thoroughly recommended).
But Cameron's complete reshaping of "Titanic" into a 3D realm is a different beast. It's incredible and at times I was genuinely gobsmacked. I saw the film on its original outing in 1997 (which was a cinematic experience to say the least) and I'd estimate that 65 to 75% of this version has been improved by the 3D process with the remaining portions varying between not changed at all or just slightly better - but definitely better.

So what's changed? Scenes that were somehow 'ordinary' before are now 'dimensional' - at times you feel you could reach out and actually touch them...

Examples - the front railings of the sunken liner at the bottom of the Atlantic at the beginning of the film, the unmanned sub that is filming it then making its way through the insides of the wreck - you now feel the machine and its cables - the space around it - the bubbling of the water - the barnacles and silt disturbed to the left and right. When the engine room ship-sized pistons kick into gear as the last boilers are lit - their size and power; the drinks glasses on the table at dinner as Bruce Ismay pompously tells of how he arrived at the ship's name - they have space around them and you feel you could almost lift them off the tablecloths. Even something as unassuming as Molly Brown's decorative hat as she talks to Jack (at a later dinner table setting) now reaches out of the screen into the aisles with extraordinary depth. Winslet's costumes are glorious too - her radiant eyes and lustrous hair. The feeling of sea air and wind on the ship's gangways when Rose and Jack walk and talk and discuss art is accentuated - more realistic.

But if I was to note just one scene that sums up how improved this version is - it would be the one where Rose tries to kill herself by jumping off the back of the ship. As she steps over the railings and the camera looks down at the cold wash below - suddenly the distance and the hugeness of the ship becomes 'real' - looking downward and with that added depth - you can 'feel' that fall...that freezing water below...

The sound is huge too - groaning steel - creaking wood - the water crashing out of the screen right into your face as it floods corridors...

There were occasions where 3D didn't work - where the effect was detrimental rather than an enhancement - the boarding of the great ship at Southampton was one scene where too much was going on in the crowd sequences for the 3D to catch up. Other offences would be that one character on screen would be razor-sharp image-wise (usually the one talking) - while those beside them or to the left of them - would be slightly blurred. But these were rare.

What you also forget is what an incredible movie "Titanic" is.
Like that other maverick filmmaker Ridley Scott ("Blade Runner", "Gladiator" and "The Kingdom Of Heaven") - James Cameron isn't afraid of spectacle - he embraces it. He brings it to the screen with bravado and a passion for ‘detail’ that few can match.
His new 3D rendering of "Titanic" is the same - it seems like he's worked everything to give you the viewer as much as possible – or at least more than you saw the last time. And when the actual sinking finally comes in the early hours of 15 April 1912 - the horror and heartbreak still has the power to make your heart race and bring a tear to the eye. Captain Smith holding the wheel as the ocean crashes through the glass into the bridge area, the ship's funnel that breaks loose and collapses on the bodies below, the propellers rising out of the water, bodies bouncing off the ship's steel structures as the huge hull rises up and they slide downwards to their death - the camera panning back as Rose emerges from the swell to an ocean of bodies flaying about in the agony of the icy Atlantic - the guilty faces on the lucky ones in the boats that got away - hearing their screams and cries for help - yet not going back for survivors - and knowing they should...

Cameron's version of the sad tale has heart too - through all that technical excellence it doesn't forget to show - and somehow respect - the human cost. There's the rage and helplessness of the third class passengers locked into steerage below while the 'quality' on the decks above get away - the band unselfishly playing "Nearer My God To Thee" as the ship goes down by the head, the priest praying with terrified passengers trying to give them strength, the elderly couple holding each other tightly on the bed as the sea floods their cabin - the Irish mum telling her two children of 'Tir na N'Og' - the mythical 'land of the young' as the inevitable closes in around her beloved...

Then of course there's the cast - Bill Paxton as the obsessed present-day treasure-seeker, Gloria Stuart as the elderly Rose recounting the tragedy to an enrapt crew, Jonathan Hyde as Bruce Ismay - the White Star Line egotist who ordered the number of lifeboats to be reduced from 48 to 16 (compliant with Board of Trade laws at the time) so as not to clutter up the promenade decks for the first-class passengers - and then once onboard practically ordering Captain Smith to open all engines to full speed ahead despite the danger (only to save himself in one of the last lifeboats - an act infamous now in history). Frances Fisher is Rose's social-climbing mum, Billy Zane as Rose's manipulative and jealous boor of a fiancé, David Warner as his dastardly man-servant, Bernard Hill as the overwhelmed and ill-fated Captain Smith, 'new money' Kathy Bates as the 'unsinkable' Molly Brown - all of them exemplary. Victor Garber adds huge gravitas too as the ship's architect Thomas Andrews - a decent man grappling with his thoughts as it all falls apart around him (his dialogue titles this review).

But the movie belongs to its two young leads - Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as Jack and Rose - a 17-year-old lady of art and means who falls in love with a 20-year old street-rat who paints to survive. While DiCaprio is good and couldn't go anywhere for a few years due to screaming girls (he was 22 at the time) - it's Winslet who impresses the most. She is sensational in the role - voluptuous, ballsy and humane. She also exudes an acting confidence that is staggering for a 21-year-old. In my book only Kiera Knightley gets this close to that kind of inner belief.

With regard to the forthcoming 3D BLU RAY (due mid 2012) - we don't know as yet what the extras are going to be (if any at all). But there is no doubt in my mind that for a format which has been trying the public's patience and pocket for some time now - Cameron may have given '3D' a huge boost with this rendering of his 1997 classic...

To sum up - even if you don't want to see this film again - and suffer through that dreadful Celine Dion schlock song at the end - think of James Cameron's "Titanic in 3D" as sheer cinematic spectacle. My kids are 18 and 14 - and given that their generation is so easily bored and their timespan for attention virtually nil - they didn't notice the three-hours-plus playing time go by. In fact my son announced at the end "…that was a great film Dad…really good." Praise indeed.

Recommended - and then some.

"I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" by GILBERT O'SULLIVAN. A Review Of His 3rd Album From 1973 Now Expanded And Remastered Onto CD By Salvo (UK) In 2012.

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"...Like An Old Friend..."

"I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" is the 3rd release in a full-on reissue campaign by Salvo Records of the UK for Irish singer-songwriter Raymond Gilbert O'Sullivan. His UK debut album "Himself" from 1971 was relaunched in November 2011 and his second LP "Back To Front" from 1972 in February 2012 (both are reviewed separately). With fantastic new sound, four bonus tracks, quality packaging and a none-too steep price - legions of his fans worldwide will be thrilled to see that his MAM Records catalogue is finally receiving a thorough going-over (and like the others - this release is artist-approved too). Here are the scrapping details...

UK released Monday 2 April 2012 (10 April 2012 in the USA) - "I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" by GILBERT O'SULLIVAN on Salvo SALVOXCD003 (Barcode 698458050328) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster and plays out as follows (44:34 minutes):

1. I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter

2. A Friend Of Mine

3. They've Only Themselves To Blame 

4. Who Knows, Perhaps Maybe 

5. Where Peaceful Waters Flow

6. Ooh Baby [Side 2]

7. I Have Never Loved You As Much As I Love You Today 

8. Not In A Million Years 

9. If You Love Me Like You Love Me

10. Get Down 

Tracks 1 to 10 are his third studio album "I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" - released September 1973 in the UK on Mam Records MAM-SS 505 and October 1973 on Mam Records MAM 7 in the USA. It peaked at 101 on the album charts in America - but reached Number 2 in England.

Track 11 is "A Very Extraordinary Sort Of Girl" - the non-album B-side of "Get Down" - a 7" single released March 1973 in the UK on Mam Records MAM 96 (it reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart and Number 7 in the USA). .

Track 12 is "Good Company" - the non-album B-side of "Ooh Baby" - the second single lifted off the album. "Ooh Baby" was issued September 1973 in the UK on Mam Records MAM 107 and charted at Number 18. "Good Company" is considered by fans to be one of Gilbert's best B-sides - and like Track 11 it's the first time this rare song has been made available for all markets since a rare Japanese CD compilation in 2004. It also features an electric guitar solo by BIG JIM SULLIVAN who played the beautiful acoustic guitar work on "Alone Again (Naturally)".

Tracks 13 and 14 are "Why, Oh Why, Oh Why" and "You Don't Have To Tell Me" - the A & B-sides of a non-album 7" single released November 1973 in the UK on Mam Records MAM 111 (it peaked at Number 6).

The original UK LP had a matt single sleeve with a lyric insert and a 6" inch black and white 'transfer' of the photo on the front cover (damp cloth and hot iron ahoy!). The transfer image has been reproduced for the CD label and there's a 'Gilbert O'Sullivan - A Singer And His Songs' logo sticker on the front of the card digipak which accompanies all of these expanded reissues. Like the other two releases in this series - the 20-page booklet is gorgeous. There's tastefully laid out lyrics to all the songs (including the bonuses), photos from his own archives, trade adverts, magazine covers, 7" picture sleeves from around the world and a detailed paragraph on each song with reminiscences from Gilbert on the album's creation. There's even a centre-spread photo of him sparring with no less than Mohammed Ali - both in boxer shorts! But the really big news for fans is the SOUND...

Remastered from original master tapes - the sound quality is a vast improvement on what went before (compilations and expensive Japanese imports). While "Himself" from 1971 is a little hissy in places - both "Back To Front" and this are incredibly clean with superlative clarity on all the instruments. You can now hear Laurie Holloway's piano thumping on "Get Down" rocking away like a goodun - while the bass and drums on the anthem-like "Where Peaceful Waters Flow" are incredibly clear (lyrics above). The funky keys starting "I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" are followed by the almost Phil Spector beginning of "A Friend Of Mine" - both suddenly sounding huge. The pretty "They've Only Themselves To Blame" has both strings and brass - and the keyboards on "Ooh Baby" - again both just leaping out of the speakers.

The extras are excellent as well and will finally allow fans to sequence single releases on CD for the first time.

He followed "I'm A Writer..." with "A Stranger In My Own Back Yard" in 1974 and the equally forgotten "Southpaw" in 1977 - but it seemed that even with "Writer's" success as an LP and a number 1 single in the UK - the writing was already on the wall for Gilbert by the end of 1973.

Still - I've thoroughly enjoyed re-hearing this album even if some of the lyrics and sentiments are considered soppy by today's standards. It's not all genius of course, but this is a lovely reissue - and Salvo is to be praised for handling it so well. Recommended...

PS: Salvo of the UK have also done his 1971 debut LP "Himself", his 2nd LP "Back To Front" from 1972, his 4th album "A Stranger In My Own Back Yard" from 1974, “Southpaw" from 1977 (his last LP on Mam Records) and beyond into the CBS years of the 80ts. All are 'Expanded' Edition CD Remasters with Bonus Tracks and Quality Repro Packaging (see detailed reviews for "Himself", "Back To Front" and “A Stranger In My Own Back Yard").

"Foghat / Rock And Roll" by FOGHAT. A Review Of Their 1st and 2nd LPs From 1972 and 1973 - Now Reissued On CD In 2012 By Edsel Of The UK.

Bands like FOGHAT are part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

 "…Gonna Rock 'Til I Drop…"

In 2011 Edsel of the UK acquired some of the 'WEA Catalogue' and began releasing value-for-money 1CD and 2CD album sets from that vast repertoire. So far I've reviewed Hall & Oates, Greenslade, Little Feat and 4 of their Doobie Brothers releases – and they've been great on all fronts. This '2LPs on 1CD' FOGHAT set is part of that reissue campaign (see full 14-album FOGHAT list below)…

UK-released 26 March 2012 (10 April in the USA) – Edsel EDSS 1066 breaks down as follows (76:44 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 9 are their debut album "Foghat" released July 1972 in the USA on Bearsville BR 2077 and June 1974 in the UK on Bearsville K 45503
Tracks 10 to 18 are their 2nd album "Foghat (aka Rock And Roll)" released November March 1973 in the USA on Bearsville BR 2136 and July 1974 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 45514

Like all of these Edsel reissues - the 20-page booklet is substantial. It features the front and rear artwork for each album, the lyrics, reproductions of Bearsville LP labels, photos of the band and foreign picture sleeves for "Long Way To Go" and "What A Shame". More importantly there's a detailed new essay by PAUL MYERS who has interviewed ROGER EARL of the band especially for this reissue and has included relevant previous comments by band-founder-member and principal songwriter "LONESOME" DAVE PEVERETT and long-time band associate NICK JAMESON. The mastering was done by PETER RYNSTON at Tall Order Studios and the sound apes the Rhino reissues of the Nineties – clear, punchy and full. It's boogie all the way. Also – this CD is pitched at less than mid-price – so it offers a lot of music for very little wedge.

"Lonesome" Dave Peverett (Guitar & Lead Vocals), Tony Stevens (Bass) and Roger Earl (Drums) came out of the ashes of British Rock-Blues band SAVOY BROWN while second guitarist Rod Price was in BLACK CAT BONES who managed one highly collectable album on Decca-Nova in 1970 (featured members of Leafhound and Free guitarist Paul Kossoff). Foghat's debut was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales by DAVE EDMUNDS who was working on his debut solo album "Rockpile" at the time (see review elsewhere for that). Their brief was non-nonsense boogie – rock and roll – with maybe some blues and soulful rock in between the cracks. And as a British band they were famously huge in the USA (charted 13 albums there) but less-so in their native land.

Highlights on the debut include the lead-off single that got them noticed – a great boogie version of the Willie Dixon penned/Muddy Waters classic "I Just Want To Make Love To You". There's a fast-as-we-can–go cover of Chuck Berry's "Maybelline" – but there's also the polar opposite – a very soulful near eight-minute take on Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Gotta Get To Know You" which finishes the album in great style. But the other 6 originals mainly written by Peverett and Price are just as impressive – especially "Leavin' Again (Again!)" where Edmunds treats the vocals and guitars to phasing which gives it such a "Rockpile" sound. "Sarah Lee" is excellent too while the rocking 'money-worries' song "A Hole To Hide In" was a B-side of their debut 7" single in the USA. "Highway (Killing Me)" is gritty too – boogie about life on the road.

Things heat up considerably on the 2nd LP as it opens with "Ride, Ride, Ride" which along with their 2nd US 45 "What A Shame” set down the template for their trademark rocking sound for years to come. But best of all for me is the legendary drummer Bernard Purdie and the Brass section on the blistering "Road Fever" (lyrics above) – they combine with Peverett and the band to incredible effect - rocking like mad men and then Peverett losing it with vocal enthusiasm as the tracks rushes to a manic finish.

To sum up – neither album is a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination – and sadly both Peverett and Price passed on in 2000 and 2005. But there are truly great moments of Rock meets the Blues meets Rock'n'Roll on both of these records – and at this price – worth a sky-diver of anyone's money.

Five-star presentation, great sound and a cheap price.
Rock on Rod and Dave…literally…

PS: titles in this March 2012 FOGHAT reissue series are:
1. Foghat (July 1972) / Foghat [aka Rock And Roll] (March 1973) – Edsel EDSS 1066
2. Energised (January 1974) / Rock And Roll Outlaws (November 1974) – Edsel EDSS 1067
3. Fool For The City (October 1975) / Night Shift (November 1976) – Edsel EDSS 1068
4. Foghat Live (September 1977) / Stone Blue (May 1978) – Edsel EDSS 1069
5. Boogie Motel (October 1979) / Tight Shoes (June 1980) – Edsel EDSS 1070
6. Girls To Chat & Boys To Bounce (July 1981) / In The Mood For Something Rude (November 1982) / Zig-Zag Walk (June 1983) / Rarities – Edsel EDSD 2130 (2CD set)

PPS: factoid – the cover art for their 2nd album was done by Robert Downey - father of the actor Robert Downey, Jr.

"Time Loves A Hero / Down At The Farm" by LITTLE FEAT. A Review Of The 1977 and 1979 LPs - Now Reissued In 2012 by Edsel Of The UK.

LITTLE FEAT are part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

 "…There's A Love Here After All…"

In 2011 Edsel of the UK acquired some of the 'WEA Catalogue' and began releasing value-for-money 1CD and 2CD album sets from that vast repertoire. So far I've reviewed Hall & Oates, Greenslade and 4 of their Doobie Brothers releases – and they’ve been great on all fronts. This 2CD Little Feat set is part of that reissue campaign…

UK-released 26 March 2012 (12 April in the USA) – Edsel EDSD 2113 breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (35:29 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Time Loves A Hero" released May 1977 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 3015 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56349

Disc 2 (37:32 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Down On The Farm" released November 1979 in the USA on Warner Brothers HS 3345 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56667

The 20-page booklet is substantial – it features the front and rear artwork for each album, the lyrics, reproductions of the original LP labels, colour photos of the band and a new essay by ALAN ROBINSON. The mastering was done by PHIL KINRADE at Alchemy Studios in London (it doesn’t say it’s been remastered) – and the sound on both discs is excellent – punchy, clear and to my ears improved on what went before. Also – they’re pitched at less than mid-price – so this release offers a lot of music for very little lay out.

Fans will instantly recognize that these are the last two Little Feat studio albums featuring founder member LOWELL GEORGE. "Time Loves A Hero" was released amidst major band acrimony about direction and suffers the most from lack of decent songs and George's wit and voice. Completed after Lowell's untimely death in June 1979 aged only 34 - "Down At The Farm" came out in late 1979 and is a surprisingly good set – especially re-listening to it in retrospect.

"Time Loves A Hero" features only two George songs – the fabulous funk of "Rocket In My Pocket" and a co-write with Paul Barrere on "Keepin' Up With The Joneses". The other seven are a very mixed bag. Although derided at the time as a step too far – the fusion-rock instrumental "Day At The Dog Races" comes across like mid-Seventies Weather Report meets Todd Rundgren's Utopia – but I’ve always liked it. And it's a blast to finally hear it receive some muscle on the audio front. The backing vocals of Patrick Simmons and Michael McDonald from The Doobie Brothers lift "Red Streamliner" considerably and former Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (and fellow Doobie) contributes subtle Dobro playing to the largely-acoustic album finisher "Missin' You" – a very pretty Paul Barrere song.

"Down On The Farm" again features cover artwork by painter Neon Park and this time has five of the nine tracks with contributions from Lowell – "Six Feet Of Snow", "Kokomo", "Be One Now", "Straight From The Heart" and "Front Page News". The album features guest guitarists Robben Ford and Fred Tackett (Tackett would later join Little Feat) as well as Bonnie Raitt on backing vocals. Highlights for me include the witty "Shut Up!" frog beginning of the excellent return to form song "Down On The Farm" – the band suddenly sounding like the glory of old. "Six Feet Of Snow" isn't great but "Perfect Imperfection" is a lovely slow melody written by Paul Barrere with Tom Snow. It has a great guitar solo – and overall sounds like smooth-as-silk Boz Scaggs. "Kokomo" is a Lowell George winner with that sly guitar/keyboard funk and those lady-of-the-night "...Miss Demeanor..." lyrics. Their follows probably the album's highlight – the forlorn swing of "Be One Now" – a really lovely melody about friendship (lyrics above). "Straight From The Heart" is good too with great clarity in the mastering - while I so dig "Front Page News" which sounds like a Steely Dan "Aja" outtake (not a bad thing in any man's language). "Wake Up Dreaming" rocks it up a beat - while "Feel The Groove" is like a different band on a funky/disco tip. It's nice in places - but it's possibly not the best way to end that phase of the band's illustrious history…

To sum up – this is a five-star reissue of two-to-four star material. For me "Time Loves A Hero" is a bit of a dog frankly – but very much in this release's favour is "Down On The Farm". I was shocked at how good it stands up - a full 30+ years after the event – especially given the difficult circumstances in which it was made.

Well laid out, great sound, cheap price. Recommended.

PS: let's hope that their earlier classic LPs finally get a Western World remaster by Edsel after decades in the wilderness. Now that really would be something worth getting into a sweaty lather about…

"The Help". A Review Of The 2011 Film Now Available On BLU RAY.

"…You Is Kind…You Is Smart…You Is Important…"

Some have criticised "The Help" and its depiction of racism as way too easy on the eye and cheery on the ear - slyly dodging the 'physically violent' reality of segregation in 1960's Southern America in favour of entertainment. But I think that's being massively unfair to the movie's genuine achievement - it's brilliant portrayal of the 'mental' apartheid levelled every day at black people - which ran hand-in-hand with the opposite side of the coin - the love given to white children by black maids. This is a story you can't help but feel 'needed' to be told - and a rare balancing act that got it right on so many fronts. In fact I was left with two stark impressions as the end credits rolled (a) this movie is a real gem in a sea of sequels and mediocrity and (b) how did the likeable but essentially gimmicky fluff that is "The Artist" ever take the Best Picture Oscar over this?

Adapted from Kathryn Stockett's first book of the same name (itself the subject of a nasty court case over character likeness - the lawsuit was eventually thrown out) and Directed by Tate Taylor in 2011 - "The Help" has a virtual flood of truly blistering performances from black and white actresses at the top of their game - women given meaty material they want to do justice to. It's resulted in global box office success and a whopping 53 nominations - followed by as many wins (BAFTA and OSCAR included).

While Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Aunjanue Ellis have rightly been praised for their layered portrayals - I was blown away by the most difficult role of all - that of the odious Hilly Holbrook played by Bryce Dallas Howard. All nail-manicured, freckled-faced and shocked at any suggestion of impropriety - Howard is awesome as a truly hateful white woman with meanness literally hardwired into her DNA. Hilly Holbrook lords it over her cackling local ladies with the fist of a dictator - she sits in her car and spitefully takes pleasure as she watches a black maid who crossed her be arrested by white cops - in the bathroom she marks the individual toilet sheets with a pen to see if her black maid crosses that sanitation line. You literally despise this vacuous witch with every molecule of your being and would gladly whack her across her perfectly combed-back hairdo with a large still-hot skillet. Jessica Chastain too as the blonde and ample social outcast Celia Foote who is perceived as a husband robber but is just lost - another belter of a performance. Lesley Jordan as the less-than-subtle newspaper editor, Sissy Spacek as the mentally ailing mum, Mary Steenburgen as a New York book editor - so many class acts.

The story goes like this - a headstrong 22-year Southern gal called Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan decides to step up from her bottom-of-the-ladder job on a local newspaper as a columnist on 'cleaning tips' and become a real writer (anything to avoid her mother's constant scheming towards marriage). Her subject matter is going to be the black maids who raised the white children of Alabama and their side of the story. The author will be 'Anonymous' and the book will be entitled "The Help". But of course because of fear and intimidation it doesn't prove easy to document and the journey tests Skeeter's loyalties and personal courage to the maximum too (spot-on casting in the lovely and hugely talented Emma Stone). It proves even more traumatic to her 'one-of-the-gals' mother Charlotte (a stupendous turn from Allison Janney) who makes a staggeringly crass mistake on the back of white peer pressure.

But to get started - Skeeter needs a cohort. So when a middle-aged maid she knows gets fired - Skeeter gets her first interviewee. Giving a deeply touching and humane performance, Viola Davis plays Aibileen Clark. Aibileen is 53, works 8 am to 4pm six days a week as a cook, cleaner, maid and full-time nanny (she's mothered 17 children in her life) - and all for peanuts money. And like her mother and grandmother before here - she is virtually a house slave to whatever white family will employ her. This time it's Raleigh and Elizabeth Leefolt and their 3-year daughter Mae Mobley. Aibileen has also lost her grown-up son Treelore to haphazard white working practices and now her job over a trumped-up 'theft of silver' charge. Aibileen may be reluctant at first - but when she sees the sincerity of Skeeter - and feels the need to tell the truth - the stories and details of home-by-home racism come pouring out. But Aibileen loves children - and even when useless mom Elizabeth callously fires her - Aibileen grabs the vulnerable and hurting child Mae Mobley - and in tears - reiterates her mantra of life positivity to her (its dialogue titles this review).

Aibileen's best friend is Minny Jackson - an ace cook and rotund force of nature (despite her husband's occasional beatings). After a hilarious incident involving pie and a non-nutritional substance contained within it (a really great joke that is milked for a good twenty minutes) - she too becomes involved (an unbelievably good Octavia Spencer).

Skeeter's nanny is the elderly and wise Constantine (beautifully played by veteran actress Cicely Tyson) - a source of love, encouragement and constancy in Skeeter's life. Skeeter has so many warm memories of her. Constantine pleating her hair on the porch as a child, Constantine comforting her as young teenager on prom night when the local boys cruelly label her as 'ugly'. But Skeeter can't find out why Constantine suddenly left after 29 years of loyal service. What her mum is hiding is later played out to chilling effect. Allison Janney's character Charlotte is verbally browbeaten into firing Constantine by some cold-blooded Daughter Of The South for some menial infringement. And as Charlotte closes the screen-door on a woman who has given her family a lifetime of love - her trembling hurt is raw like an open wound. It's absolutely heartbreaking. It can't have been an easy scene for even the experienced Janney to do. Her character's later redemption of sorts is convincing and moving.

Getting back to the darker side - there are scenes that shock - make you feel deeply uncomfortable. Black people stream up the concrete steps at the side of the cinema marked `colored entrance' - rich beauty-parlour white mothers talk about diseases being passed from negroes to their white children through toilets in the presence of their maids (they actually try to pass a bill to build separate latrines in every home) and worst of all - the chilling reading out of the "Mississippi" Law Book which will have you wincing in your seat in disbelief. There's the word 'nigra' used as a weapon - the hypocrisy of raising 'benefit' money for children in Africa - the husband who quickly bails from the dinner table as his black maid asks for a loan to put both of her sons through college…

Filmed on location in Greenwood, Mississippi - the homes and interiors are all real - and Stephen Goldblatt's incredible cinematography of the local scenery gives all of its 146 minutes a deeply rich hue. Better still - it's defaulted to 1.85:1 aspect ratio - so the picture fills your entire screen (no bars top or bottom). It means that the BLU RAY image is full-on beautiful all of the time. Add to this a gorgeous and emotive score by THOMAS NEWMAN ("The Shawshank Redemption", "Green Mile", "The Road To Perdition" etc) and the whole thing feels special the moment it opens. The only downer for me came at the film's end in the form of the ubiquitous saccharine ballad - the cheesy and formulaic 'Living Proof' by Mary J. Blige. It would have been far better to simply play out to Newman's affecting music - and classier too.

EXTRAS: even though it's only 24 minutes long - the 'Making Of' is genuinely informative and even moving in places. The Author Kathryn Stockett and Director Tate Taylor are from Jackson, Mississippi and have known each other since childhood. More importantly they both came from broken homes and had black maids whom they loved and admired. It was a story they felt had to be told. Combining this with the magic touch of Steven Spielberg (one of the Executive Producers) - and you begin to understand why and how the lovely tone of the film was achieved and maintained - the right people were let do the job and not some Hollywood name. At just under 12 minutes duration - the 'In Their Own Words...' extra where Tate Taylor and Octavia Spencer talk to real 'Maids of Mississippi' is too short - but what there is of it - is wonderfully insightful and uplifting.

To sum up - touching, funny, horrifying and ultimately moving - "The Help" blew my family and myself away.

Well done to Kathryn Stockett, Tate Taylor, DreamWorks and all the good souls who fought to see it made.

BLU RAY Specifications:
PICTURE: 1080p High Def, 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
AUDIO: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; French, Spanish and Russian Dolby Digital 5.1
SUBTITLES: English SDH, French, Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian
EXTRAS:
1. The Making Of The Help: From Friendship To Film (24 minutes)
2. In Their Own Words: A Tribute To The Maids Of Mississippi (12 minutes)
3. Deleted Scenes With Introductions by Director Tate Taylor (3 scenes)
4. "The Living Proof" Video (by Mary J. Blige)