THE SHAPE OF WATER [2017 / 2018] [Blu-ray + Digital HD] [UK Release]
Academy Award Winning Timeless Fairy Tale Masterpiece!
From master storyteller, Guillermo del Toro, comes an other-worldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962. In the hidden government laboratory where she works, lonely mute cleaner Elisa Esposito [Sally Hawkins] is trapped in a life of silence and isolation. Elisa Esposito’s life is changed forever when Elisa Esposito and co-worker Zelda Fuller [Octavia Spencer] discover a secret classified experiment.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2017 Bram Stoker Awards: Nomination: Screenplay for Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. 2017 Golden Schmoes Awards: Win: Best Director of the Year for Guillermo del Toro. Nomination: Best Supporting Actress of the Year for Octavia Spencer. Nomination: Best Supporting Actor of the Year for Richard Jenkins (actor). Nomination: Best Screenplay of the Year. Nomination: Best Actress of the Year for Sally Hawkins. Nomination: Favourite Movie of the Year. Nomination: Best T&A of the Year for Sally Hawkins. Nomination: Favourite Movie Poster of the Year. 2017 Hollywood Film Awards: Win: Editor of the Year for Sidney Wolinsky. 2017 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Statuette Awards: Win: Best Film for Guillermo del Toro. 2017 Venice Film Festival: Win: CICT-UNESCO C. Smithers Foundation Award for Guillermo del Toro. Win: Future Film Festival Digital Award for Guillermo del Toro. Win: Golden Lion for Best Film for Guillermo del Toro. Win: Soundtrack Stars Award for Best Soundtrack for Alexandre Desplat. 2018 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Achievement in Directing for Guillermo del Toro. Win: Best Motion Picture of the Year for Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale. Win: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) for Alexandre Desplat. Win: Best Achievement in Production Design for Jeffrey A. Melvin, Paul D. Austerberry and Shane Vieau. Nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Sally Hawkins. Nomination: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Richard Jenkins. Nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Octavia Spencer. Nomination: Best Original Screenplay for Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. Nomination: Best Achievement in Cinematography for Dan Laustsen. Nomination: Best Achievement in Costume Design for Luis Sequeira. Nomination: Best Achievement in Sound Editing for Nathan Robitaille and Nelson Ferreira. Nomination: Best Achievement in Sound Mixing for Brad Zoern, Christian T. Cooke and Glen Gauthier. Nomination: Best Achievement in Film Editing and Sidney Wolinsky. 2018 Golden Globes: Win: Best Director in a Motion Picture for Guillermo del Toro. Win: Best Original Score in a Motion Picture for Alexandre Desplat. Nomination: Best Motion Picture in a Drama. Nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture in a Drama for Sally Hawkins. Nomination: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Richard Jenkins. Nomination: Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Octavia Spencer. Nomination: Best Screenplay in a Motion Picture for Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. 2018 BAFTA Film Awards: Win: Best Production Design for Jeffrey A. Melvin, Paul D. Austerberry and Shane Vieau. Win: Original Music for Alexandre Desplat. Win: David Lean Award for Direction for Guillermo del Toro. Nomination: Best Screenplay (Original) for Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. Nomination: Best Costume Design for Luis Sequeira. Nomination: Best Editing for Sidney Wolinsky. Nomination: Best Film for Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale. Nomination: Best Cinematography for Dan Laustsen. Nomination: Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer. Nomination: Best Leading Actress for Sally Hawkins. Nomination: Best Sound for Brad Zoern, Christian T. Cooke, Glen Gauthier and Nathan Robitaille. Nomination: Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects for Dennis Berardi, P. Kevin Scott and Trey Harrell. 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Nomination: Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for Sally Hawkins. Nomination: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Richard Jenkins. 2018 AACTA International Awards: Nomination: Best Film. Nomination: Best Direction for Guillermo del Toro. Nomination: Best Lead Actress for Sally Hawkins. 2018 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA: Win: Best Fantasy Film. Nomination: Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. Nomination: Best Writing for Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. Nomination: Best Actress for Sally Hawkins. Nomination: Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer. Nomination: Best Production Design for Paul D. Austerberry. Nomination: Best Editing for Sidney Wolinsky. Nomination: Best Music for Alexandre Desplat. Nomination: Best Make-Up for Mike Hill and Shane Mahan. 2018 AFI Awards, USA: Win: Movie of the Year. 2018 American Cinema Editors: Nomination: Best Edited Dramatic Feature Film for Sidney Wolinsky. American Society of Cinematographers: Nomination: Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases for Dan Laustsen. 2018 Art Directors Guild: Win: Excellence in Production Design Award for Period Film for Paul D. Austerberry (production designer), Nigel Churcher (art director), David Best (first assistant art director), David G. Fremlin (first assistant art director), William Cheng (first assistant art director), Evan Webber (first assistant art director), Danny Haeberlin (first assistant art director), Jeremy Gillespie (first assistant art director), Jane Stoiacico (second assistant art director), Matthew Lammerich (scenic artist), Guy Davis (concept artist), Vincent Proce (concept artist), Shane Vieau (set decorator) and Jeffrey A. Melvin (set decorator). 2018 Association of Motion Picture Sound Award: Nomination: Excellence in Sound for a Feature Film for Christian T. Cooke, Glen Gauthier and Nathan Robitaille. 2018 BMI Film & TV Awards: Win: Film Music for Alexandre Desplat. 2018 Casting Society of America: Nomination: Outstanding Achievement in Casting and Studio or Independent Feature in a Drama for Jonathan Oliveira (associate) and Robin D. Cook. 2018 Cinema Audio Society, USA: Nomination: Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures for Live Action for Glen Gauthier (producton mixer), Christian T. Cooke (re-recording mixer), Brad Zoern (re-recording mixer), Peter Cobbin (scoring mixer), Chris Navarro (adr mixer) and Peter Persaud (foley mixer). 2018 Costume Designers Guild Awards: Win: Excellence in Period Film for Luis Sequeira. 2018 Directors Guild of America: Win: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale (unit production manager) (plaque), Dennis Chapman (production manager) (plaque), Pierre Henry (first assistant director) (plaque) and Tyler Delben (second assistant director) (plaque). 2018 Directors Guild of Canada: Win: Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing in a Feature Film for Nathan Robitaille (supervising sound editor), Nelson Ferreira (dialogue and adr supervisor), Jill Purdy (dialogue editor), Rob Hegedus (music editor), Kevin Howard (sound effects editor), Alex Bullick (sound effects editor), Dashen Naidoo (sound effects editor), Tyler Whitham (sound effects editor) and Dustin Harris (music editor). 2018 Evening Standard British Film Awards: Nomination: Best Actress for Sally Hawkins. 2018 Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association: Win: Dorian Award for Film Performance of the Year for Actress Sally Hawkins. Win: Dorian Award for Visually Striking Film of the Year. Nomination: Dorian Award for Film of the Year. Nomination: Dorian Award for Director of the Year (Film or Television) for Guillermo del Toro. Nomination: Dorian Award for Film Performance of the Year for a Supporting Actor for Richard Jenkins. Nomination: Dorian Award for Screenplay of the Year for Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. 2018 Gran Premio Internazionale del Doppiaggio: Win: Best Picture. Win: Best Leading Voice Actor for Pino Insegno for the dubbing of Michael Shannon. 2018 Hollywood Makeup Artist and Hair Stylist Guild Awards: Nomination: Best Special Makeup Effects in a Feature-Length Motion Picture for Mike Hill and Shane Mahan. 2018 Hugo Awards: Nomination: Best Dramatic Presentation in Long Form for Guillermo del Toro (writer/director) and Vanessa Taylor (writer). 2018 Imagen Foundation Awards: Nomination: Best Picture. Nomination: Best Director for Guillermo del Toro. 2018 Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA: Nomination: Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing and Music Score for Feature Film for Cam McLauchlin (music editor), Dustin Harris (music editor) and Rob Hegedus (music editor). Nomination: Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing in Dialogue and ADR for Feature Film for Jill Purdy (dialogue editor), Nathan Robitaille (supervising sound editor) and Nelson Ferreira (supervising dialogue editor). Nomination: Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Sound Effects and Foley for Feature Film for Nathan Robitaille (supervising sound editor), Tyler Whitham (sound effects editor), Dashen Naidoo (sound effects editor), Kevin Howard (sound effects editor), Alex Bullick (sound effects editor), Steve Baine (foley artist), Peter Persaud (foley editor) and Gina Gyles (foley editor). 2018 Palm Springs International Film Festival: Win: Chairman's Vanguard Award for Doug Jones, Guillermo del Toro, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Jenkins and Sally Hawkins. 2018 Society of Camera Operators: Nomination: Camera Operator of the Year Award for Feature Film for Gilles Corbeil. 2018 Writers Guild of America: Nomination: Original Screenplay for Guillermo del Toro. 2019 Grammy Awards: Nomination: Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for Alexandre Desplat (composer). Nomination: Best Instrumental Composition for Alexandre Desplat (composer) for composition ‘The Shape of Water.’ Nomination: Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for Alexandre Desplat (arranger) for composition ‘The Shape of Water.’ 2019 Robert Festival: Nomination: Best English Language Film (Årets engelsksprogede film) for Guillermo del Toro.
FILM FACT No.2: According to an interview with The Wrap [internet], Guillermo Del Toro was torn between making the film in colour or in black and white, and was at one point leaning towards the latter. Fox Searchlight Pictures offered Del Toro either a $20 million budget to make the film in colour or a $17 million budget to shoot it in black and white. "That was honestly a battle I was expecting to lose," Guillermo Del Toro said to The Wrap. "I was of two minds. On the one hand I thought black-and-white would look luscious, but on the other hand I thought it would look postmodern, like I was being reflective rather than immersed. It's good, because it got me three million more." Principal photography began on the 15th August, 2016, in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, and wrapped on the 6th November, 2016.
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones (Amphibian Man), David Hewlett, Nick Searcy, Stewart Arnott, Nigel Bennett, Lauren Lee Smith, Martin Roach, Allegra Fulton, John Kapelos, Morgan Kelly, Marvin Kaye, Dru Viergever, Wendy Lyon, Cody Ray Thompson, Diego Fuentes, Madison Ferguson, Jayden Greig, Karen Glave, Danny Waugh, Dan Lett, Deney Forrest, Brandon McKnight, Clyde Whitham, Jonelle Gunderson, Cameron Laurie, Evgeny Akimov, Sergey Nikonov, Vanessa Oude-Reimerink, Alexey Pankratov, Shaila D'Onofrio, Edward Tracz (Amphibian Man Dance Double), Samuel Bisson (uncredited), Terry Brandon (uncredited), Glen Brough (uncredited), Cyndy Day (uncredited), Guillermo del Toro (Amphibian Man voice) (uncredited), Maxine Grossman (uncredited), Shane Clinton Jarvis (uncredited), Matthew MacCallum (uncredited), Jim Pagiamtzis (uncredited), Dave Reachill (uncredited), Nathan Robitaille (Amphibian Man voice) (uncredited), Amanda Smith (uncredited) and Joe Vercillo (uncredited)
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Producers: Chuck Ryant, Daniel Kraus, Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale, John O'Grady and T.K. Knowles
Screenplay: Guillermo del Toro (screenplay/story) and Vanessa Taylor (screenplay)
Composer: Alexandre Desplat
Costume Designer: Luis Sequeira
Cinematography: Dan Laustsen, A.S.C., D.F.F. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Colour and Black-and-White dream sequence)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 5.1 Descriptive Audio
Española: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
François: 5.1 DTS Audio
Spanish [Castellano]: 5.1 DTS Audio
Deutsch: 5.1 DTS Audio
Português: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Russian: 5.1 DTS Audio
Ukrainian: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Española, François, Spanish [Castellano], Dansk, Nederland, François, Deutsch, Italian, Norsk [Norwegian], Português [Brazil], Russian, Svenska [Swedish], Estonia, Latvian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian
Running Time: 123 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: 20th Century Fox / Fox Searchlight Pictures / TSG Entertainment
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: In the film ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER’ [2017] Director Guillermo del Toro’s blends whimsical fairy tale with a fresh spin on classic monster films for a beautiful and delightful experience, where the director introduces many to the filmmaker's bread and butter: whimsy and romance mixed with horror. At the start of the film, we find mute Elisa Esposito [Sally Hawkins] works nights as a cleaning lady for a secret government laboratory research centre in Baltimore in the early 1960s. Elisa Esposito and her talkative best friend, Zelda Fuller [Octavia Spencer], co-worker and friend who serves as Elisa Esposito interpreter, start cleaning one of the rooms and discovers some kind of non-human being in the form of an Amphibian Man [Doug Jones] in a tank full of water. Finding herself drawn to him, Elisa Esposito keeps visiting the Amphibian Man, and bringing him hard-boiled eggs and playing music.
Set against the backdrop of the US-Soviet Space Race, ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER’ sees Sally Hawkins deliver an Oscar® worthy turn as Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaner who develops the unlikeliest of relationships with a mysterious humanoid that is housed at the government facility where she works. However, it isn’t long before their risky relationship puts them at odds with Colonel Richard Strickland [Michael Shannon] who is a very sadistic United States Colonel who initially pulled the creature out from a South American river.
But because of the cruel and vicious Colonel Richard Strickland is always violently treating the creature as an enemy, Elisa Esposito decides to break him out and enlists the aid of her loyal next-door neighbour, a commercial artist Giles [Richard Jenkins], and is unexpectedly helped by scientist Robert Hoffstetler [Michael Stuhlbarg], who doesn't want to see the creature killed and dissected. With the Amphibian Man creature living in her bathtub, Elisa Esposito realizes that she must free him. But does she have enough time? And what's the secret of their mysterious connection?
For any number of reasons, the character of Elisa Esposito is the kind of role that comes along just once a lifetime, and Sally Hawkins meets it with the Oscar winning performance, in showing her keen observational eye and puckish comic touch to an emotional intensity and shivery eroticism that might make you wriggles with total delight. And the early bathtub scene establishes Elisa Esposito character as an enthusiastically sexual being, regardless of the lack of a partner at hand. Whereas the character Giles is similarly cagey, though for different reasons, because he is in the closet, with a love-life that doesn't extend beyond gentle flirtations with the guy behind the counter at his local diner.
In the hands of director Guillermo Del Toro, the strangest of premises is transformed into one of the most consistently beautiful love stories to have played out on the big screen in years and it’s largely down to the strong sense of innocence and humanity that stops it from playing out like an interspecies freak show. Sally Hawkins, too, has never been better, anchoring the film with an incredibly powerful performance as she lets her face do all the talking. Ultimately, Guillermo Del Toro’s masterpiece is an utter triumph in finding love and humanity in the most unlikely of places, and it asks us to do exactly the same.
Fantastic director Guillermo Del Toro clearly put everything he had into this wonderful monster come romantic film, from a beautiful labyrinth visual scenario to a powerful story of love and empathy. Certainly ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER’ comes from a very strange idea, but at the same time it is so lovely and so open-hearted put together, that it never puts a step wrong. Given that it's structured, like Guillermo Del Toro's similar spectacular film ‘Pan's Labyrinth,’ as a kind of fairy tale, viewers may notice that it's easy to see where the story is probably going, but overall ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER’ is less about the payoff, or even the mystery, than it is all about simply connecting in the best possible way.
It's interesting that director Guillermo del Toro spends quality time focusing on other connections within the story, from husband-and-wife relationships to a spurned crush. Even the friendship between Elisa Esposito and Zelda Fuller, where one of them never speaks, whereas the other character is always constantly speaking in a very amusingly off-kilter way. But what is brilliant near the end of the film is the nasty belligerent misogynous dinosaur Right Wing Republican Richard Strickland [Michael Shannon] gets his justified comeuppance.
The film seems to be saying that as long as something feels real, then it is real. The characters are supported by the brilliant set designs, which frame characters in a totally unique and specific ways. There is also a striking use of the colour green, as well as thematic uses of water, especially for cooking, bathing, and as a force for destruction. All in all, ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER’ is one of director Guillermo del Toro's absolute best and totally amazing beautiful magical film to date.
THE SHAPE OF WATER MUSIC TRACK LIST
YOU’LL NEVER KNOW (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Mack Gordon) (Arranged and Conducted by Alexandre Desplat) [Performed by Renée Fleming & The London Symphony Orchestra]
THE STORY OF RUTH (Written by Franz Waxman) (Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)
I WENT TO MARKET (Written by Bill Robinson) [Performed by Bill Robinson aka Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson] From the motion picture ‘The Little Colonel’ (1935)
BABALU (Written by Margarita Lecuona) [Performed by Caterina Valente and Silvio Francesco]
SPACE RACE (Written by Roger Suen) [Performed by Roger Suen]
PRETTY BABY (Written by Egbert Van Alstyne, Tony Jackson and Gus Kahn) [Performed by Betty Grable] From the motion picture ‘Coney Island’ (1943)
FASHION PAPRADE (Written Roger Suen) [Performed by Roger Suen]
YOU’LL NEVER KNOW (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Mack Gordon) [Performed by Alice Faye] From the motion picture ‘Hello, Frisco, Hello’ (1943)
HELLO FRISCO (Written by Louis Frisch and Gene Buck) [Performed by Alice Faye] From the motion picture ‘Hello, Frisco, Hello’ (1943)
MONTY’S MOUSTACHE WAX (Written by Mark Gordon, Paul Steel and Rory Andrew)
DREAMIN’ (Written by Jerry Burnham and Raun Burnham)
I KNOW WHY (and So Do You) (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Mack Gordon) [Performed by Glenn Miller with Pat Friday, John Payne & The Modernaires] From the Motion Picture ‘Sun Valley Serenade’ (1941)
FLITTING ABOUT (Written by Wilfred Burns)
OCHI CHERNEY (Traditional)
HOW WRONG CAN I BE (Written by Fred Karger and Alex Gottlieb) [Performed by Marilyn Monroe]
THEME FROM A SUMMER PLACE (Written by Max Steiner and Mack Discant) [Performed by Andy Williams]
CHICA CHICA BOOM CHIC (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Mack Gordon) [Performed by Carmen Miranda]
CHICA CHICA BOOM CHIC (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Mack Gordon) [Performed by Carmen Miranda] From the motion picture ‘That Night in Rio’ (1941)
I’LL REMEMBER TONIGHT (Written by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster) [Performed by Pat Boone] From the motion picture ‘Mardi Gras’ (1958)
THE WIDE MISSOURI (Shenandoah) (Traditional) [Performed by The Corps of Cadets of the Virginia Military Institute and Tommy Sands] From the motion picture ‘Mardi Gras (1958)
SEMPRE FIDELLIS (Written by John Philip Sousa) [Arranged by Raoul Kraushaar, Marlin Skiles] From the TV Series ‘Mister Ed’ (1958)
COMEDY BRIDGE #68 (Written by Raoul Kraushaar, Marlin Skiles) From the TV Series ‘Mister Ed’ (1958)
LA JAVANAISE (Music by Serge Gainsbourg) (Lyrics by Serge Gainsbourg) [Performed by Madeleine Peyroux]
YOU RANG (Written By Lionel Newman) [Performed by Lionel Newman] From the TV Series ‘The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis’ (1959)
THE SPIRIT OF V.M.I. (Written by Benjamin Bowering) From the motion picture ‘Mardi Gras’ (1958)
YOU’LL NEVER KNOW (Music by Harry Warren) (Lyrics by Mack Gordon) (Vocal Production by Alexandre Desplat) [Performed by Alice Faye]
CUES FROM THE EPISODE ‘THE HUNTED’ (Written by Hugo Friedhofer, Bernard Herrmann, Lionel Newman) From the motion picture from ‘Hong Kong’ (1960)
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Blu-ray Image Quality – 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and TSG Entertainment presents us with a stunning 1080p image and is enhanced with an equally stunning 1.85:1 aspect ratio to show off the film in the best way possible, which is helped by the brilliant director Guillermo del Toro in showing us his vision of how he wants the audience to appreciate everything they view. Because the film is set in the 1960’s, it visually gives a totally fantastical vision, so giving a very tremendous amount of rich image detail in every scene. With Elisa and Giles apartments, we get a great contrast with a very run down weathered look to their living quarters, which is above the cinema and to an even more dreary view of the ominous security facility that houses the Amphibian Man. Colours like gold and yellows also get their day when the sun comes out in giving the image presentation a notable colourful texture. Black levels are very deep and inky looking and we get a well-balanced contrast to give the image a good sense of depth and dimension. When we get to the swimming scene with Elisa is a real standout moment. So all in all, 20th Century Fox has given us a really amazing Blu-ray disc and fans out there of the film, should be well pleased with the results. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and TSG Entertainment brings us a with a strong 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track, but it is a shame it was not presented in a much more atmospheric ambient sound experience, but despite this, it is still a good audio performance. With the opening dream scene sequence, you get to hear a very whimsical musical score by Alexandre Desplat, while hearing at the same time the screeching hisses of the Amphibian Man, to also the rain-drenched finale of the film. The cast’s dialogue is very cleanly pronounced and is clear throughout the film without any inherent sound problem issues. Sound levels are spot on allowing you to set things at a comfortable level and sit back and enjoy the flick. As the film stands, this is a really awesome and splendid audio mix that serves the nature of the film perfectly and great praise should go to the audio edit team behind the scene who lavished their professional talents for the film ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER.’
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: A Fairy Tale for Troubled Times [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [28:55] With this featurette, it is split up into four separate parts that includes “Love In An Age of War;” “Summoning A Water God;” “Shape, Form, and Function” and “Aquatic Melodies.” In them we get lots of really good interviews and especially a fun look behind-the-scene, where in one of them we get to see the director Guillermo del Toro spending time on things like showing one actor how to open an umbrella with some hilarious results. We also get to hear and see subjects relating to the film production elements and especially including items about the very special effects and the film music scoring by composer Alexandre Desplat. So to sum up with this brilliant featurette, is a treasure trove of worthwhile information about the making of a truly superb magical film. It’s full of information, full-colour photos, removable inserts, and lots of fun. It’s expensive but worth it. There’s really not much else to add. I highly recommend you view this exceptional featurette if you are very interested in the film ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER,’ director Guillermo del Toro, or how films are made. I can confirm that you will not be disappointed. Contributors include: Doug Jones [Amphibian Man], Michael Shannon [Richard Strickland], Michael Stuhlbarg [Dr. Robert Hoffstetler], Octavia Spencer [Zelda Fuller], David Hewlett [Fleming], Sally Hawkins [Elisa Esposito], J. Miles Dale [Producer], Guillermo del Toro [Screenplay/Director], Mike Hill [Creature Designer], Shane Mahan [Effects Supervisor & Co-Creature Design], Richard Jenkins [Giles], Dennis Berardi [Visual Effects
Supervisor], Paul D. Austerberry [Production Designer], Luis Sequeira [Costume Design], Dan Laustsen [Director of Photography] and Alexandre Desplat [Composer].
Special Feature: Anatomy of a Scene: Prologue [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [3:14] With this featurette, we have a good look at the creation of the dream-like introduction that sets up the key elements and scenes throughout the rest of the film. We also get to see Guillermo del Toro [Screenplay/Director] discussing things like storyboards, but we also get to view quite some footage from scenes in the film other than the prologue. Despite it being very short, it gives us lots of details and information to enjoy.
Special Feature: Shaping the Waves: A Conversation with James Jean [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [5:05] With this featurette, we get to view another short feature, where we take a good in-depth look at the work of the artist James Jean and of course his work on the film ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER’ and also creating the film poster and other set pieces.
Special Feature: Guillermo del Toro’s Master Class [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [13:27] With this featurette, we get to view a Q & A session with director Guillermo del Toro and some other crew members, which was held at the Zanuck Theater, Los Angeles, California and talks and candidly answering a few questions about the film's technical aspects. Sadly, I wish the session had gone on much longer, as the audiences questions are not really explored in great detail. Still this was very informative and well worth watching, especially if you are a fan like me of the director Guillermo del Toro. Contributors include: Guillermo del Toro [Screenplay/Director], Shane Mahan [Effects Supervisor & Co-Creature Design], Dan Laustsen [Director of Photography], Dennis Berardi [Production Visual Effects Supervisor], Luis Sequeira [Costume Designer] and Paul D. Austerberry [Production Designer].
Theatrical Trailers: With this featurette, we get to view three different Original Theatrical Trailers for the film ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER’ and they are as follows:
Theatrical Trailer [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:32]
Red Band Trailer [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:03]
Red Band Trailer 2 [2017] [1080p] [1.78:1] [2:19]
Finally, ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER’ film is a tremendous force of nature, and one that was a massive box office success, and deservedly so, especially if you look at my information above with the Awards and Nominations it received and deservedly so. As a lover of the old classic Universal Pictures horror films, director Guillermo del Toro pays a whimsical and heartfelt homage to those old black-and-white films, but the director also wanted to look into the realms of human connection and attraction, where the mixture of genres and give ‘THE SHAPE OF WATER’ an even more surreal feeling, with the fantastical elements starkly contrasted by the realistic political undertones. While I am sure out there the film may not be to everyone liking, but hey folks, I hope you reluctant people out there will give the film a chance, as it is well worth the effort and you will be well rewards, especially coming from a genius director Guillermo del Toro, who with all his films, who has an amazing magical visionary imagination. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
