The Sleeping Dictionary DVD: Review By Brian

In The Sleeping Dictionary, a young English colonial is sent to the jungles of the Sarawalk during the 1930s. Inside this steamy jungle the officer meets with a beautiful native (Jessica Alba) who is assigned to teach the native language to him. Their tutoring sessions evolve into a passionate bonding of forbidden love. It is not long before this romance is pulled apart by war, as the British troops and the tutor's tribe are enmeshed in battle.

This is premise of The Sleeping Dictionary which is making it's way into the public eye, straight to video, after a few years on the dusty shelves of New Line Cinema.

I was uncertain of Jessica Alba's ability to carry herself in this movie from what I saw on the packaging. The pictures just didn't look right with her in them. Luckily I was wrong. The story takes the twists and turns you'd expect from any good romantic drama, and every move is extremely believable. And surprisingly enough the plot of the film kept me interested the whole way through.

Why New Line didn't release this film in theaters is beyond me. I think it's gonna be harder for this film to find an audience on DVD, but hopefully the rental factor, as well as the cable TV factor will come into to play in finding the film's audience. With the quality of the film being pretty high on the scale, I think audiences will be as pleasantly surprised as I was.

No special features on this disc. You're paying for the film alone here. The only thing you could all "extras" on this DVD, which I don't count, is the theatrical trailer for The Sleeping Dictionary, as well as trailers for Cherish, Storytelling, The Invisible Circus, and The Five Senses.

Presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio, the film plays out beautifully. Once again, the visuals are nothing less in quality then you'd expect from a well produced New Line title. Great colors, great contrast, and a great transfer do this film justice on DVD since it never saw an actual theatrical screen.

The Sleeping Dictionary DVD sounds great as well. Presented in both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtracks, the film does well on any system. Being that this movie is mainly dialog driven, you'll find that your center channel is pushed to the hilt, while the other speakers are left for ambient sounds and the musical score. A nice blend that is ensured to enhance your experience of this film.

Personally, if you're looking to get into a good romantic drama, I'd reccomend getting into The Sleeping Dictionary. You will not be disappointed. What you will find is a solid story, a great cast of characters, and some stunning visuals. A very satisfying cinematic experience.