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It's the last few days before a big Indian family wedding, and we're introduced to all different kinds of characters. I applaud Nair most for her ability to create a mosaic of multiple personalities all intermingling, and to attempt both the grandiose and the intimate. We understand the whole through the individual, and Nair balances the fine performances, the pathos, and the comedy with a most delicate but still fanciful touch.

I had some issues with Nair's previous explorations of love and lust, Kama Sutra and Mississippi Masala, because they lacked verve, but not here: Monsoon Wedding has bravado in spades. Admittedly, its predictability keeps it from being a truly great film - the visual flourishes ultimately can't distract enough from the fact that we pretty much know exactly where it's going to go at every turn - but it revels in its inspired individuality even while caring little about being "original." It just wants to entertain, and that it does. It's a fascinating, jovial film, as bright and colorful as it is subtle and surprisingly multifaceted. For lovers of fine cinematic romance, it's a must-see.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen, admittedly this still looks marvelous. From the bright, fervent colors of the opening titles to the gorgeous saffrons and blues, everything about this transfer is wonderful. Colors are rock solid and perfectly saturated, with excellent blacks and contrast. Detail is well above average despite the lack of anamorphic encoding, with very nice shadow delineation and little in the way of compression artifacts or any edge enhancement to detract. Great stuff, even if the lack of a real anamorphic transfer is a disappointment.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Presented in Hindi and English Dolby Digital 5.1, this mix is almost as good as the transfer. Dynamic range is nice and robust if a bit bright in the high end, although still offering a full-bodied midrange that really comes alive with the score. The music is alive and vibrant, well directed across the entire soundstage, with some nice discrete effects, too. Dialogue is clear in either language, with a fairly strong low end to give the mix real depth. A very nice presentation.

Also included are English captions encoded as a subtitle stream and Spanish subtitles, but no true Closed Captioning.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Only two extras are included, but they are both good enough to make you forget there isn't more. Up first we have The Making of Monsoon Wedding featurette, a slight if entertaining peek behind the scenes with the typical interviews and brief production footage. But Mira Nair and the eager cast are winning, so there are worse ways to spend 12 minutes.

Certainly, the real shining star of this collection is the screen-specific audio commentary by Nair. She's eloquent, well- spoken, imaginative and offers plenty of great insight into the cinematic evolution of this sleeper. It's a wonderful commentary track filled with grandeur and honesty, and even those who may not care for the film should give it a listen.

No other extras are provided, not even the trailer.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts