DVD Review: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner is a moving, sincere piece of art. Despite that, most audiences might not have even noticed that it went through the theaters like a desert breeze. It’s made a modest showing internationally, and pulled in $15.4 million in its limited US release. Critics, however, remained mixed, although most of the negative reviews placed the film up against the poetic genius of its source material – the best selling novel by Khaled Hosseini.

With all the hype surrounding the book and the excitement of it coming to the screen via director Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction), the DVD release may come as a surprise for those who looked for it on their local marquee and never found it. It also comes as good news.

After spending most of his life in California, Amir (Khalid Abdalla) is forced to reconcile with his past in Afghanistan in order to prove loyalty to his childhood friend Hassan (Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada). The film chronicles their early years dealing with the brutality of bullies, the infiltration of the Soviets that force the two friends apart, and life in the United States where Amir finds love and normalcy.

Characterized by sweeping shots and brilliant performances by young actors Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada and Zekeria Ebrahimi, the movie plays well, of course, on the small screen. The intense shots of kites swooping and diving through the heights of the Afghani countryside lose none of their luster, and the rest of the film is made for an intimate setting.

The DVD has the standard video and sound settings. Unfortunately, beyond the film, it’s lacking in special features. It has commentary from the director, the author of the novel, and the screenwriter, as well as a beautifully done segment featuring words from the novel and art renderings from the film.

Despite a lack in featurettes, the real joy of owning this DVD is for the film itself. It’s an incredible drama that captures a fragile culture in the throes of upheaval as it mirrors the friendship of two young boys.

《追風箏的人》是一部感人的、真摯的藝術作品。除此之外，大多數的觀眾可能沒有注意到它像一陣沙漠之風般席卷了影院。它低調地引起了來自各國的關注，光是在美國的有限發行就賺取了1540萬美元。然而評論家們看法不一，雖然大多數的負面評論都把電影拿來與它的如詩般的原著—卡勒德·胡塞尼的暢銷書作比較。

帶著對原著的高度關注和對導演馬克·福斯特將其搬上大熒幕的興奮期待，DVD 的發行對那些想在自己本土觀看這部電影卻又找不到片子的觀眾來說是一個驚喜，也是一個好消息。

在加利福尼亞度過一大半人生之后，阿米爾被迫重新去尋找他在阿富汗的過去，以此來證明他對他的童年伙伴哈山的忠誠。這部電影用倒敘的方式一一講述了他們童年時和野蠻的暴力作斗爭、蘇聯的入侵迫使兩個伙伴分離、以及阿米爾此后在美國的生活，在美國阿米爾找到了真愛和自我。

有著令人驚嘆的電影鏡頭和兩位年輕演員Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada和Zekeria Ebrahim精湛的表演，這部電影在小熒幕上也能表現出色。那些風箏俯沖和劃破阿富汗鄉村長空的驚險鏡頭十分出彩，電影的余下部分制造著一種溫馨的氛圍。

DVD有著合乎標準的視頻和音響效果。令人遺憾的是，除了電影，它缺少特別收錄。它有來自導演、小說作者和劇本作者評論，以及一段制作精良的來自小說的旁白和來自電影的藝術美感。

雖然缺少特別收錄的短片，但是擁有這部電影的DVD的樂趣在電影本身。這是一部令人難以置信的的電影，有著一種令人內心疼痛的脆弱美感，因為它反應了兩個小男孩的真摯友誼。