Director Jordan Prince-Wright’s Before Dawn looks at WW1 from the conscripted Australian soldiers’ point of view.
The Film
The most impressive aspect of Before Dawn the second film from co-writer/director Jordan Prince-Wright is the scale and visual acumen that he has at his command in less than two films. The WW1 story of the Anzac, Australian conscripted soldiers, is as harrowing as any others from WW1 and the trench warfare that seemed pointless even at the time.
The film focuses on Jim Collins (Levi Miller) who along with his friends joins the Anzac to go to the Western front. Idealistic to his soul Collins sees the horrors of war firsthand trying to bring some compassion where there is none. As his two-and-half-year journey moves on the young man ages along with those he fights beside to a world-weary man whose only goal is to go home.
Before Dawn is nothing you have not seen before. The plot and characters are drawn from “true life events” but are not singularly telling a soldier’s story. There’s an earnestness to everything that one can appreciate as young men are often idealistic going to war. Here is no different with a group of young men all shaped and damaged by the acts they see firsthand. The film’s story and characters come close to moving from archetypes to stereotypes but the film moves so quickly it all but sidesteps that.
What will draw people to the film is the scale that Prince-Wright and his crew of dedicated artists have produced. The film does not feel or look like a lower-budgeted independent production. The film is as good as any recent war film and visually arresting. One will definitely appreciate the grandeur and scope at which Prince-Wright tells his story. One just wished that more time (both run time and development) was spent on the characters to truly elevate this from good to Great with a capital “G”.
Before Dawn with that aside will find many admirers and shows the promise of a young director whose vision does not seem to be encumbered by something as trivial as a budget. Mr. Prince-Wright, you have my attention, onto the next one… we are waiting excitedly as to what rabbit you have to pull out of your hat next.
The Transfer
I never tire of singing the praises of Well Go USA’s transfers. This one is no different. The film makes the transition to Blu-ray beautifully. The digitally shot film looks crisp and sharp on Blu-Ray. The image shows no signs of defects or any of the issues that come up with digitally shot films. The only way this one could look any better is if Well Go USA released a 4K UHD version of the film. Which one hopes they do (if materials are available).
The Extras
They include the following;
- Behind the Scenes
- Trailer
Behind the Scenes (6:56) – six webisodes created on various aspects of this production that can be played individually or if allowed to run will run all at once. One does wish that there were more footage available and more special features for a massive production we’re given a glimpse at. It should be noted that there was a larger documentary produced by the production but has not been included unfortunately. Maybe on Well Go USA’s 4K release!
- Anzac (1:41) – a look at the actors portraying soldiers of the Anzac’s during WW1.
- Authenticity (0:55) – a look at how they kept the production realistic in all departments to maintain realism for the picture.
- The Director (1:01) – a look at the ambitious production and director Jordan Prince-Wright’s vision from the actors’ and producers’ perspectives.
- In Production (1:29) – the size of the production from the actor and director Prince-Wright.
- The Set (0:55) – how it took 2 years to build the “to scale” sets and how this was accomplished on a super tight budget.
- The Story (0:53) – a discussion of the true life stories of the Anzacs (the Australians conscripted into WW1).
Trailer (2:07)
The Final Thought
Director Jordan Prince-Wright’s visually stunning Before Dawn is a reference quality Blu-ray. Recommended.