Finding Neverland
May 2005 Reviewed by: Anthony Di Marco Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Life as seen through the eyes of a child must be beautiful. That sparkle has to be the product of something truly extraordinary, something profoundly fantastic. Many believe children’s innocence fuels their view of the surrounding world. Everything they see is new and untainted, while every idea they conjure is neither restricted by adult science nor crucified by the politics of opinion. The story of Peter Pan defines this concept of untainted innocence feeding boundless imagination.

In Finding Neverland, playwright James Barrie (Johnny Depp) recognizes his loss of innocence. He lives with adults, with whom he has nothing in common, and in a society that looks upon his most recent play as the work of an idiot, not of someone who strives to create images rendered pure by children’s eyes. Barrie is himself a child. Like a child yearning for acceptance, he nervously paces the floor, and periodically peers out from behind curtains. As actors give life to his characters, his mind wanders and visualizes a world that only the innocence of a child knows: one full of bright, blue skies and whimsical creatures that only care to have fun.

Johnny Depp perfectly balances the line that separates the adult Barrie and his inner child. Barrie has no use for politics and the rigid mores of the adult world. When people gossip about his relations with a widow and her children, he wonders why they strive to ruin the good fortune of others. Perhaps they are jealous or bitter toward Barrie for exposing their own loss of innocence amid decrepit and shallow lives.

The video and audio quality of this release are outstanding. Every feature of every element within the frame is brought out in amazing detail, without taking on the artificial sheen of some video transfers. Colors are well balanced. The reds and blacks in the opening scene at the theater are sumptuously rendered. There is nary a hint of edge enhancement. This is a very revealing yet natural video presentation. It is complemented by a soundtrack that never gets in the way. The Academy Award-winning score by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek infuses this beautiful and touching story with a wistful longing that never degenerates into melodrama.

Extras are the weakest part of this DVD, but still good. The commentary by director Marc Forster, writer David Magee, and producer Richard Gladstein offers some playful and insightful anecdotes about the production, and Johnny Depp’s playful banter had me laughing during the outtakes. However, deleted scenes and a couple of junket-type "Making of" featurettes were quite poor.

• Go Back