‘Dance First’ Blu-Ray Review – Samuel Beckett Biopic Yearns For The Creativity Of Its Subject

Literary genius Samuel Beckett (Gabriel Byrne, The Usual Suspects) lived a life of many parts: Parisian bon vivant, WWII Resistance fighter, Nobel Prize-winning playwright, philandering husband, recluse. But despite all the adulation that came his way he was a man acutely aware of his own failings. Titled after Beckett’s famous ethos “Dance first, think later,” the film is a sweeping account of the life of this 20th-century icon.

For in-depth thoughts on Dance First, please see my colleague Jaylan Salah’s review from its original theatrical release here. 

Video Quality

Magnolia Home Entertainment brings Dance First to Blu-Ray with a very fetching 1080p video presentation. The film defaults to be played in color, but the disc also offers a black-and-white version that looks quite nice. The transfer deploys splashes of colors within the costumes and set design that really wakes up the film. Flesh tones are natural with subtle variances showcased well throughout. Contrast holds up really well with a firm grasp on the gradients. The black levels are pretty deep with no major signs of crush, but digital noise does creep in at certain moments in the film. The transfer flourishes when it comes to depth in all spaces. When this film goes into more dimly lit areas, the details are as crisp as ever. The image is clean with no major intrusions. Magnolia has put forth good work.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that offers a clear and faithful soundscape. The music is a lovely presence that settles you into the mood of the narrative. Every piece does a great job of saturating the speakers with ideal fidelity. There is a decent amount of activity in the rear channels, but this is not a story that is going to bring the house down in the low end. Dialogue comes through impeccably without being overshadowed by environmental sounds. Everything is mixed favorably with directional accuracy across all channels. This track delivers on everything that is asked of it. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Black & White Version

Final Thoughts

Dance First shows flashes of the creativity you would expect of a film on this subject, yet in the end it falls in line to be a fairly straightforward biopic. Gabriel Byrne is terrific as Samuel Beckett, but the material simply does not deliver a completely captivating experience. Through these moments being explored, you still do not have a great handle on the man at the center of everything by the time the credits start rolling. It is not a completely unrewarding experience, but you will find yourself yearning for a bit more out of this one. Magnolia Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that sports fantastic A/V presentation and a cool option to watch the film two different ways. If you are interested in the subject, it is worth a watch. 

Dance First is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Magnolia Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.