The Show
Short for Faubourg Tremé--part of the Mid-City district, one of New Orleans' oldest neighborhoods--Treme recounts the personal tales of a bunch of disparate characters from all walks of life. Many of them are working musicians, or something on the outskirts of the music scene, and their lives and loves and fortunes are intertwined as each struggles to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which we are told at the outset did its thing just three months before The Complete First Season begins.
A show like Treme, which airs on HBO and pulls no punches, is a chance for mainstream America to view the lasting devastation of Katrina and gain a truer understanding of the hardships before, during and after. By virtue of its ten-hour running time combined with consistently outstanding storytelling, it presents a deeper and more meaningful portrait of life in New Orelans than I have ever seen. At times the language is harsh but the dialogue is also thoughtful and beautiful. Nature, ignorance and ineptitude did a number on this city, but the people refuse to quit.
Most of them, anyway.
The Picture
This is one of the best-looking HBO series to hit Blu-ray: cleaner, more detailed and more natural than I've been seeing on titles like True Blood and Hung. Shadows could be more nuanced though, and I noted moiré on a gate, some noise on night scenes and elsewhere. The 16:9 image does go strangely soft occasionally, possibly because certain shots were zoomed in upon during post-production, recomposing them for editing purposes.
The Sound
The sound of this series is simply magnificent. Not content to present loads of amazing music brilliantly played and recorded, the DTS-HD Master 5.1 track goes further to put us right there during every sort of "performance," whether we are marching in a parade, hanging speakers out a window, or just chilling in a jazz club. In blues, Dixieland and more, the brass is a particular star.
The tunes are often interwoven with dialogue and perhaps a bit of sound effects. Even a simple trip over a bridge is brought to active multichannel life, and helicopters overhead subtly remind us where we are and what is going on.
The Extras
Two interactive features are exclusive to Blu-ray. "Down in the Treme: A Look at the Music and Culture of New Orleans" explores five different topics with unique content for each episode. The categories of Music (artists from the soundtrack), Players (character biographies), Lexicon (the regional vernacular on display), Locale (the neighborhoods of Crescent City) and Cuisine (detailed descriptions of popular dishes) can be easily navigated along the bottom of the screen with the touch of a button. "The Music of Treme" is an alternate way to find out more about the music whenever it appears, even on the radio in the background, across the season.
There are a total of five audio commentaries, from creators/executive producers David Simon and Eric Overmeyer, executive producer Nina Kostroff Noble, producer/director Anthony Hemingway, writer George Pelecanos, actors Khandi Alexander, Wendell Pierce and John Goodman, plus TV critic Alan Sepinwall. We are also given expert music commentary on selected performances in each episode by disc jockeys Josh Jackson and Patrick Jarenwattananon.
The Making of Treme is a brief (14-minute) overview of the series' genesis, filled with scenes, disparate interviews and on-location video. "Treme: Beyond Bourbon Street" (29 minutes) is a study of the real Tremé and its rich history. Both of these are in HD.
Final Thoughts
The ways these folks manage to hang onto their pride while their families, their homes, their very community are in danger of falling apart is clearly the stuff of compelling drama. Over these ten episodes they fight to maintain their dignity, and maybe even find a little justice. Missing this Blu-ray might not be a crime, but it certainly would be a shame.
Product Details
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