I'm stunned to see an earlier review specify that "Pageant" is "well done, in all technical elements". I found just the opposite, with poorly-mastered sound all but ruining the film for me.
The music swelled over the voices, the voices fought the ambiance, and the man who spoke in the lowest register forced me to crank up the volume every time he spoke. In fact, I don't recall ever before having to ride the levels during the entire length of a movie, never letting go of the remote for its entire length. I'd get the voices to a volume level that allowed me to make out the words, then the music would crash in and wake my companion. I'd hastily drop the level, then some poor soul on the screen would start mouthing silent words again.
Of course this would be more bearable if the film were closed captioned, but the version that ran on Sundance this week was not.
I enjoyed the film overall despite this handicap but it certainly colored the experience for me. I can't imagine how it got major-market release like this.
