|
|
 |
Thelma & Louise: 20th Anniversary Edition
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - MGM Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (10th March 2011). |
|
The Film
 "Thelma & Louise" will be remembered for a lot of things, foremost a feminist empowerment film, the two incredible performances by the film's two leads, that iconic ending and also for introducing Brad Pitt and his perfectly toned abs to the world, which according to my girlfriend, most girls agree this is one of the most paused moments in a film for them (recently a top ten list of the most paused moments was compiled here but the list seems very male-centered). "Thelma & Louise" marked a new direction for female characters in film, the late eighties and early nineties were instrumental in developing the string female character, a character that no longer conformed to the mold of the "housewife", this woman worked hard, was empowered and controlled their own destiny. Over those years we saw characters that broke the mold in exceptional ways, director Ridley Scott was one of the first to do so casting a woman has is lone-survivor and hero in his fantastic sci-fi horror "Alien" (1979) and that tradition continued with James Cameron in the sequel "Aliens" (1986) as well as his Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) character from "Terminator" (1984) and "Terminator 2: Judgement Day". Sarah Tobias (Jodie Foster) in "The Accused" (1988), as well as Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda), Violet Newstead (Lily Tomlin) and Doralee Rhodes (Dolly Parton) characters from the comedy "9 to 5" (1980) can all stand along side both Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) as iconic feminist film figures. Released in 1991, "Thelma & Louise" was a huge commercial hit that resonated with audiences. The film was highly reviewed and would go on to earn six Academy Awards, winning just one for screenplay written directly for the screen, a deserving nod to the film's then first-time screenwriter Callie Khouri. She's produced a script that follows a tight narrative with characters that feel totally developed and realistic enough to relate to. Their lives mirror so many women whom seek to break their chains of conformity and embark on their own adventure of self discovery... and along the way commit some crimes that leads to much deeper water than expected. "Thelma & Louise" tells the story of housewife Thelma (Geena Davis) and waitress and long-time friend Louise (Susan Sarandon), whom, tired of their everyday lives and husbands/boyfriends, embark on a road trip. On one of their pit stops Thelma is assaulted by a drunken admirer, Louise breaks up the confrontation by killing him... in self defense of course. There were no witnesses, and in a panic, they decide to flee. Meanwhile, a detective, Hal (Harvey Keitel) is investigating the murder and is hot on the two ladies trail as he attempts to bring them in. While on the run, Louise gets in touch with former flame Jimmy (Michael Madsen) who helps the two with some cash. Unfortunately the cash is stolen by a handsome drifter, J.D. (Brad Pitt). desperate and without money, Thelma decides to rob a store, as they continue to embark on their journey. With no other options the girls decide to flee to Mexico, sadly this plan doesn't come to fruition as the film ends on an unexpected and surprising conclusion. The lasting impact of this film has been sustained for twenty years since it's release and it's mostly thanks to the the power behind the story, a plot that features two characters so frustrated and disillusioned by their lives that they decide to cut loose and live free for once. Something that everyone can relate to, not just women. The realistic nature of their portrayal cuts to the heart of the film, and although they commit some crime along the way, we as an audience never feel negatively towards them, the crimes are a product of the situations they find themselves in and justify the actions. I'm not saying it's right they killed a man, or robed a store, or blowing up a creepy trucker's truck, but you do find yourself rooting for them as they have clearly been wronged and the characters are faced with little options. It's either go back and face the music and deal with their emotionally absent partners or continue onwards, free, and without inhibition... for the characters it's an easy choice. This film lives and breathes on it's castings, the right women, with natural chemistry and most importantly, with a likability factor was required and Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis capture these characters brilliantly and with what looks like effortless ease. The production went through almost every female lead in Hollywood that was popular at the time to cast these roles. Many notable stars were considered for the role of Louise and included Annie Potts, Holly Hunter, Michelle Pfeiffer, Frances McDormand, Sela Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Meg Ryan and Melanie Griffith (who was cast in the role but as a result of a pregnancy had to bow out). The casting for Thelma saw the production consider Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Sigourney Weaver, Sissy Spacek, Anjelica Huston and even Tina Turner before settling on Sarandon. With such a formidable list of talent it would have been difficult to cast to the roles, eventually the filmmakers chose Davis and Sarandon mostly because they seemed a right fit for the part and at the time were not as well known as the actresses listed, they were after actresses that could disappear into the roles without their star quality overshadowing the part. That's exactly what Scott was able to find and as a result these two "were" the characters in every possible way. Additional to the cast, the American landscape featured in this film is captured in all its rustic glory by cinematographer Adrian Biddle. The image is naturalistic and makes use of it's 2.35:1 scope and features comes captivating locations and backgrounds. All resembling roads and locations not often travelled, displaying the freedom of the road and idilic Americana with run down gas stations, watering holes and diners. Matched with the score by Hans Zimmer that adds a further depth and matches the images so well helps make this film a wonderful audio and visual experience. One can't begin to discuss this film without making a comment on the ending, if you haven't seen the film I'd advise you to not read further as the ending will be spoiled. How does one begin commenting on the unexpected climax? An ending that has been parodied, copied, referenced in other media since the release of the film. At end of our journey Thelma and Louise find themselves on the precipice of the Grand Canyon. Surrounded by the police and with nowhere to go, the two decide to drive off the cliff and into oblivion, clutching their hands together. The moment is both sad and empowering, it solidifies their bond but also their stubbornness, I'm not certain it's the right ending for the film, but it's certainly the most impacting and memorable. If I had to choose between the two I'd go with the later as well. "Thelma & Louise" is not just a good film, it's a great one, with wonderfully realistic performances, captivating photography set amid the landscape of America and tells a powerfully engaging story. It comes recommended.
Video
MGM has released this film in HD preserving the film's original 2.35:1 ratio in 1080p 24/fps and mastered using AVC MPEG-4 compression. I was at first hesitant to watch this film, hoping with dear life that DNR and image tampering was not applied to this disc to remove grain and smooth the image out as some catalog have in the past. I'm happy to say that this film looks splendid and does in fact retain much of its grain and texture. Clarity and depth are excellent for a film of twenty years, it was also mostly clean without much in the way of dirt and specks. Colors are natural and solid, with excellent skin tones and deep blacks, some murkiness is evident in the night scenes and some detail is also a bit lacking making those night scenes a little too dark, but overall the image is solid. Sharpness is mostly consistent, but there are some soft shots and a couple of instances of edge-enhancement but nothing obtrusive.
Audio
The disc included audio tracks in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mixed at 48kHz/24-bit, French DTS 5.1, German DTS 5.1, Italian DTS 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. For the purposes of this review I chose to view the film with its DTS-HD audio. The audio was quite solid for a twenty year-old film, dialogue was clear and distortion free, and while surrounds were weren't as active as I'd have liked I was pleased with environmental and ambient sounds, directional effects and musical score mixed well enough to provide overall depth. There are optional subtitles in English for the hearing impaired, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, German, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Extras
MGM/Fox has included all the extras seen on the previously released "Special Edition" DVD and feature two audio commentaries, a 3-part documentary, a featurette, deleted and extended scenes, an extended ending, multi-angle storyboards and storyboard-to-shot comparison, a music video, the theatrical trailer and a collection of TV spots. Below is a closer look at these supplements. First up is a feature-length audio commentary by director Ridley Scott, Scott is a very apt commentator, covering a vast array of information involving the production from his involvement to the casting and shooting on location. He talk about the look of the film, tone and performances as well ad the musical cues. He comments on the themes and what specifically interested him about the story and the journey these characters take. He covers some technical aspects and brings fans into his mind set into the making of a film, it's a terrific track. A second feature-length audio commentary is next by cast members Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, and screenwriter Callie Khouri. This is a much lighter track than the former, these three seem to have fun recollecting the production and shooting the film. It's not as free-flowing as Ridley's track but thy provide some decent insight into the way these women played the characters and exploring the themes of the film. The extensive "Thelma and Louise: The Last Journey" is a 3-part documentary running for a total 59 minutes 43 seconds, this can be viewed either individually or with a 'play all' option: - "Part 1: Conception and Casting" this clip takes a look at the origin of the film, the screenwriting process, getting director Ridley Scott involved and working with screenwriter Callie Khouri to tighten the script and working together to cast the film from the two female leads and all the supporting characters. - "Part 2: Production and Performance" Takes a look at the shooting process on location and the challenges faced as the two leads spent almost the entire production in a car. The actor's talk about the relationship formed from the shooting and working with Ridley and the atmosphere that he creates on set that enforces a positive vibe. The cast also reflects on their experiences working on the film. - "Part 3: Reaction and Resonance" takes a look at the response to the film and how audiences related to the characters and the nervousness of releasing this film especially with the controversial ending and some of the criticisms the film received about the "male-bashing" element. "Original Theatrical Featurette" is a standard EPK featurette that runs for 5 minutes 23 seconds and is a promotional fluff piece, no substance, all advertising. There are a collection of sixteen deleted and extended scenes that runs for a total of 40 minutes 19 seconds. The scenes can be viewed individually or with a 'play all' option and include: - "Silver Bullet Getaway" the girls make a getaway after Louise shoots Harlan (Timothy Carhart). - "An Important Clue" Hal and an investigator find blood on a hood of a car. - "First Motel" Thelma and Louise have an argument in a motel room about what they're going to do now that they're on the run. - "Talkin' 'Bout Darryl" on the road, Louise tells Thelma not to tell Darryl anything about what's happened and on whether he's having an affair. - "Police Sketches" Hal takes a look at some sketches. - "Smitten With J.D." Thelma tells Louise that J.D. is good looking. - "Hal On The Case" Hal walks through some sprinklers and then Hal goes to see Darryl to ask a few questions about his wife. - "Human Behavior" J.D. talks about majoring in Behavioral Science at school. - "Second Motel" Louis checks up on Thelma in their motel room and hands her the money that Jimmy helped them with. - "Thelma And J.D." J.D. visits Thelma in her room trying to get out of the rain. - "Hal At Home" Hal wakes his wife up and asks her if she could ever shoot anyone. - "Jimmy, J.D. And The Law" Jimmy tells Hal about how the girl's picked up J.D. while on the road and is informed that he could be facing a felony charge. Later the police pick up J.D. and Jimmy identifies him. - "Fear Of God" Thelma asks Louise what scares her the most. - "Looking For A Break" Max (Stephen Tobolowsky) shares some concerns with Hal. - "On The Road" additional footage of the ladies on the road. - "Hot Pursuit" is more footage of the pursuit at towards the end of the film. Following those scenes is an extended ending running for 3 minutes 42 seconds and features optional audio commentary by director Ridley Scott, this ending is slightly darker showing the car drop all the way down the canyon. There are multi-angle storyboards for "The Final Chase" sequence: - "Angle 1 - Storyboards by Sherman Labby" is a storyboard reel of the pursuit set to music and runs for 4 minutes 38 seconds. next up is the "Part of You, Part of Me" music video by Glenn Frey runs for 4 minutes 28 seconds. It's a fairly typical 90's music video. Rounding out the extras are the theatrical trailer and TV spots: - Original theatrical trailer runs for 2 minutes 1 second. - "Wanted" TV spot runs for 1 minute 2 seconds. - "Call of the Wild" TV spot runs for 33 seconds. - "TV Promo" TV spot runs for 32 seconds. - "Home Video Preview" promo clip runs for 6 minutes 52 seconds, this is a promotional clip for the video release of the film.
Overall
Support us by purchasing this disc online at Bluraysforeveryone.com, they specialize in store exclusives and limited editions both new and used, plus have a wide range of new releases and catalogue titles. Join their reward program and earn points towards your purchases. Best of all for overseas customers they are customs friendly and offer great cost-saving shipping options. Check them out for some cool limited editions. 
|
|||||
|