The Complete Martian Chronicles

The old fashioned look of The Martian Chronicles, the 1980 trilogy of television films, is sure to put a lot of potential viewers off.  In fact, I'll add, not just the look, but a lot of the old fashioned notions in the writing make this feel rather creaky and thoroughly un-hip.  But it's also so, so good that I would implore anyone, even if they're not explicitly science fiction fans, to give this a chance.  Especially since it's now readily available on a very affordable Blu-ray set from Kino.

Update 8/14/24: Thanks to Australia's Imprint label, there's now a special edition in town!  And since it's Update Week, I've also updated a couple older posts today, specifically A Child Is Waiting and A Rainy Day In New York with additional DVD versions.  And it's just Day 2, so we're just getting started!

This opening screenshot should give you an idea of what I'm talking about; our protagonists have landed on the surface of Mars and exited their spacecraft without spacesuits or any other method to address the atmosphere.  They just describe the air as "thin."  The Martian Chronicles was broadcast in 1980, but it's based on Ray Bradbury's 1950 novel of the same name, and much of is gathered from short stories first published in the 1940s.  So there's a lot of rough, early (mis)understandings of science in the material that the series' adapter Richard Matheston, himself a great science fiction writer, opted not to alter/ update for more modern viewers.  It's also surprisingly sexist (in an abandoned city, a man searching for a lone female survivor not only asks himself, "if I was a woman, where would I be?  Hmm... The beauty parlor!" but he turns out to be correct; the author agrees with the character).  These films are faithful, perhaps to a fault; but having made a study of it now, I completely concur with Matheson's decisions here.  I daresay, he's crafted these films even better than Bradbury would have himself.

So just to clarify, The Martian Chronicles is based on a series of short stories Bradbury had written about man's explorations and colonization of Mars.  The stories were compiled and altered, with many new additions, to shape it into what is essentially still an anthology, with different characters set in their individual plots, but which push a larger narrative of mankind's advancement, or failings.  Matheson's own talents come into play, then, as he very intelligently walks a fine line between anthology and a single narrative.  Characters come and go, their stories begin and end in a sometimes episodic way, but they all contribute to this one over-arching adventure, which winds up being more meaningful and impactful than the sum of its parts.  It's not about spectacle, although for a television production it's very ambitious and there are a bunch of cool visuals.  It has an impressive all-star cast, including Rock Hudson, Roddy McDowall, Bernie Casie (who's awesome in this), Demon Seed's Fritz Weaver, Bernadette Peters (albeit not in the most flattering role) and Darren McGavin.  Yes, the martians themselves tend to look like some of the cheesier aliens you'd see on Star Trek, but there's also some really cool and inventive production design.  And the theme music is cool in a very early 80's way.  But what's really important is just that this is really a great, classic science fiction story, expertly told, with a lot to say that still stands the test of time.

The Martian Chronicles debuted on DVD from MGM as a 3-disc set in 2004, though there had previously been a 1999 laserdisc set from Image and a series of different VHS releases in its day.  The DVDs were really the way to go, though, until 2018, when Kino treated us to a 2-disc blu-ray upgrade.  Then in 2023, while the the transfers were the same, Imprint came with a bunch of new features on their new 2-disc BD set, which turned it into a proper special edition.

2004 MGM DVD top; 2018 Kino BD mid; 2023 Imrpint BD bottom.

Honestly, when Kino's blu-rays were first announced, I wasn't expecting as much as we got here.  I figured we'd get the same old master on a higher resolution disc, and with a little luck, the interlacing might be cleared up.  As it's a vintage television broadcast program, so I wasn't even counting on that second part.  But hey, look, we've clearly got a whole new scan with greater clarity, more natural colors (arguably, maybe the blus are a little on the cool side, but the DVDs are over saturated, so this is a big improvement) and yes, the interlacing is gone - just look at that guy in the red & white striped shirt.  And the Imprint blus are for all intents and purposes identical to the Kino.  If you zoom way in and flip between screenshots, you can see the grain shift slightly, but that's the only difference.  All three transfers are 1.33:1, though you can see the framing has shifted slightly.  But there's no way to judge, outside of implicitly trusting one release over the other, which is more accurate, as neither appears particularly better than the other, and it's barely visible outside of a direct comparison like this.  However, given how superior the BDs are in every other aspect, I am inclined to trust Kino on this change, too.

All three sets offer the original mono track, but the BDs have bumped it up to lossless DTS-HD.  All three also include optional English subtitles, though only the MGM also comes with optional French and Spanish subs.

As I said, though, MGM's release was completely barebones.  Kino's set is no packed special edition, but we got a little something.  Specifically, we got a very brief, but fun and insightful, on-camera interview with actor James Faulkner.  He talks about his experiences playing a martian, but unfortunately, he's unable to speak to so many of the broader topics that Martian Chronicles fans would like to know, about the history of the novel, how it differs from the show, how the show came to be produced, etc.  That's no fault of Mr. Faulkner's, of course - and I also appreciate that most of the key players: Matheson, Bradbury, Hudson, etc have passed, so they'd be limited as to who else they could interview - but even just an expert's participation would have been very welcome.  Still, this is a good, if small, step forward.  There's also a couple bonus trailers and reversible artwork (using the same imagery as the MGM cover).

Now, where Imprint breaks away from the pack is the impressive collection of extras.  First we have an audio commentary for all three films by expert Gary Gerani, and they're pretty great.  He's really well informed and delves deep into the differences between this and the book, and knows plenty about other versions as well.  It does start to feel like he's filibustering a bit in the third chapter to fill time, but for the most part, he's a great addition, and if you own this set, you should definitely check him out.  Then, there are three new, on-camera interviews with the special effects artist, composer and sculptor.  They're all pretty great, though some memories are a bit disappointingly faded and vacation-focused (you'll see what I mean).  And there's also a pretty great, vintage made-for-TV documentary about Ray Bradbury, which really rounds out the package.  Imprint's release also comes in a fancy slip-box with a cool lenticular cover.

The same moment in The Martian Chronicles and Ray Bradbury Theater.

Before I wrap this up, I have something else to address.  I said, perhaps rather boldly, that I felt Matheson adapted these films better than Bradbury would have himself, and I don't just say that because I appreciate and admire the work so much, but because Bradbury had his chance to adapt this material himself.  The Ray Bradbury Theater is a television series that ran through the late 80s and early 90s, for the first two season on HBO, and the later three on the USA Network.  Each of the 65 half-hour episodes is written by Bradbury, adapting one of his own famous short stories for the screen, often with some fun celebrity stars like Jeff Goldblum, Leslie Nielsen, Shelley Duvall and many more.  And eight of those are key stories from The Martian Chronicles.  What's fun about this is it includes two chapters that Matheson omitted, including the very dramatic Usher II, which brings Edgar Allen Poe to the space age.  Also, the whole first Martian Chronicles film was about three expeditions to Mars.  In the novel, there were four, and another TRBT episode is about that fourth expedition.

The others are alternate takes on chapters that were in the films; and honestly they're quite good and fun alternate takes on the material, with some noteworthy cast members like John Vernon, David Carradine and Patrick Macnee.  As stand-alone episodes without the macro-narrative, though, they feel more like Twilight Zone episodes: clever stories leading up to an amusing twist, but without the dramatic weight or substantive heft of the films.  Bradbury has taken the opportunity to update them - they wear spacesuits and female characters have actual utility.  And there are some clever details here that Matheson omitted.  And the other episodes in the series are fun, too.  Having recently rewatched the complete Tales From the Darkside, I'd say this series is generally better written with higher production values.  So if you liked that, you're sure to dig this.

2018 Kino BD top; 2005 Echo Bridge DVD bottom. Same scene.

Unfortunately, though, the home video options for The Ray Bradbury Theater are disappointing.  In short, Echo Bridge has them.  And they have released them on DVD, multiple times even.  You can get them as a full 5-disc set, a collector's tin, individual sets, and a more recent re-release.  My shots are from the original 2005 set, but they're all the same actual discs, and ugh.  These are low quality, over-compressed and noisy tape-to-digital transfers.  They squeeze too many episodes on each disc to save space, though the masters are poor anyway.  This series seriously needs remastering; it's a real mess.  And the episodes aren't even put in release order on the discs.  They're just randomly organized.  The 5.1 audio is clear enough, but there are no subtitles.  And no, there are no extras.

So yeah, if your idea of science fiction is the latest special effects and blockbuster actions, admittedly, you're going to be disappointed in The Martian Chronicles.  But if you prefer headier stuff and can look past superficial imperfections, The Martian Chronicles is actually pretty terrific.  And the Imprint blu really delivers a satisfying package (though it's too bad they couldn't license that little Faulkner interview, too).  And then I'd also recommend anyone who does come to love the films to check out the Ray Bradbury Theater episodes as excellent supplements.  But they're not the same tier works of art that the films are.

The Remaining Bergmans, Now With More Face To Face

Okay, so you've bought Criterion's big Ingmar Bergman's Cinema box, The BFI's Ingmar Bergman's Cinema and even Artificial Eye's Classic Bergman set.  But you're still hungry.  Ingmar Bergman's an unparalleled master and you know he's made plenty more films than those, so what else can you get your hands on and add to the collection?  Well, unfortunately, not a whole lot, despite the large number of films he's written and/ or directed that remain unavailable on home video.  There's Best Intentions and Faithless, which I've already covered, and then just three more.  And two of those are DVD-only.

Update 10/3/22 - 2/25/24: Well, thanks to Imprint's new Face To Face blu-ray edition, now only one of these are DVD-only.  Can we make it zero?  And release all of Bergman's remaining films?  Hopefully, but today let's just be happy about Face To Face.

In 1970, Bergman wrote an original feature length film for Swedish television called The Lie, directed by Jan Molander, and starring one of Bergman's greatest actors, Erland Josephson, about a middle class couple hopelessly trapped in a mass of deception.  If the made-for-TV aspect makes it sound less interesting, remember some of Bergman's most acclaimed and beloved works were made for Swedish television, like Fanny & Alexander and Scenes From a Marriage (both also with Josephson, by the way).  Sounds like something you'd like to see now, huh?  Well, tough noogies; you can't.  It's another on the very long list of Bergman films never released in an English-friendly capacity, or even really as a Swedish-only release, apart from its televised broadcast.

However in America, Bergman's same script was adapted into an English-language television film starring George Segal, Shirley Knight and Robert Culp.  Ah, but no, you can't get that one anywhere either.  BUT, also during that time the BBC adapted the very same screenplay for British television, starring Gemma Jones (Sense & Sensibility, The Devils) and Frank Finlay (Lifeforce, Dennis Potter's Casanova).  The performances are powerful and nuanced, the director seems to be making deliberate nods to Bergman as a director (like all those mirror shots), and the writing is some of Bergman's strongest.  Only the music seems out of place, like BBC library stock stuff; but even that's not bad, just incongruous. And this version of The Lie actually IS available.  And this version won a BAFTA, so we shouldn't feel too short-changed.  It's on blu-ray as part of the BFI's first volume of its Play for Today box sets from 2020.

2020 UK BFI BD.

According to the included booklet, the episodes in this box are broken into two categories: those shot on video and "sourced from the best existing tape materials preserved by the BBC" and those shot on film, which are "newly scanned at 2k resolution from the original 17mm A/B roll camera negatives."  Fortunately, The Lie is one of the latter, and looks fantastic.  It's presented in its original 1.33:1 and looks very grainy, something that never would've come through during its original airings.  But it's very clearly encoded and looks quite impressive.  There is no interlacing despite it being a vintage 70s British television program, because they went back to the original film elements.  The original mono track is presented in a strong, lossless LPCM track with optional English subtitles.

The only extras are an image gallery and an 80-page full-color booklet, and of course the other seven Play for Today episodes, which range from good to great.  There's one on the troubles in Ireland that struck me as much more compelling than Branagh's Belfast which came out around the same time as this set, and a creepy horror story called A Photograph.  So I can understand a Bergman fan being frustrated they can't just buy The Lie by itself, but the whole set is worth having in your collection.

Next up is a proper theatrical film (although there was an extended television version released afterwards) written and directed by Bergman: 1975's Face To Face.  Bergman and star Liv Ullmann were both nominated for Oscars for this picture, so again, it's not like it's all lesser work that's been neglected on blu.  This one's a pretty harrowing tale of mental illness, with Ullmann as a psychiatrist whose problems run as deep as her patients'.  She takes on a lover, Erland Josephson again, who proves to be a far more loving companion than her own husband, and Gunnar Bjornstrand appears as her aging grandfather.  This one's pretty dark, and relatable despite risking going over the top at more than one point.  And it includes some of the most believable and heart-wrenching dream sequences committed to cinema, making those famous Wild Strawberries bits feel like trivialities.

Face To Face had only been available (English-friendly at any rate) as a 2011 barebones DVD from Olive Films, though at least it's anamorphic widescreen.  I remember some controversy when it was released, because people felt Olive acquiring the rights cut off Criterion from giving this a proper restoration, and possibly both cuts.  But of course it's pure speculation that they would've done that, and certainly getting this disc was better than the other possible alternative: nothing.  But now we don't have to choose between a DVD or nothing; we have a brand new blu-ray edition (also of the theatrical version; the extended TV cut is still unavailable anywhere) from Via Vision's Imprint, due out this Wednesday.

2011 US Olive Films DVD top; 2024 AUS Imprint BD bottom.

 

Olive presents Face To Face in a rather fuzzy 1.78:1.  It's standard def, so the hints we get of film grain are about the most we could ask for, but it sure seems like this image could be sharper, even on DVD.  But the real problem is the sound.  It's a static-y mess that sounds like it's been Noise Gate'd, so it's silent between words, but whenever anybody speaks, it's a metallic mess, as if you're hearing them through a bad telephone connection; and when people make small, innocuous movements, it sometimes sounds like they're sitting on their lavaliers.

Imprint presents the film in a sharper 1.67:1, giving us more vertically, though shaving a sliver off the sides.  And though the film is still on the soft side (almost looking like 16mm, though I understand it was shot on 35, so I'm guessing this was taken from a later generation element, rather than the original negatives), the film grain tell us this is a much clearer look at the film source.  It certainly brings detail and edges into focus.  And thank goodness, they've improved the sound.  It's still not perfect... it's still excessively loud when people sit on the sofa or rustle their coats, and there's slight background hiss.  But it's nothing like the static-y DVD.  It's also lossless now.  The whole thing's a big improvement.  Oh, and in both cases, the subtitles are removable.

Olive has no extras, not even the trailer.  Imprint doesn't have the trailer either, but comes in a stylish slipcase; and more importantly, they've got some impressive goodies.  First up is an expert commentary by Michael Brooke, and it's damn good.  A lot of "expert" commentaries and featurettes I've watched lately have been eye rollingly indulgent if not outright wastes of our time.  But this guy's pretty great, very well informed, leaves no dead air, cites lots of sources and is consistently interesting.  I wish other commentators would aim for this standard, even if they can't reach it every time.  Also on here is a visual essay by Kat Ellinger, and similarly, I've been a little let down by some of her recent output... maybe she's just agreeing to too many projects and unable to devote enough time to them all?  Or maybe she just takes a deeper interest in some films and their special features more than others?  I don't know, but she nails it here.  Starting off very informative and citing interesting sources, then easing into her excellently made thesis that this is an under-appreciated (including by Bergman himself) feminist work.

My only nitpick, and this is admittedly a petty one, is that she uses fake film damage, jitter and projector noise... you know, that fake "old timey" video filter that comes packaged in every free video editor.  And it's like, why spoil the rare photos she's sharing in her video for a silly gimmick?  There's never a good reason to degrade good footage with those cheesy filters.  But again, I acknowledge that's pure nitpickery; just a little pet peeve of mine.  Honestly, I might've skipped over both of these extras if I didn't feel obligated to watch them for this review, but I'm glad I gave them the chance and recommend all you readers do the same.

Finally, we end with the most underrated of the three, 2000's The Image Makers.  This is another made-for-Swedish-television project, and in this case really looks it.  It's all set in one room like a stage-play, which in fact it originally was, although the camera is certainly moving and cutting around.  This one's directed by Bergman (and he also directed the original theatrical production) but written by Per Olov Enquist (Pelle the Conqueror), although it really, really feels like a Bergman script, to the point where I suspect he at least had a hand in rewriting it for the screen, and perhaps rather liberally.  It's certainly an interesting coincidence that both this and Face To Face have an older person tell a middle-aged woman that "old age is Hell."

Anyway, it's the story of the making of the classic Swedish ghost movie, 1921's The Phantom Carriage.  The author of the original film arrives at the studio to see clips of the film Victor Sjöström and his cinematographer Julius Jaenzon have made of her work.  However, to complicate matters, Tora Teje, the actress having an affair with the director and who feels the leading part should have been hers, shows up at the same time and makes a scene.  It's on one hand a fascinating mediation on the ownership/ creation of art - how can the author, director, actor and photographer each feel the art projected on screen is their singular vision?  But it's also a powerful human drama where the making of The Phantom Carriage is really just the backdrop to a forceful study of love, heartbreak, infidelity and cruel fathers.  There's a cheap shot-on-video look to the film, amplified by the staginess of the setting, that signals The Image Makers as a forgettable lesser work.  But when you really settle into it, it's as moving and thoughtful a work as Bergman's greatest films.

But to date, this film has only been released on DVD in the UK by Tartan in 2008.

You may've also noticed that Tartan's release is a 2-disc double feature, and in fact the lead film isn't The Image Makers, but the original Phantom Carriage.  It works as a nice supplement to The Image Makers, but as a stand-alone disc, it's not too impressive.  It's somewhat window-boxed 1.32:1, interlaced, and barebones.  So in an age where Criterion has released an impressive special edition blu-ray, this really isn't a go-to disc for Phantom Carriage.  The reason to buy this set is The Image Makers.  But it's a damn good reason.

2008 UK Tartan DVD.

Thankfully, even though disc 1 is interlaced, The Image Makers' DVD is not.  It's 1.32:1 just like the The Phantom Carriage, and apart from a handful of clips from the 1921 film, looks like it was shot on video.  If it was shot on film, then this was definitely taken from a video master.  Either way, it looks bold and clear, and about as good as you could hope for from a master like this.  It would be interesting to see if an HD restoration from the original elements - whatever those may be - could do for this film; but I wouldn't expect much.  The sound is a clean mono track, the subtitles are removable, and the only extra is a fold-out insert with notes by David Thompson, director of Encountering Bergman.

Needless to say, all three of the releases covered above are must-haves for Bergman fans.  And yes, it's very much worthy double-dipping from Olive's DVD to Imprint's BD of Face To Face.  Now hopefully some label or other will see fit to continue to plumb the depths of Bergman's incredible catalog.

Ken Russell's Whore: If You Can't Say It, Just Upgrade

Alright, readers, get your Ken Russell Completist hats on again, and I'll get my Obscure, Foreign DVD hat on. I've spent a considerable amount of time researching DVD releases of Whore, one of the more controversial films by Russell. And, the situation is pretty dire; just look at its dvdcompare page... all more or less fullscreen, all cut. Presumably all taken from VHS. Just one low quality, dodgy import after another. And many of those don't have the original English audio track. Of course, it's never been released at all in the US or UK. Well, I've dug deeper, and I believe I've found... the least worst DVD option available.

Update 1/28/16 - 8/4/22: It's a whole new ballgame (pun? I'll let you decide)!  Whore is now out as a special edition blu-ray from Australia's Imprint.  How is it?  We'll take a look, but you can bet it's miles better than what we had six years ago.

Whore is based off a theatrical monologue called Bondage by English writer David Hines. Here, Theresa Russell (no relation) talks to the audience directly, telling us her unglamorized account of her life as a prostitute. But rather than being on stage, she's out on the streets, in peoples' homes, and everywhere else during the the course of her story, while constantly breaking the fourth wall. She has scenes with other characters, and during one uncharacteristic moment, another character is even allowed to monologue to the audience. It's actually a rather unique and effective combination of the faithful, theatrical piece and the additional opportunity afforded to the cinematic medium: a play that moves out into the world. And as it's Ken Russell, it's also quite stylized and provocative.

Oh, and look for a cameo from the one and only Jack Nance - is his appearance a deliberate reference to his role in Twin Peaks, finding Theresa's abandoned body just like Laura Palmer's (albeit, not "wrapped in plastic")?  You decide!

The cut/ uncut nature of this film is so complex, movie-censorship has had to create two separate articles on this film. But the short version of it is that there are essentially three cuts of this film: 1) the original, uncut version, 2) the heavily censored R-rated cut and 3) the less censored NC-17 cut. The completely uncut version doesn't seem to be available anywhere outside of VHS. Believe me, I've looked into it, so just give up on trying to find a copy of that. But, at least, it seems like almost every DVD release includes the NC-17 cut as opposed to the R-rated. The difference between the unrated and NC-17 is mostly dialogue, actually, and seems to have been cut for pacing rather than censorship. As opposed to the R-rated version, which is all about cutting down the sex, violence and swearing. So the R is to be avoided, but while the uncut would be ideal, the NC-17 isn't so bad.

Now, the dvdcompare article I linked to earlier mentions several foreign discs, including an Italian one. But the DVD I've landed on is actually a newer Italian disc from a label called Pulp Video (this one, not this more common one). It's still cut, but at least it's the NC-17 cut, and like all the others, it looks like it's sourced from VHS.  And Imprint's new blu-ray?  Yes, it's still the NC-17 cut, but it's from an infinitely more attractive, widescreen source.

2011 Pulp Video DVD top; 2022 Imprint BD bottom.

So we shift from the fullscreen 1.34:1 of the DVD to the BD's widescreen 1.85:1.  The matting does shave off a little on the tops and bottoms, but it reveals a bunch more on the sides; and overall, the framing is much more attractive.  This has to be the intended framing.  The colors and contrast are also nice and strong, as opposed to the faded and washed out DVD.  And it's so much clearer; you can now clearly read on-screen writing (like the bar rules in the bathroom scene) that were a pixelated blur before.  So it's a massive gain for us fans.  But it's not exactly a showroom floor blu.  Grain is soft and there's a lot of unfortunate edge enhancement, both of which betray an older master.  So this isn't the kind of disc that other blu-ray sites would rate an A+ - and they're correct not to - but just looking at the overall situation of Whore on the home video market, this is a really exciting upgrade.

The DVD has 2.0 English audio, plus 2.0 and a 5.1 mix of the Italian dub, and optional Italian subtitles.  Imprint drops the Italian stuff, naturally, but bumps the stereo mix up to lossless LPCM and adds optional English subtitles.

DVD featurette.

The reason I latched onto the Pulp DVD as opposed to any other is that it actually has extras. None of the others could say that (beyond bonus trailers and other fluff). Now, don't get me wrong; there's no Ken Russell commentary... this isn't exactly The Lord Of the Ring extended appendixes here. But there's some stuff; an effort was made. And looking back at the transfer, it's not interlaced. The menus are animated. I feel like with this release, they at least tried to make the best disc possible given the materials they were limited to, which is more than you can say for most of their competitors.

So what we get is essentially the film's original electronic press kit. You get a four minute featurette of on-set interviews with Ken and Theresa Russell, Benjamin Mouton and producer Dan Ireland, plus some behind the scenes footage. Then there's another four minute interview featurette just with Theresa, and a four minute (four was the magic number for Trimark, apparently) collection of promo scenes. They're like deleted scenes except they're in the movie (even the R-rated cut), just meant to be like talk show clips or other press looking for clips of the film. There's also the film's original, misleading theatrical trailer (making Whore sound like a titillating male fantasy rather than an expose of how women are mistreated) and a photo gallery. So yeah, nothing to run and alert the neighbors about; but it does add a little value.

But now Imprint really makes a proper special edition of it.  Unfortunately, they drop the vintage stuff, but they come up with a surprising amount of first class content.  There's an expert audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Josh Nelson that takes a while to find its footing, but becomes worth tuning in to after about a half hour.  And then there's even more exciting is the on-camera stuff.  I was surprised to see they got a brand new interview with Theresa Russell, and she's not afraid to be candid about her career or experiences on this film.  Former porn star Ginger Lynn, who has a small cameo role in Whore, has some rather frank memories of working with the Russells, too.  And co-writer Deborah Dalton has a revealing on-camera interview, giving us better insight into the thinking behind the film.  Then gay punk/ porn filmmaker Bruce La Bruce joins us to talk about how Russell, and particularly this film, influenced some of his work, especially 1996's Hustler White.  And finally Kat Ellinger gives us a slightly meandering video essay, but starts particularly strong, putting the film in the historical context of courtesan diaries as a distinct genre of fiction.  Finally, Imprint also has the trailer, and the first 1,500 copies comes in a limited edition slipbox.

So this is terrific; Ken Russell has finally been given an edition worthy of his creation.  Still, it could've been even greater.  A fresh scan of the film elements would've looked decidedly better.  And it's not a huge deal, but it's a little disappointing that they dropped the vintage EPK stuff.  More disappointing is that the uncut footage is still absent.  Even if they couldn't get the original film elements for a proper restoration of the director's vision, they could've at least ripped a VHS copy and included the missing material as deleted scenes.  But putting aside what they didn't do, and just looking at what they did accomplish, this is a huge upgrade with some fantastic features, giving us a quality release of this underrated feature for the first time ever.