A To Die For To Die For

Oh boy, when you do true crime black comedy right, you've got an instant masterpiece on your hands.  And yes, 1995's To Die For is a true crime flick.  They don't use her real name, and make a few key changes (particularly the ending) to keep from getting sued, but this is a direct adaptation of the novel by Joyce Maynard, which is unofficially telling the story of Pamela Smart, right down to the juiciest details.  Oh, and fun fact, Helen Hunt had already played Smart in a TV movie a few years before this.  But then Nicole Kidman swooped in and took that crown, quite definitively.

This is easily Gus Van Sant's best work, in no small part thanks to an amazing cast including, of course, featuring Kidman in a real star turn, but also packed with brilliant performances from a young Joaquin Phoenix, Illeana Douglas, Matt Dillon, Casey Affleck, Dan Hedaya, Wayne Knight, Kurtwood Smith, George Segal and David freakin' Cronenberg.  And at least as much credit has to go to Alison Folland, who was an unknown at the time.  She went on to star in the baby dyke flick All Over Me before disappearing into a series of minor roles, which is a real shame because she's pitch perfect in this.  It's beautifully shot, plus we're also getting some of screenwriter Buck Henry's most biting satire since Catch 22 and one of Danny Elfman's greatest film scores in a project that really knew how to use him.  This is just one of those projects where everything fell together into the ideal configuration.

Now, To Die For's been available on anamorphic widescreen DVD since 1998, thanks to a Columbia Tri-Star flipper disc (reissued in 2010 by Image Entertainment).  And it's been available on blu-ray, again from Image, since 2011.  But the smarter move had been to import it from the UK, as Network's BD had the correct audio (more on that below) and at least a vague hint of special features.  But there's only one way to go now in 2024, as Criterion has just released an all-new 4k restoration from the original 35mm OCN in a fuller BD/ UHD combo-pack that finally delivers what we've all been waiting for.

1) 1998 Columbia Tri-Star DVD (wide); 2) 1998 Columbia Tri-Star DVD (full);
3) 2015 Network BD; 4) 2024 Criterion BD; 5) 2024 Criterion UHD.

So, the framing for Columbia Tri-Star's DVD is a bit odd.  Yes, I mean even for the widescreen side.  It's roughly 1.78:1, but with a single pillarbox on the right-hand side, tweaking it to 1.77:1.  I guess they figured it was in the overscan area, so it really didn't matter; but it strikes you now, in the age of modern flat screens.  Anyway, the fullscreen side is a more classic 1.33:1, which just slightly shaves the sides, but is largely open matte, revealing a whole bunch of extra vertical information.  Being a UK disc, Network stuck with the 1.78:1 ratio, sans that weird pillar, with very slightly adjusted framing.  Criterion, of course, mattes it to an exact 1.85:1, while still managing to reveal slightly more on the sides.

The colors for the previous editions are essentially the same as they presumably used the same master.  But Criterion's are a bit warmer and generally smartened up.  I can't declare its accuracy, per se, but Criterion does boast that their transfer is approved by both the director and DP, and I will say, subjectively, it's a more attractive image now, and objectively it's lusher and more vivid.  Detail-wise, Network's blu already looked pretty good, but comparing it to Criterion's, it looks like it had just a touch of edge enhancement (look at the framed photo over Nicole's shoulder in the second set of pics), which Criterion does away with.  And even just comparing the two 1080p BDs, there's less jagged pixelation and grain is rendered more thoroughly.  But then on the Dolby Vision HDR'd UHD, the grain is perfectly rendered, and finer detail is more lifelike - impressive even when judged against other UHDs.

Did I mention something about the "correct audio?"  Yes.  Every disc here has the 5.1 mix (in DTS-HD on everything except the DVD) with optional English subtitles.  But the original US blu-ray from Image only had a stereo track.  You'd be right to say I usually don't care much about 5.1 remixes, but To Die For is a modern enough film that the 5.1 was the original audio mix, so it was a loss for Image's blu (though anyone watching on just a stereo TV or PC would be listening to it folded down, anyway).  So it's nice that Criterion brought it back for US audiences.  Columbia and Network also threw in a separate 2.0 mix (in LPCM on the BD), but Criterion didn't bother, which is perfectly fine.  Oh, and the DVD also had a French dub and set of subtitles.

And did I also say something about "what we've all been waiting for?"  Oh yeah, let's talk extras.  Now the Columbia and Image DVDs all had nothing but the trailer.  And Network didn't have much more.  They threw in several TV spots and stills galleries.  But one stills gallery stood out, because they depicted deleted scenes.  The actual deleted scenes weren't included, but we knew they existed, and Network tried their best to deliver them without actually being able to access them.  But Criterion finally got 'em.  And we're talking over 30 minutes of stuff, from an alternate opening credits sequence to a whole, clever subplot involving a tattoo.  The footage is raw (and interlaced), but fans will still be as happy as a pig in mud to roll around in these.  And Criterion gave us a fun audio commentary, too, by Gus Van Sant himself, along with his DP and editor.  They have some really good info, including some surprising alternate casting potentialities, though they do run low on steam in the final stretch.  I'd say definitely listen to the first half, but if you find yourself getting bored or sleepy, it's okay to shut it off after that - you'll have caught all the good stuff.

This new set also includes the trailer and one of those fold-out "leaflet" booklets with notes by film critic Jessica Kiang.

So yes, this is a real must-have from Criterion.  To Die For has looked alright on home video before, but it's finally gotten the first class treatment it deserves.  A great release for a great film.  Now, maybe Vestron will follow this up with a double feature of 1988's To Die For and its sequel.  Our shelves needs all three standing alongside each other!

Terry Gilliam Week Day #5: Monty Python's Flying Circus

Monty Python's Flying Circus is, of course, the original BBC sketch comedy series that ran for four seasons, from 1969-1974.  Each season is ran for 13 episodes, except the final one, when John Cleese left, and it ran for an abridged 6 episodes.  It was first released on DVD here in the United States in 1999, in a rather massive "14-Pack DVD Mega Set" from A&E Home Video.  Those DVDs, also available in individual seasons, are really the only versions we've had on DVD.  Yes, in 2005, A&E released their "16-Ton Megaset"[left], but that's actually the exact same set of 14 discs (albeit in new, slimmer cases) just with two additional bonus discs of extras live performances and television specials.  And also yes, in 2008, A&E released a 21-disc "Complete Monty Python Collector's Edition," but that's just the "16-Ton Megaset" in a newer box, with five more bonus discs, including two retrospective documentaries and the six Personal Best greatest hits specials.  But the actual series' discs have been the same for twenty years, until 2019, when Network restored the full series in HD and released it in their 7-disc "Norwegian Blu-ray Edition."  That set has also been broken down into individual seasons and repackaged in a slimmer 2020 standard edition, but the disc content is all the same.  The only difference on-disc distinction is that the "Norwegian" set was released in the United Kingdom as 50i BD discs, but they also created North American 60i BD discs.  For the record, I have the 60 frame-rate discs, which is what we'll being screenshots of here.

A brief, restored scene from season 4, only on the BD.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Network's restorations is that they're not just restoring the picture and audio quality for HD, they're actually restoring lost footage.  I would refer you to movie-censorship.com's reliably thorough break-down of every difference, episode by episode.  But in brief, there are instances of gags that were censored, or bits that were trimmed or removed seemingly for pacing.  It runs the gamut from a brief, alternate shot or word to an entire sketch that have been put back into the episodes.  Less compelling, but still interesting: each episode also tends to run 30 seconds longer because they've included the pre-broadcast intros, not meant to be aired, but which include some interesting behind-the-scenes audio over shots of a clock counting down the final seconds.  The BDs are also full of supplemental outtakes and other excised material, sometimes with subtitles where the audio was missing.  So this is the series really uncut for the first time, and with more unseen footage in the extras.

1999 A&E DVD top; 2019 Network BD bottom.

Network's booklet explains that the show, "was produced on 2" Quad tape... The basis for this restoration were the earliest generation tapes - or direct copies of them... Once restored, the programme then was up-scaled to High Definition."  As you can see, the framing is the same, but the AR has been corrected from a too tall 1.29:1 to 1.32:1.  There's not really any new detail pulled out of the image, but the interlacing lines are considerably slimmer in HD, giving a more coherent, natural picture.  And the black levels are subtly deepened, making everything look a little less muddy and washed out.  This is the tape portion of the series, which is most of the show but not all of it.

1999 A&E DVD top; 2019 Network BD bottom.

Some segments, mostly exteriors, were shot in 16mm.  The improvements in these sections get much more distinct.  Again, the blacks are deepened and the AR is adjusted, but as you can see above, there is much more clarity.  The image is sharper, and there really is fine detail to see (just look at the grass in the foreground) that was a soft haze before.  It's much more satisfying, and feels like the kind of upgrade you expect jumping from DVD to Blu.  And then there's Terry Gilliam's animated sequences.

1999 A&E DVD top; 2019 Network BD bottom.

Of these, we're told, "there was more 16mm footage available on negative (as well as print) and these were scanned in HD, graded and restored before being dropped into the episode timeline to replace the archive transfers used for the original broadcast."  This is where the most stark difference lays, wow!  The color correction is probably what grabs you first, but the distinct boost in clarity and the cleaned up damage are not far behind.  Compression smudging is replaced with fine lines.  You know, with the video portions of the show, there's a bit of a "well, this is the best it's going to ever look" side to the new transfers.  The film portions are better; but the animations really look gorgeous now.

1999 A&E DVD top; 2019 Network BD bottom.

And while we're still going from 1.29 to 1.32 (you wouldn't expect the AR to shift around mid-episode, would you?), you'll notice the animated sequences are zoomed further out, revealing more image around all four sides on the BD.  This is cool, but maybe a bit of a mistake on Network's part.  Notice, for instance, in this set of shots that we see below the edge of the foreground animated statue.  It reminds me of Arrow's Creepshow 2 blu, which revealed edges that should have been cropped/ matted out.  But considering how beautiful they are here, I sure wouldn't trade these restorations for what was on the DVDs!

Both discs just offer the original English mono track in 2.0, but of course it's lossless on the BDs' LPCM.  Both discs also offer optional English subtitles, the timing of which has been slightly adjusted on the BDs, and Network also throws in French, German, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish.

Live At the Hollywood Bowl

As for extras, A&E's 1999 set is surprisingly light for a "Mega Set."  Each disc just has two or three short clips on them, which are basically just sketches taken from the episodes - in other words entirely redundant.  But they do include a few live ones, which are taken from their 1982 Live At the Hollywood Bowl special, which was a fun way to see alternate versions of the same sketches.  But these became redundant, too, in 2005 when the entire Hollywood Bowl special was included in the 16 Ton set.  The video quality's a little rough, but it's a nice treat.  There's also an hour-long Live At Aspen special, which is an on-stage reunion chat with Robert Klein, Parrot Sketch Not Included: 20 Years of Python, which is a made-for-television greatest hits clip show (as in what you've already got in full on discs 1-14) hosted by Steve Martin, and best of all, one of the famous German episodes of Fliegender Zirkus.  There were two total, made to air in Germany, and yes, entirely produced in German language with mostly all new content.  English subtitles are burnt in.

the German episode

As I mentioned before, The Complete Collector's Edition has all of that and adds the six Personal Bests specials I've mentioned before.  These are just more greatest hits clips shows, so not too valuable, each focused on a different Python.  They at least include brief, new wrap-around segments; but as a whole, they're pretty worthless if you've already got the full series, which you do when you own this box.  But they also add two feature-length documentaries, Before the Flying Circus and Monty Python Conquers America.  Before is better, but both are pretty darn good and well worth the time of any Python fan.

So it's a shame Network doesn't have any of that stuff.  None of the specials, documentaries or even the German episodes.  And if you were hoping they'd bring in the Pythons for commentaries and new interviews and stuff, nope.  Actually, this set is surprisingly light on extras, mostly just including the outtakes and left overs they restored that weren't actually cut back into the episodes.  Not that there isn't anything else.  There are a few vintage goodies, including a BBC interview with the Pythons from the 70s, a short behind-the-scenes film, an old interview with Python producer Ian McNaughton and a featurette with Gilliam on the restoration work.  These are great, but it all feels awfully light considering these Network sets sold for roughly $200, and so much was dropped from the DVDs.  It's especially disappointing they didn't restore the German episodes along with the rest of the series.

But they sure delivered on swag.  The Norwegian set comes in a wild, fold-out box with a lid that houses four digipacks in slipboxes, one for each season.   Each season also includes a massive 176-page book (yes, four 176-page books total), with written histories and extensive details on every sketch.  Unfortunately, the books added so much weight, they wound up destroying most of the fancy boxes in shipping; but if you managed to get one undemolished, they were pretty sweet.  They also included another mini-booklet that lists the details and extras of each series set and includes the transfer notes.

I heard Network lost money on these sets, due to the packaging fiasco and fans being underwhelmed by the lack of special features.  But hopefully they're still recouping, what with the standard editions and anywhere else they can license their restorations in future.  Because theirs is unquestionably the definitive way to watch Monty Python's Flying Circus now.  They did great work, which is why it's so frustrating they didn't get to the German episodes, too - they've rendered the DVDs and any other editions quite obsolete.  You should definitely double-dip for these.  But you'll want to hang onto whatever DVD bonus discs you have, too.

The Original Woman In Black, Restored

Of course, The Woman In Black 2: Angel Of Death is playing in theaters now. And so I decided this would be a good time to take a look back at the original. Not the 2012 Woman In Black starring Daniel "Harry Potter" Radcliffe that Angel of Death is a direct sequel to, but the original 1989 version of The Woman In Black written by Nigel Kneale (best known for penning all the original Quatermass series, but also the vastly underrated Beasts and the BBC version of Nineteen Eighty-Four) for British television. The 2012 version is a remake of this 1989 version.

Update 1/10/15 - 8/13/20: A few years later, it's great to see the original rise up and re-eclipse the remakes in the public eye with a beautiful new restoration from Network.  Although they've made a curious decision or two...

Both Woman In Blacks are based on a short novel of the same name by Susan Hill, which was written just a few years prior to the first movie (1983).  The 2012 film was rather successful, while the sole DVD release of the original, a US disc from BFS Productions in 2000, is now long out of print and quite rare.  So it's probably a safe guess that most readers would have only seen the remake. And, well, it might seem both snobbish and too obvious to say that the original is better, but it really is.

The Woman In Black is a subtle, spooky-rather-than-thrilling ghost story, about a solicitor who is sent to the home of a recently deceased woman to catalog her property to facilitate the sale of her estate. But things start to take a turn after he catches glimpses of a mysterious woman in black. Both versions of the film benefit greatly from having a quality novel as source material, lending the story substance and depth. As you might guess, the 1989 version benefits more by virtue of sticking a lot closer to it. I'm being careful not to drop any heavy spoilers here, but despite both versions being roughly the same length (95 mins vs 100 mins), the remake takes a solid three-act story and lops off the whole third act. The remake needed that time to force in a lot more jump scares and other creepy moments, which unfortunately tend to betray the logic and atmosphere of the story.

Don't get me wrong. The 2012 version is not a bad little movie. It's got a great look, Radcliffe is actually quite well cast as the lead, and it duplicates many of the original's biggest moments quite effectively (except it leaves out, curiously, the original's scariest and most infamous scene). And the fact that it changes the ending at least keeps audiences familiar with the original on their toes. I remember thinking towards the end: yeah, yeah, I know where this is going... only to suddenly realize: oh! No, I don't. But still, it definitely comes up short and if you've only seen the remake, you're missing out.

For one thing, this lack's Kneale's delicate touch. He has a great way - including a very subtle wit - of handling and humanizing even the most minor characters. If a character appears only in one scene to deliver a tiny bit of exposition, you still find yourself relating to him. In the remake, the townspeople in the first third of the film are broadly, ham-handily written. They're all ridiculously mean to Radcliffe on first meeting him (all doing the "Dracula's castle? Ah, you don't be wantin' to go there, me lad" schtick) tot he point where it gets downright silly. It's arch and playing up the cliche, whereas the original townsfolk are all human, affable and sympathetic (which pays off later on in the story). The marsh and causeway locations, though nicely echoed in the remake, all play a much more important part of the story as well. There are some very strong echoes of Kneale's The Stone Tape here.

And the 2012 version also adds a bunch of business that just isn't very smart. It over explains the ghost, its abilities and its motives in order to cater to an audience that presumably demands everything be spelled out, but which ultimately winds up feeling less believable and especially less menacing. Again, I don't want to spoil anything, but the remake has a scene right in the prologue, before the opening credits. Children become possessed and driven to commit suicide... just like in the Mark Wahlberg film, The Happening. All sorts of people wind up getting possessed in the remake, the ghost floats around in CGI monster mode, and Radcliffe comes up with a big, overblown plan that just sucks all the plausibility out of the air.

You might guess that the original's biggest drawback is budget. But thanks to the expert direction of Herbert Wise, it honestly doesn't need it. The 1989 movie utilizes real locations which are perfect and authentic. When the caretaker shows the solicitor how to use the electric generator out back, it's almost like we're getting a documentary tour of a historical landmark. And the ghost just appearing as a real, natural woman is not only more subtle, but actually fits the original story, allowing it to go places the remake no longer logically can.

Now, I mentioned that the BFS DVD is out of print and rare now; you could expect to pay in the triple digits for this unless you get particularly lucky.  But all of that is over now, thanks to Network.  Just this week, they've issued it on a new, remastered blu-ray in the UK, restored in 2k from the original 16mm negatives.  Curiously, they've created a 1.78:1 widescreen version, despite this being a famously fullscreen, made-for-TV movie.  But don't panic; they've also included the original broadcast 1.33:1 version, using the same 2k scan.

1) 2000 US BFS DVD top; 2) 2020 UK Network BD full; 3) 2020 UK Network BD.

As you can see above, the DVD is soft, fuzzy, washed out and just barely superior to VHS.  The colors have thick, sickly hues over most shots, and some kind of compression flaw is giving the image a weird wavy pattern, as if we're looking at the film through a scrim.  And I don't mean the interlacing, although yes, the DVD is also interlaced.  That's probably a symptom of a sticky PAL to NTSC conversion.  But before you ask how could it possibly be worse, we also have to address the aspect ratio.  Yes, it's supposed to be fullscreen like it is, but this is stretched vertically to a too tall 1.30:1, making everyone elongated and skinny.  Even before the age of HD and blu-rays, a reissue was sorely in order.

1) 2000 US BFS DVD top; 2) 2020 UK Network BD full; 3) 2020 UK Network BD.

So to start, the BD fixes that stretching, presenting the broadcast version in 1.33:1, and zooming out further to reveal more image around all four sides.  The widescreen version is in 1.78:1, and heavily crops the top and bottom, but does manage to draw in even a little more along the sides.  Another interesting curiosity about this disc, is that the fullscreen version includes the commercial break title cards, which the original DVD and the new widescreen transfer, edits out.  Beyond that, the blu naturally corrects both the interlacing and that unfortunate pattern.  The DVD's faded colors are boosted and of course, even though this is from 16mm not 35, detail is restored.  That said, Network's notes mention "careful grain management," and I have to say, the film grain here doesn't look like natural 16mm footage.  You sometimes (to be clear: not always) don't really see grain at all, just some sporadic digital noise that suggests grain before you get in close.  It's a bit worse on the widescreen version than the fullscreen, but I really just wish we could've gotten a look at the raw, undoctored scans.  Still, if you don't immediately reach for your magnifying glass, they just about get away with it in motion, and it's unquestionably a million times superior to the DVD.

The DVD just had the original mono track, slightly fuzzy, with no subtitle options.  The blu keeps the original mono track but cleans it up, boosts it to lossless LPCM, and also throws in optional English subtitles.  And yes, this applies to both the full and widescreen versions, so that's all good news.

Some interviews or other features would've been very welcome, but BFS's disc was thoroughly barebones, only offering a bonus trailer for the series Sharpe (which Kneale did write an episode of).  And of course, now that Network's finally gotten around to it, most of the creators are no longer with us to contribute.  But that's not to say this release is barebones.  They have recorded an expert commentary by Kim Newman, along with chums Mark Gatiss and Andy Nyman (the latter of whom actually had a small part in this film), who make the track more jokey than you'd expect, with the three laughing throughout.  I'll leave you to decide whether that's a pro or a con, but Newman can be counted on to know his stuff, and this track does have a wealth of information for us (helpfully, they're Kneale fans, have read the book and even watched the show when it originally aired).

That's the only on-disc extra, aside from a stills gallery - everything else is just swag.  But it's some pretty nice swag.  Network is offering "web exclusive, limited edition collectible packaging" if you order direct from their site.  They don't specify exactly what's exclusive and what isn't, but I think I can guess.  First of all, this release comes with the unusual offering of two booklets.  One features original notes by Andrew Pixley.  Uh, presumably not the one who comes up when you google the name "Andrew Pixley."  😨  That one is shrink-wrapped inside the case, so I doubt it's limited.  A second booklet, which is annoyingly too big to fit in the case, is a reproduction of Central Films' original press book for the film.  I'm guessing both that, and the very stylish slipcover that makes the film look like an old book (the spines look especially cool) are the limited part.

So okay, this release may not be completely flawless.  But we've been in desperate need of it for twenty years, and it's finally arrived.  So you'd have to be pretty stubborn to let the imperfections put you off; receiving this disc was a massively satisfying experience.  I mean, the widescreen version's a silly inclusion, and unfortunately, it's probably what's going to air on television for the fifty years, but it's easily ignored thanks to getting the original broadcast version restored right here on the same disc.  If you appreciate a good ghost story, this belongs on your shelf.