Update 8/26/15 - 1/31/18: The new blu-ray is here, the new blu-ray is here! After all the junk DVDs (and the one admittedly decent import), it took until 2018, but thanks to Vestron, we finally have a worthy home video release of this mad-cap masterpiece of demented gothic horror.
Gothic tells the story of the famous, real summer of 1816, when Mary Shelley (Natasha Richardson), Percy Shelley (Julian Sands) and Claire Clairmont (Miriam Cyr) visited Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne) and his physician (Timothy Spall) at his villa in Switzerland, and two classic novels, Frankenstein and Dracula, were conceived. If this premise sounds familiar, it's because two different films: Rowing With the Wind, starring Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley and Haunted Summer, starring Eric Stoltz, Laura Dern and Alex Winter, both remade the same story in 1988. But 1986's Gothic came first and remains infinitely more memorable. Not a lot of detail is known for sure about what went on in that villa, so of course Russell is left to speculate and extrapolate; and he of course came up with the most colorful and feverish supposition of the three films. But on the other hand, the film is largely interior, showing us the visions they concocted in their minds, and strictly in terms of plot events, very little happens besides "they got inebriated and held a seance." It's a story of mass hallucination and collective imagination, depicting the birth of only fictional characters and artistic inspiration. And there aren't many filmmakers as suited to that sort of ambitious task as Ken Russell.
1) 2002 Artisan DVD; 2) 2003 MGM DVD; 3) 2005 Mill Creek DVD; 4) 2018 Vestron blu-ray |
1) 2002 Artisan DVD; 2) 2003 MGM DVD; 3) 2005 Mill Creek DVD; 4) 2018 Vestron blu-ray |
MGM's European DVD also came with a host of language options, including the original English plus German, French, Spanish and Italian dubs, as well as English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish and Greek subtitles. Mill Creek's DVD of course had none of that, and neither did Artisan's or Front Row's. Now, Vestron gives us the original mono track in 2.0 in lossless DTS-HD, and includes optional English and Spanish (a first for Vestron?) subtitles.
To their slight credit, Artisan's older disc at least had the trailer, which none of the other DVDs do, including MGM's or Artisan's own reissue. The reissue does have an amusing animated menu, though, I must say. But until Vestron came along, we never got beyond the barebones Gothic release. However, we're well beyond it now. Let's start with the commentary. I stated in my 2015 write-up of the DVDs that unfortunately we'd wasted so much time giving this film a special edition it was no longer possible to secure a Ken Russell commentary. And that was a real shame, because he'd made great ones for so many of his films and Gothic really cried out for one. Well, obviously Vestron couldn't perform a miracle, but they did the next best thing, pairing up his wife Lisi Russell with film historian Matthew Melia. Between the pair of them, they bring the combination of expertise and personal insight that you'd hope for from an actual director commentary. And thankfully, Lisi seems to have had a genuine interest in Ken's films, so she really brings something to the table.
So that's a great, insightful listen, but almost as essential is the interview with screenwriter, Stephen Volk, who tells us this film depicts the world just as he sees it. He also has a lot of critical insight into this film from its origins to why this film is the way it is, including some details you'd never have guessed really did originate from Shelly's account of the real events. Fans will probably be drawn more to the Julian Sands interview, which of course is good fun as well, and there's another on-camera interview with the DoP Mike Southon, who has some great anecdotes about working with Russell's temper and bringing to life his off-beat vision. Vestron also includes their usual separate soundtrack audio which concludes with an interview with the composer. And in this case, it's Thomas Dolby, so even fans who typically skip these might check this one out. Additionally, yes, the trailer's back, as well as a TV spot and an image gallery. And like all Vestron titles, it comes in a slipcover.
MGM's disc was essential in 2003, a must import. But looking at it today, it's not even a very good DVD. Vestron's blu is the film's first special edition, and the extras are great. But even if it were barebones, it would be the only serious option for this film. Is it going to win blu-ray of the year and stand-up against Arrow's 4k remasters or the latest Transformers movie? No, it's a little soft and there's room for technical improvement. But for an 80s catalog title, this is well above satisfactory already, and then when you take into account the serious deficit that is this movie's home video situation, especially in the states, this is massive. Finally, Gothic is nice to look at. ...Except maybe, you know, for the scenes where the characters are all smeared in blood, sweat and feces.
It's been available OnDemand in HD, but I checked the quality yet.
ReplyDelete*Haven't* checked the quality yet, I should say...
DeleteI'd guess it'll be taken from the same master they used for this DVD. But in HD, that would still probably be a pretty nice improvement.
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