Michael Brooke
03-01-2002, 14:48
As Colin's been promising, 2002 will see quite a few changes to DVD Times - and one innovation that's kicking off over the weekend is that we're going to start looking at career overviews as well as individual films, giving both a biography, critical appraisal and (most importantly) DVD rundown of major film figures.
David Lynch seemed like the perfect candidate for the first feature - not only because <I>Mulholland Drive</I> opens this week, but also because tracking down the best DVDs of his work is more than usually difficult, as they're seemingly scattered all over the world! In fact, I'm not totally sure I've got all of it right myself, so here's a sneak preview - and comments and suggestions are most welcome.
I'm particularly interested in concrete details on Japanese DVDs, the Belgian <I>Lost Highway</I> and the Spanish <I>Eraserhead</I> - and of course anything else I've inadvertently left out.
<HR>
<B>Introduction</B>
Until recently, assembling a decent Lynch DVD collection involved ordering from multiple countries (Britain, the US, France, Germany, Japan and even Taiwan) and much elaborate weighing of pros and cons - with the one country conspicuously underendowed on the Lynch DVD front being his native America, much to the frustration of various newsgroup habitués . Things are gradually changing, with Lynch supervising remastered versions of his films - but these, unsurprisingly, have peculiarities in themselves.
For starters, Lynch isn’t especially keen on extras, refusing point blank to even consider recording commentaries (they’re “horse****”, apparently) - though it’s arguable whether Lynch’s particular brand of cinema would benefit much from them. So far so much in common with Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen and the Coen Brothers - but Lynch’s self-approved DVDs go even further in that they don’t offer any chapter stops, as Lynch wants people to watch his films from the beginning or, presumably, not at all.
At the time of writing, Region 1 still lacks many Lynch DVDs, though this will probably be corrected sooner rather than later. Region 2 Europe offers all the features bar <I>Wild at Heart</I>, though you have to shop around quite a few countries for the best selection, while you have to go to Asia for the only current versions of <I>Wild at Heart</I> and the <I>Twin Peaks</I> pilot. But I’m getting ahead of myself - here’s the full lowdown:
<B>The early shorts</B>
Not currently available on DVD to the best of my knowledge, though a Lynch-supervised DVD collection is rumoured for this year.
<B>Eraserhead</B>
There are three current releases that I’m aware of - British R2 (Universal UK), French R2 (INA) and R4 (The AV Channel) - though they all seem to be sourced from the same materials, offering a 4:3 transfer and stereo sound (sourced from Lynch’s remix from the early 1990s) and very basic extras. The French disc scores highest in terms of features (a printed interview with Lynch, a stills gallery and filmography), though a major drawback is that the main feature has compulsory French subtitles. The transfer quality on all the discs is reputedly adequate but sourced from a somewhat damaged print - and, more seriously, the picture has been cropped from what was apparently originally hard-matted 1.75:1 to 4:3.
I’d personally recommend holding off until the R1 disc appears - this will apparently be based on an extensive print and frame-by-frame digital restoration supervised by Lynch himself. As a result, I predict no chapter stops - but hopefully the rest will make up for that!
<B>The Elephant Man</B>
For a long time this was only available in France on the Canal Plus label (R2 PAL), in a decent if unspectacular anamorphic version with MPEG stereo sound. The British Momentum disc (R2 PAL) is reputedly based on the same transfer, though the sound this time is Dolby Digital 2.0 and it also comes with an impressively detailed 56-page book about the film. There’s also a Japanese R2 NTSC version, but it’s reputedly non-anamorphic, which automatically rules it out of contention.
The clear front-runner, though, is the newly-released (Dec 2001) R1 disc, which boasts a gorgeous anamorphic transfer, a 5.1 remix that makes striking use of the subwoofer (the original 2.0 mix is also included), and a pretty good selection of extras (half-hour documentary, stills gallery with narration, make-up featurette) - but no chapter stops.
<B>Dune</B>
There are four DVDs of the theatrical cut of <I>Dune</I> - in ascending order of quality, they're the Universal (R1 NTSC), Castle (R2 PAL) and Universal (R4 PAL). All are non-anamorphic, the R2 has slightly more features (a stills gallery and animated menus), but the R4 has a DTS soundtrack (though apparently this doesn't offer any significant bonuses). The original now-discontinued R4 disc is a pan-and-scan abomination and should be avoided.
The only anamorphic version is the French R2 PAL disc, which also features more extensive text-based extras than their rivals - though these are all in French. I have yet to read any authoritative reviews, but on the strength of other French discs in my collection it may well be worth further investigation.
<I>Dune</I> completists will also doubtless snap up Castle’s R2 PAL disc of the TV edit (not to be confused with the recent TV remake) – though they should be warned that its only attraction is the chance to see 35 minutes of footage that didn’t make the theatrical cut. Not only has Lynch disowned this version (which is credited to the legendary “Alan Smithee”) but it’s in pan-and-scan 4:3 with indifferent sound.
<B>Blue Velvet</B>
There are two British DVDs, both by Castle, and neither are recommended. In fact, their first version has the unenviable distinction of being one of the worst DVDs ever made - a hideous, grain and artefact-riddled transfer that, to add insult to considerable injury, cropped Lynch’s immaculate 2.35:1 compositions to 4:3! This has now been withdrawn, but pops up from time to time in bargain basements - but no price is low enough for this! The reissued version says “widescreen” on the box - but it’s still cropped, this time to about 2.1:1, and it’s non-anamorphic. That said, it has the most generous extra on any Lynch DVD to date - a 45-minute Dennis Hopper interview.
But the only current release offering a halfway satisfactory transfer is MGM’s R1 NTSC disc, which is anamorphic and respects the correct aspect ratio. Sonically, it reproduces the film’s original Dolby Stereo mix, and the only extra is a trailer.
My advice, though, is to wait for the rumoured special edition that’s on the cards for 2002 - not a feature-packed blowout, but it will contain a Lynch-supervised anamorphic transfer and 5.1 sound mix and a documentary.
<B>Wild at Heart</B>
Only available on a mediocre Japanese DVD (R2 NTSC) - no menus or chapter stops, and the non-anamorphic picture is cropped to 16:9 from the original 2.35:1. It’s an expensive import and not worth the money or the hassle - wait for a European or US release.
<B>Twin Peaks</B>
Season one is currently available as an R1 NTSC Artisan set, and is gorgeous - sourced from the original 35mm negative and with Dolby 2.0, 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound, it’s by far the best version of the series ever released - and comes with surprisingly extensive extras, including commentaries (though Lynch neither approved nor participated).
However, this set does not include the feature-length pilot episode - for that, you currently have to go to Taiwan, where a non-region-coded NTSC disc contains the original TV version (i.e. not the European version with an alternative ending). Transfer quality is mediocre, and the 5.1 sound mix is overly gimmicky and needlessly distracting - but it’s your only option for now.
The second and final series should be released on Artisan R1 NTSC at some point in 2002.
As for <I>Fire Walk With Me</I>, it’s currently available as a deeply disappointing British R0 PAL disc offering an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer from a poor-quality print, the original Dolby Stereo sound mix and no extras. A German R2 PAL disc offers a 5.1 remix - but in dubbed German only. Without question, fans of the film should wait for New Line’s imminent R1 edition, which promises to be a vast improvement in every way, even if it sadly looks as though it won’t contain the much-trailed deleted scenes.
<B>Lost Highway</B>
Let’s get the write-offs out of the way first of all - the R1 Canadian disc is pan-and-scan 4:3, while the R2 French/Dutch and R4 Australian discs lack 5.1 sound, which is pretty much essential with this film (Lynch is his own sound designer, and he mixed the film with 5.1 in mind).
BMG's German disc (R2 PAL) is a much more attractive proposition, as it offers a very good anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer and English 5.1 sound. Extras are minimal - blink and you'll miss 'em interviews - but there are no compulsory subtitles. Some may not like the jewel case it comes in, though - but it looks like the best option at present. The Japanese disc (R2 NTSC) apparently has great 5.1 sound but a noticeably inferior picture, and there's also a Belgian version whose specs have eluded me thus far.
Again, though, there's a Lynch-supervised R1 disc apparently on the horizon - and given the extreme encoding difficulties this film presents (basically, Lynch was trying to push 35mm film to the absolute limit of its capabilities, and digital media simply can't cope with the layers of near-total darkness in the film's first third) it might well be worth waiting for that.
<B>The Straight Story</B>
Chapter stops or no chapter stops? That’s essentially the difference between the Lynch-approved US versions and the various European editions, and in all cases the transfer is gorgeous visually (anamorphic 2.35:1) and pretty impressive aurally (though the British DVD has an alarming wobble over the end credits, which I’m not sure is reproduced anywhere else). In all cases, the only extra is the theatrical trailer.
The best version, though, is the Japanese “collector’s edition”, which offers a small selection of extras - ten-minute interviews with Lynch and Richard Farnsworth and a twenty-minute press conference with Farnsworth, though that running time is deceptively generous-looking, as the questions and answers have to be run through a Japanese interpreter! Additional extras include a stills gallery and multiple trailers.
<B>Pretty As A Picture: The Art of David Lynch/Lumiere & Company</B>
And finally, for Lynch completists, there's <I>Pretty as a Picture</I>, a rather good R0 NTSC documentary from Image Entertainment, giving a general career overview plus some fascinating footage of Lynch on the set of <I>Lost Highway</I> and revisiting <I>Eraserhead</I> locations. Given the paucity of extras elsewhere, this is well worth a buy.
More of an oddity is <I>Lumiere & Company</I> (Fox Lorber, R0 NTSC), a centenary-of-cinema project whereby forty leading directors were given an 1890s Lumiere camera and a minute of film. Lynch's contribution is one of the most striking, a typically unsettling piece involving kidnap and alien scientific experimentation. There's also an equally brief on-set documentary.
David Lynch seemed like the perfect candidate for the first feature - not only because <I>Mulholland Drive</I> opens this week, but also because tracking down the best DVDs of his work is more than usually difficult, as they're seemingly scattered all over the world! In fact, I'm not totally sure I've got all of it right myself, so here's a sneak preview - and comments and suggestions are most welcome.
I'm particularly interested in concrete details on Japanese DVDs, the Belgian <I>Lost Highway</I> and the Spanish <I>Eraserhead</I> - and of course anything else I've inadvertently left out.
<HR>
<B>Introduction</B>
Until recently, assembling a decent Lynch DVD collection involved ordering from multiple countries (Britain, the US, France, Germany, Japan and even Taiwan) and much elaborate weighing of pros and cons - with the one country conspicuously underendowed on the Lynch DVD front being his native America, much to the frustration of various newsgroup habitués . Things are gradually changing, with Lynch supervising remastered versions of his films - but these, unsurprisingly, have peculiarities in themselves.
For starters, Lynch isn’t especially keen on extras, refusing point blank to even consider recording commentaries (they’re “horse****”, apparently) - though it’s arguable whether Lynch’s particular brand of cinema would benefit much from them. So far so much in common with Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen and the Coen Brothers - but Lynch’s self-approved DVDs go even further in that they don’t offer any chapter stops, as Lynch wants people to watch his films from the beginning or, presumably, not at all.
At the time of writing, Region 1 still lacks many Lynch DVDs, though this will probably be corrected sooner rather than later. Region 2 Europe offers all the features bar <I>Wild at Heart</I>, though you have to shop around quite a few countries for the best selection, while you have to go to Asia for the only current versions of <I>Wild at Heart</I> and the <I>Twin Peaks</I> pilot. But I’m getting ahead of myself - here’s the full lowdown:
<B>The early shorts</B>
Not currently available on DVD to the best of my knowledge, though a Lynch-supervised DVD collection is rumoured for this year.
<B>Eraserhead</B>
There are three current releases that I’m aware of - British R2 (Universal UK), French R2 (INA) and R4 (The AV Channel) - though they all seem to be sourced from the same materials, offering a 4:3 transfer and stereo sound (sourced from Lynch’s remix from the early 1990s) and very basic extras. The French disc scores highest in terms of features (a printed interview with Lynch, a stills gallery and filmography), though a major drawback is that the main feature has compulsory French subtitles. The transfer quality on all the discs is reputedly adequate but sourced from a somewhat damaged print - and, more seriously, the picture has been cropped from what was apparently originally hard-matted 1.75:1 to 4:3.
I’d personally recommend holding off until the R1 disc appears - this will apparently be based on an extensive print and frame-by-frame digital restoration supervised by Lynch himself. As a result, I predict no chapter stops - but hopefully the rest will make up for that!
<B>The Elephant Man</B>
For a long time this was only available in France on the Canal Plus label (R2 PAL), in a decent if unspectacular anamorphic version with MPEG stereo sound. The British Momentum disc (R2 PAL) is reputedly based on the same transfer, though the sound this time is Dolby Digital 2.0 and it also comes with an impressively detailed 56-page book about the film. There’s also a Japanese R2 NTSC version, but it’s reputedly non-anamorphic, which automatically rules it out of contention.
The clear front-runner, though, is the newly-released (Dec 2001) R1 disc, which boasts a gorgeous anamorphic transfer, a 5.1 remix that makes striking use of the subwoofer (the original 2.0 mix is also included), and a pretty good selection of extras (half-hour documentary, stills gallery with narration, make-up featurette) - but no chapter stops.
<B>Dune</B>
There are four DVDs of the theatrical cut of <I>Dune</I> - in ascending order of quality, they're the Universal (R1 NTSC), Castle (R2 PAL) and Universal (R4 PAL). All are non-anamorphic, the R2 has slightly more features (a stills gallery and animated menus), but the R4 has a DTS soundtrack (though apparently this doesn't offer any significant bonuses). The original now-discontinued R4 disc is a pan-and-scan abomination and should be avoided.
The only anamorphic version is the French R2 PAL disc, which also features more extensive text-based extras than their rivals - though these are all in French. I have yet to read any authoritative reviews, but on the strength of other French discs in my collection it may well be worth further investigation.
<I>Dune</I> completists will also doubtless snap up Castle’s R2 PAL disc of the TV edit (not to be confused with the recent TV remake) – though they should be warned that its only attraction is the chance to see 35 minutes of footage that didn’t make the theatrical cut. Not only has Lynch disowned this version (which is credited to the legendary “Alan Smithee”) but it’s in pan-and-scan 4:3 with indifferent sound.
<B>Blue Velvet</B>
There are two British DVDs, both by Castle, and neither are recommended. In fact, their first version has the unenviable distinction of being one of the worst DVDs ever made - a hideous, grain and artefact-riddled transfer that, to add insult to considerable injury, cropped Lynch’s immaculate 2.35:1 compositions to 4:3! This has now been withdrawn, but pops up from time to time in bargain basements - but no price is low enough for this! The reissued version says “widescreen” on the box - but it’s still cropped, this time to about 2.1:1, and it’s non-anamorphic. That said, it has the most generous extra on any Lynch DVD to date - a 45-minute Dennis Hopper interview.
But the only current release offering a halfway satisfactory transfer is MGM’s R1 NTSC disc, which is anamorphic and respects the correct aspect ratio. Sonically, it reproduces the film’s original Dolby Stereo mix, and the only extra is a trailer.
My advice, though, is to wait for the rumoured special edition that’s on the cards for 2002 - not a feature-packed blowout, but it will contain a Lynch-supervised anamorphic transfer and 5.1 sound mix and a documentary.
<B>Wild at Heart</B>
Only available on a mediocre Japanese DVD (R2 NTSC) - no menus or chapter stops, and the non-anamorphic picture is cropped to 16:9 from the original 2.35:1. It’s an expensive import and not worth the money or the hassle - wait for a European or US release.
<B>Twin Peaks</B>
Season one is currently available as an R1 NTSC Artisan set, and is gorgeous - sourced from the original 35mm negative and with Dolby 2.0, 5.1 and DTS 5.1 sound, it’s by far the best version of the series ever released - and comes with surprisingly extensive extras, including commentaries (though Lynch neither approved nor participated).
However, this set does not include the feature-length pilot episode - for that, you currently have to go to Taiwan, where a non-region-coded NTSC disc contains the original TV version (i.e. not the European version with an alternative ending). Transfer quality is mediocre, and the 5.1 sound mix is overly gimmicky and needlessly distracting - but it’s your only option for now.
The second and final series should be released on Artisan R1 NTSC at some point in 2002.
As for <I>Fire Walk With Me</I>, it’s currently available as a deeply disappointing British R0 PAL disc offering an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer from a poor-quality print, the original Dolby Stereo sound mix and no extras. A German R2 PAL disc offers a 5.1 remix - but in dubbed German only. Without question, fans of the film should wait for New Line’s imminent R1 edition, which promises to be a vast improvement in every way, even if it sadly looks as though it won’t contain the much-trailed deleted scenes.
<B>Lost Highway</B>
Let’s get the write-offs out of the way first of all - the R1 Canadian disc is pan-and-scan 4:3, while the R2 French/Dutch and R4 Australian discs lack 5.1 sound, which is pretty much essential with this film (Lynch is his own sound designer, and he mixed the film with 5.1 in mind).
BMG's German disc (R2 PAL) is a much more attractive proposition, as it offers a very good anamorphic 2.35:1 transfer and English 5.1 sound. Extras are minimal - blink and you'll miss 'em interviews - but there are no compulsory subtitles. Some may not like the jewel case it comes in, though - but it looks like the best option at present. The Japanese disc (R2 NTSC) apparently has great 5.1 sound but a noticeably inferior picture, and there's also a Belgian version whose specs have eluded me thus far.
Again, though, there's a Lynch-supervised R1 disc apparently on the horizon - and given the extreme encoding difficulties this film presents (basically, Lynch was trying to push 35mm film to the absolute limit of its capabilities, and digital media simply can't cope with the layers of near-total darkness in the film's first third) it might well be worth waiting for that.
<B>The Straight Story</B>
Chapter stops or no chapter stops? That’s essentially the difference between the Lynch-approved US versions and the various European editions, and in all cases the transfer is gorgeous visually (anamorphic 2.35:1) and pretty impressive aurally (though the British DVD has an alarming wobble over the end credits, which I’m not sure is reproduced anywhere else). In all cases, the only extra is the theatrical trailer.
The best version, though, is the Japanese “collector’s edition”, which offers a small selection of extras - ten-minute interviews with Lynch and Richard Farnsworth and a twenty-minute press conference with Farnsworth, though that running time is deceptively generous-looking, as the questions and answers have to be run through a Japanese interpreter! Additional extras include a stills gallery and multiple trailers.
<B>Pretty As A Picture: The Art of David Lynch/Lumiere & Company</B>
And finally, for Lynch completists, there's <I>Pretty as a Picture</I>, a rather good R0 NTSC documentary from Image Entertainment, giving a general career overview plus some fascinating footage of Lynch on the set of <I>Lost Highway</I> and revisiting <I>Eraserhead</I> locations. Given the paucity of extras elsewhere, this is well worth a buy.
More of an oddity is <I>Lumiere & Company</I> (Fox Lorber, R0 NTSC), a centenary-of-cinema project whereby forty leading directors were given an 1890s Lumiere camera and a minute of film. Lynch's contribution is one of the most striking, a typically unsettling piece involving kidnap and alien scientific experimentation. There's also an equally brief on-set documentary.