Blu-ray Review Audrey Rose – (Arrow Video) Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[t1g3r5fan]

Formerly a film editor at RKO Radio Pictures, Robert Wise became a director starting with The Curse of the Cat People (1944), which he shared co-directing duties with Gunther von Frisch for producer Val Lewton. He would make one more horror film for Lewton – The Body Snatcher (1945) – before an 18-year break from the genre before returning with The Haunting (1963), which was sandwiched between his two Oscar winning films West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965). Wise would return to his horror roots one more time with Audrey Rose during the 1970’s. Previously released on DVD by MGM and on Blu-ray in a limited batch run by Twilight Time and Imprint Films, Arrow Video has revived the movie on Blu-ray for a brand new release here in the states.



Audrey Rose (1977)



Released: 06 Apr 1977
Rated: PG
Runtime: 113 min...

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[Robert Harris]

Anyone remember Hotrod Hullabaloo?

 

[haineshisway]

I'd have to know how it compares to the previous Blu-ray (a rare Twilight Time misfire - not their fault, just what they were given, which stunk) and all the online versions. While the film, for me, is a complete failure, it would be nice to see it with proper color.

 

[deepscan]

I have yet to see this film again (and I do plan to get the new Arow release), but having seen this film twice it is highly recommended. It deserves 5 stars.

To repeat what I have said elsewhere, this is, by far, the greatest modern-day horror masterpiece ever made. Not even THE EXORCIST or POLTERGEIST can compare to AUDREY ROSE. For a PG-rated film, it is chilling from the beginning to the end. It will leave you shaking, literally.

The only other film that gave me the chills after I had seen it (and one you should compare to) is the late Michael Cimino’s THE DEER HUNTER. Though not a horror film, DEER HUNTER‘s climactic “Russian Roulette” sequence alone leaves you (as it left me) shaken for days. But as AUDREY ROSE took two hours to tell, DEER HUNTER was three hours…and even won a Best Picture Oscar.

What both Robert Wise and Michael Cimino have in common is the realism that was put into both films, reality that is just as terrifying in the real world as it is on the screen…the horrors of reincarnation (and the price paid) in ROSE, and the horrors of Vietnam (and its price paid) in DEER HUNTER.

I recommend you see BOTH films. It is no Disney experience.

 

[haineshisway]

Wow, I must have seen an entirely different Audrey Rose. I think Marsha Mason is excellent, the little girl isn't great, Anthony Hopkins has to deal with some bad writing, but the biggest problem other than the script is John Beck - he basically kills the film, at least for me he does. The one great thing is the score by Michael Small, which is superb.

 

[lark144]

The one great thing is the score by Michael Small, which is superb.

Absolutely agree. Might be Mr. Small's finest work, and they are all, from my perspective, superb.

 

[Robert Crawford]

My Amazon order just shipped which has this Arrow BD release on sale for $19.99 as I never upgraded from the DVD. TBH, I never watched the movie in its entirety which I'll do in the near future as I'm having a difficult time thinking this movie is better than The Exorcist.

 

[haineshisway]

Absolutely agree. Might be Mr. Small's finest work, and they are all, from my perspective, superb.

Yep, he's one of the great unsung film composers, IMO. It's a beautiful, haunting score that tries hard but can't quite make up for the inadaquecies of the script and Mr. Beck's performance. We issued the score on CD, which was a thrill. We let Twilight Time use our CD for their isolated track.

 

[haineshisway]

My Amazon order just shipped which has this Arrow BD release on sale for $19.99 as I never upgraded from the DVD. TBH, I never watched the movie in its entirety which I'll do in the near future as I'm having a difficult time thinking this movie is better than The Exorcist.

It's five country miles away from The Exorcist. Maybe ten country miles. You can't even speak of the two films in the same breath

 

[Nick*Z]

I never warmed to this pic. Apart from the score (already mentioned) I just thought it was a bit of snore and more than a bit of a ripoff/take off of the whole 'kids possessed by the devil or other such demonically inclined spirits' ilk of Hollywood horror that briefly took over during the mid-70's. Love Tony Hopkins as a rule. But NOT in this. Ditto for Marsha Mason. But I really can't figure out how John Beck had a movie career. His acting stings of bad soap opera star.

 

[Peter Keller]

 

[Robert Crawford]

Post deleted for political comment which isn’t allowed per our posting guidelines.

 

[haineshisway]

Got the Arrow and viewed it this evening. First off, the film: John Beck is terrible. There are no two ways about it. Therefore the film cannot work as it should. Aside from him and some bad writing, the first half of the film has compelling elements and is well directed. Then we hit the trial and it's all over - it just devolves into sheer stupidity in the writing and Wise just seems to lose all interest here in terms of cinema. Robert Walden, an actor and human I'm fond of, needed direction from Wise to not be so over the top and he clearly didn't get it. The hypnosis stuff is pure hokum. Again, Michael Small's score is the film's biggest asset, along with Marsha Mason who, even though she has to wade through some sketchy dialogue, is terrific. The kid's okay. The fellow who plays the lawyer is every bit as bad as John Beck. And then there's Anthony Hopkins, who does all he can to make some preachy, stilted exposition sound real, but he's always fun to watch.

The transfer. Said to be a 2K "restoration" (yeah, uh huh, sure) from the camera negative, it's certainly a step up from the MGM/UA old transfer provided to Twilight Time - that transfer, which I checked out again, isn't hideous, it's just old and kind of typical - grain is clunky and it doesn't have a film-like quality. The new transfer, to my eye, would make me guess it was off a CRI or printing negative rather than the camera negative, at least in look. There are a couple of extremely grainy (ugly grain) scenes, but the contrast is better, the color is a hair nicer, and it's a bit sharper.

People who are buying this just for the extras: I thought they were terrible because it's just about themes the film touches on, rather than the making of the film. For me, that's just wasted space.