Andy Warhol: Life And Death
Studio: Synkronized USA
Year: 2005
Rated: Not Rated
Film Length: 81 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English, French
US DVD Release Date: April 10, 2007
Movie: 3 out of 5
Andy Warhol: Life And Death is a biographical documentary made for French television, covering his late childhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania up until his death in New York City in 1987. The narrator (in French) takes on the persona of Warhol, as if reading from a diary, with talking head style interviews from family, friends, and colleagues, interspersed with photos, home movies, and stock and archival footage. The film spends most if its time in the 1960s, then kicks into fast forward for Warhol’s last two decades.
Video: 3.5 out of 5
Because the quality of the source footage for this documentary varies between HD video, SD video, 8mm film, 16mm film, stock footage, and still photos, the image varies greatly, making this difficult to review. However, the 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer appears to be from an HD master, providing an overall clean image during the more recent interview segments.
Audio: 3 out of 5
As with most talking-head style documentaries, the film is mostly dialogue driven, and the provided Dolby 2.0 stereo soundtrack (in both English and French) delivers clear and intelligible dialogue.
Special Features: 2 out of 5
Synkronized USA has released Andy Warhol: Life And Death as a 2-disc special edition, with the feature on Disc One and bonus features on Disc Two, all presented in anamorphic widescreen.
- Deleted and extended interviews: More talking-head style interviews
- Photo gallery by Christopher Makos: A slideshow of session photos seen in the feature.
- Photo gallery by Billy Name: A slideshow consisting mostly of candid photos seen in the feature.
- Music Videos by Soldout (“Let’s Talk” and “Get Out”): Both songs were filmed with one camera, which never moves, capturing the musicians smoking and drinking beer while performing the songs with little to no enthusiasm. Anyone who has taken a class in film making could have done better.
Overall: 3 out of 5 (non an average)
An interesting but not captivating documentary on one of America’s most recognized modern artist, with a pleasing video and audio experience, make this a good rental for those who are unfamiliar with Andy Warhol.
This DVD was reviewed on the following home theater gear:
Toshiba 56HM66 DLP HDTV
Sony Playstation 3 (upconverting to 1080i)
Yamaha HTR-5940 Home Theater Receiver (in 5.1 configuration)
Yamaha NS-AP2600 Home Cinema Speaker Package
Yamaha YST-SW010 subwoofer
