Herb Kane
Screenwriter
- Joined
- May 7, 2001
- Messages
- 1,342
National Lampoon’s Vacation - 20th Anniversary SE
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1983
Rated: R
Film Length: 99 Mins.
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Audio: DD Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish & Portuguese
The Feature:
After a long wait, Warner is finally about to release one of the funniest movies ever as a Special Edition to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its original release. Brilliantly written by John Hughes and directed by Harold Ramis, National Lampoon’s Vacation is soon to be released in it’s proper OAR - widescreen glory. As a matter of fact, on October 7th, WB is releasing Vegas Vacation and Christmas Vacation in their proper OAR. Also on that date they are releasing the entire series as a box set. In the early years of the format, there were many non OAR WB releases. Finally, we are now getting around to having many of these classics revisited and released in their proper aspect ratio.
National Lampoon’s Vacation is just one of those movies that puts a smile on my face, just thinking about it. In fact all four in the series are classics in my opinion (albeit, the European and Vegas Vacation’s are the weaker of the bunch). I’m a sucker for funny travel movies such as Planes, Trains & Automobiles, The Out-of-Towners (1970 version) and, of course, the Vacation Series.
I can’t help but think of those summer vacations where we’d pack up the 1970 Chevy Impala and head out… you just never knew what you were in for – but you knew it probably wasn’t going to be pretty. Even though we never lost a loved one during our vacations -- over the years, I do recall a fish hook lodged in mom’s forehead, dad’s shaving cream exploding in his suitcase, an almost rollover to avoid a deer in the middle of a New Brunswick road and a pair of dad’s rank socks catching fire while drying on a woodstove…. Yes folks, these are all true stories. Therapy has made a world of difference…
I’m guessing there isn’t a single person reading this review who hasn’t had a similar experience…
Similar to my father’s attempt at the ultimate experience, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) is the dad that I think most of us can relate to. He’s the consummate family man with a good job, a nice house in the burbs, 2.5 kids (almost) and a woody station wagon in the driveway… however, regardless of how hard he tries, he’s a putz. His wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), is always doing her best to make peace and keep her husband from total humiliation or even worse, killing the family. Their two kids Rusty (Anthony Michael Hall) and Audrey (Dana Barron), are typical kids who are embarrassed by virtually everything their dad says and does…. and in this case, they might very well be justified. Last but not least, there’s cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid) who is absolutely priceless and who is responsible for much of the humor for the entire movie.
Scored to the very catchy “Holiday Road” (and you’ll be humming this for hours after the movie), this vacation sets out on a cross country trip from Chicago to a California theme park called Wally World. Along the way we witness the trials and tribulations of Clark’s attempt at the perfect holiday. During their journey, he encounters a gorgeous blonde (Christey Brinkley) driving a red Ferrari which he flirts and fantasizes with. When they finally arrive, they are greeted by the inept security guard (John Candy) only to discover yet another surprise that awaits them.
Nobody has been on a vacation quite like this….
Video:
Warner Brothers boasts an all new digital transfer for this new release. Unfortunately (I really mean fortunately…) I don’t have the previous MAR’d disc to compare it to (while I did succumb to the pressure of Christmas Vacation, I remained vigilant in my stance against the purchase of this regular disc).
Overall, I found this transfer to be rather pleasing. For the most part, the image was sharp and detailed. On occasion however, I noticed the image was slightly soft. Skin colors were accurate, and colors were vibrant. Black levels were also very good.
During the scene when they are arriving in St. Louis, I noticed what appeared to be compression issues however, It only seems to last a few seconds during that scene.
Overall, I found the video presentation very film like and very pleasing with a definite look of the 80’s present. My criticisms noted above are only very minor in nature.
Audio:
There is a ton of music during this movie. Even though the audio track is only DD Mono, it is delivered perfectly. The scenes where the music is present (and that accounts for a good portion of the film) is extremely full and expansive. I had to double check a couple of times to confirm it was only DD Mono… and it was. It gave the center speaker a pretty good workout – very impressive.
Dialogue is very clear with no audible hiss or noise. Very solid.
Special Features:
We have a choice of five options in the Special Features section. They are:
Introduction - Features Chevy Chase, Producer Matty Simmons and Randy Quaid. It’s only a couple minutes long and just gives a brief intro to the film.
Griswold Family Commentary – This is a rather interesting audio discussion of the film. Present are: Harold Ramis (who is actually pretty informative), Producer Matty Simmons, Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid, Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall. Absent is Beverly D’Angelo. Ramis takes the lead here and takes us on a detailed tour of the movie discussing why certain scenes were shot in the manner they were etc. Discussed is the infamous ghetto scene in St. Louis, working with Eugene Levy and John Candy. Personally, I found this to be the most (only…?) interesting special feature. Duration: 98 Minutes.
Family Truckster Interactive – This is nothing more than a still picture of the “Truckster”. When you click on certain parts of the car, it takes you to a 1-2 minute clip of the movie – a few of which have commentaries, a few of which do not.
Theatrical Trailer – The trailer is included however, I found it to be slightly grainy.
Cast & Crew – Just a text listing of all the participants and their roles.
Final Thoughts:
National Lampoon’s: Vacation is one of those comedies where repeated viewings offer up every bit as much fun as the previous one. It’s success is due in part to always having a funny quip, sight gag or a simple shrug of a shoulder on a continual flow. We’re never left without a laugh for more than a minute or two before the next one comes along. That, combined with the audio/video presentation on this disc, make it a must have for any fan or collector. If you’re on the fence about upgrading or simply buying this Special Edition, don’t be!
Highly Recommended…!
Release Date: August 19th, 2003
