The picture of a burning cross on the cover of Twilight Time’s new Blu-ray release of Mississippi Burning does as well as anything possibly could to bring back thoughts of the bitter struggles against racism and bigotry that our country has been enmeshed in for half a century or more. Alan Parker’s electrifying drama set in 1964 Mississippi encapsulates that struggle within the confines of a kinetic crime drama where brutality and hatred are as normal to many of the characters as eating or breathing, and the film retains its power more than a quarter of a century after its first release.
Studio: MGM
Distributed By: Twilight Time
Video Resolution and Encode: 1080P/AVC
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio: English 2.0 DTS-HDMA
Subtitles: English SDH
Rating: R
Run Time: 2 Hr. 7 Min.
Package Includes: Blu-ray
keep caseDisc Type: BD50 (dual layer)
Region: All
Release Date: 05/12/2015
MSRP: $29.95
The Production Rating: 4/5
After three young civil rights workers (two white, one black) go missing in Jessup County, Mississippi, in 1964, two FBI agents - Alan Ward (Willem Dafoe) and Rupert Anderson (Gene Hackman) – are assigned to investigate the matter. Upon arriving, they find the area’s white residents closing ranks and offering no information and the black residents too terrified of repercussions to tell what they know. Ward, the ranking field agent though much younger than Anderson, wants to proceed by the FBI playbook while Anderson, once a Mississippi sheriff himself, is more familiar with the Southern protocols for getting information but is ignored by his superior. Their snooping causes the area’s Klan members to step up their intimidation of the black residents by burning a number of churches and houses in the hopes that the FBI will simply pack up and leave, but the investigation only intensifies. Anderson realizes that the key to the puzzle may be with the wife (Frances McDormand) of the area’s deputy sheriff (Brad Dourif), but he’ll have to do a lot of sweet talking to make her betray her husband’s confidences even if he is one of the obvious members of the Klan in town.
Based on a real-life incident though fictionalized by screenwriter Chris Gerolmo, the script and director Alan Parker pull no punches in portraying the ugliness and brutality of the era in this town with beatings, burnings, and lynchings the order of the day. Parker keeps things taut throughout when no one, either black or white, is safe from a firebomb being tossed through his window or a cross set aflame on a front lawn. The cinematography of these acts of violence is almost hypnotic in its power and majesty as the camera lingers almost shamefully over these acts of destruction (little wonder cinematographer Peter Biziou won an Academy Award for his efforts), but the script dawdles a bit by having the head FBI agent stubbornly ignoring both sensible advice and the evidence before his eyes by bringing in more men (and the Navy reserves!) that just make the situation worse. Parker also sprinkles into the story some person-on-the-street interviews during the early going showing the widespread and almost prideful expressions of bigotry of the white population, but this ham-fisted motif is dropped rather abruptly and might have been more wisely omitted since it’s obvious from the dramatic scenes themselves (which feature a number of on-camera interviews by characters in the film spouting their prejudice) the general feelings of the white population about their African-American town dwellers. Once Hackman’s Anderson is allowed free reign to do things his way, the pacing picks up notably, and the film’s last half hour relatively flies by.
Gene Hackman earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations and the National Board of Review Best Actor award for his performance in the film. Despite a slightly wobbly Southern accent, he has so many fine moments: all of his scenes with the superb Frances McDormand as he maneuvers her into trusting him, a memorable confrontation with the Klan members within their own headquarters, and several exchanges with his partner played engagingly if possibly without that missing little bit of charisma by Willem Dafoe. A panoply of great supporting performances all playing the most bigoted brigade of characters you’re likely to see in a long time: town mayor R. Lee Ermey, sheriff Gailard Sartain, deputy Brad Dourif, Klan muscle Michael Rooker, and Klan mouthpiece Stephen Tobolowsky all add immensely negative local color to the proceedings.
Video Rating: 4/5 3D Rating: NA
The film’s 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio is faithfully reproduced in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. While sharpness is usually above average and color is tightly controlled with all of those orange flames never searing the screen and with believable skin tones throughout, there are some age-related specks of dirt (more of them earlier in the film than later) and some black levels that are only fair with some crushed blacks in the shadows early-on. The film has been divided into 24 chapters.
Audio Rating: 4.5/5
The film’s DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo sound mix is quite effective. Dialogue is usually well recorded with only a couple of speeches that seem a bit garbled and low. Sound effects get a nice spread through the mix as do the background score by Trevor Jones and the audio track which features also some fine gospel singing by local artists in Mississippi and Alabama where the film was shot.
Special Features Rating: 3/5
Audio Commentary: director Alan Parker does the honors. It begins rather slowly and fitfully, but once he hits his stride, he talks pretty continuously for the remainder of the running time.
Isolated Score Track: presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo
Theatrical Trailer (1:34, SD)
MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (2:06, HD)
Six-Page Booklet: contains a selection of tinted stills, original poster art on the back cover, and film historian Julie Kirgo’s incisive examination of the movie.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Nominated for seven Academy Awards, Mississippi Burning captures the flavor of its era unfortunately all too well, its downbeat story and ugly historical underpinnings making for a memorable if somewhat unsettling movie experience. There are only 3,000 copies of this Blu-ray available. Those interested should go to www.screenarchives.com to see if product is still in stock. Information about the movie can also be found via Facebook at www.facebook.com/twilighttimemovies.
Reviewed By: Matt Hough
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