Dick
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Jessica Lange's performance here is intense and, ultimately, sad. She and Kim Stanley, who plays her controlling mother, both won an Oscar noms. This is the somewhat fictionalized (but not by much...the lobotomy shown here is in contention historically) story of actress Frances Farmer, who was much too independent to be reigned-in by Hollywood, and made that all too clear, rebelling against authority figures everywhere she went. She finally devolved into an emotional time bomb, set to go off whenever someone would try to keep her down and compliant.
I'd been waiting a long time to hear about any worldwide Blu-ray release, and finally found one in France. It took about a month to receive it once it was mailed, but it did come, and I will give you a brief outline. BTW, I could no longer find a copy on Amazon.de in order to copy a photo of the art (my scanner is busted), so I am linking to a copy that is currently available on eBay for about $25.
The Blu-ray comes from StudioCanal and looks quite good. Seems a little dark during the night scenes and I think a bit of shadow detail is absent, but generally the PQ is excellent. Flesh tones and colors in general appear accurate to my eyes. The cover says that the English track is 2.0 stereo, but noticed no separation...perhaps I'd need headphones to detect any. Three caveats here: 1) There are forced Spanish subtitles which, with the proper software, you can eliminate. 2) The film defaults to the Spanish language track, and you cannot get to the English track on the fly -- it must be done from the menu. 3) None of the bonus features from the 2002 Anchor Bay DVD are included here, so if you have a copy of that, don't dump it. It contains a commentary track, a trailer, and a documentary. This Blu-ray is absolutely bare bones.
But, if you admire the film as I do, this is worth $25.00.
A further note: There is one shot mid-film that supposedly depicts the Mt. Kisco (NY) Playhouse, where Farmer played during the 30's. I lived about five hundred yards from that Playhouse, and I can tell you, it looked nothing like the one shown here. The Kisco Playhouse was part of the Mt. Kisco Country Club complex, which included a horse stable and a gold house and a restaurant. The theater was a converted barn, or at least seemed like one. It was really small, not the palatial thing they film would have you believe it was. This is the only photo I can locate that shows the stage of the theater, which was seasonal ("summer stock.") I believe it has long since been demolished.
I'd been waiting a long time to hear about any worldwide Blu-ray release, and finally found one in France. It took about a month to receive it once it was mailed, but it did come, and I will give you a brief outline. BTW, I could no longer find a copy on Amazon.de in order to copy a photo of the art (my scanner is busted), so I am linking to a copy that is currently available on eBay for about $25.
FRANCES (1982) **Blu Ray ** Jessica Lange, Frances Farmer Story 8421394411579 | eBay
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The Blu-ray comes from StudioCanal and looks quite good. Seems a little dark during the night scenes and I think a bit of shadow detail is absent, but generally the PQ is excellent. Flesh tones and colors in general appear accurate to my eyes. The cover says that the English track is 2.0 stereo, but noticed no separation...perhaps I'd need headphones to detect any. Three caveats here: 1) There are forced Spanish subtitles which, with the proper software, you can eliminate. 2) The film defaults to the Spanish language track, and you cannot get to the English track on the fly -- it must be done from the menu. 3) None of the bonus features from the 2002 Anchor Bay DVD are included here, so if you have a copy of that, don't dump it. It contains a commentary track, a trailer, and a documentary. This Blu-ray is absolutely bare bones.
But, if you admire the film as I do, this is worth $25.00.
A further note: There is one shot mid-film that supposedly depicts the Mt. Kisco (NY) Playhouse, where Farmer played during the 30's. I lived about five hundred yards from that Playhouse, and I can tell you, it looked nothing like the one shown here. The Kisco Playhouse was part of the Mt. Kisco Country Club complex, which included a horse stable and a gold house and a restaurant. The theater was a converted barn, or at least seemed like one. It was really small, not the palatial thing they film would have you believe it was. This is the only photo I can locate that shows the stage of the theater, which was seasonal ("summer stock.") I believe it has long since been demolished.
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