Lifeguard (1976/Paramount/Warner Archive DVD)
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: C- Movie: B
PLEASE NOTE: Lifeguard
is only available from Warner Bros. through their Warner Archive series and can
be ordered from the link below.
"How do you weigh the pressures and expectations of your peers
against your own happiness? How do you find true peace in a world where
the size of a paycheck often means more than the measure of your
character?"
You seek the answers at the beach, or
least that’s what you do if your longtime lifeguard Rick Carlson (Sam Elliott). Daniel Petrie’s Lifeguard might
come off as a throwaway romance piece from 1976, but it manages to explore some
pretty deep waters during its time in the surf.
Mr. Elliott’s Rick Carlson represents a
freedom from purpose and duty that many adults might long for, and his life has
settled into an endless succession of days at the beach, saving lives and
watching for trouble. A man who attended
college but ultimately rejected the professional life that normally follows,
Carlson kicked around until he found a home on the beaches of Southern
California. His life includes hefty
doses of sex and alcohol, but neither to excess. His romantic entanglements remain honest; he
promises his paramours nothing, and wants nothing in return.
Then a letter comes advertising his
fifteen year high school reunion. Suddenly, a flood of characters from his past surface. He gives in to measuring himself against the
success of others in his class. Cathy, an old sweetheart, comes back into his
life. Brilliantly played by Anne Archer,
Cathy applies the normal societal pressures to Rick. Now a divorced, successful art gallery
manager with a young son, she wants Rick back in her life, but is unsure of his
role as a lifeguard. Meanwhile,
seventeen year old Wendy (Kathleen Quinlan) sees Rick as a sexual conquest and
companion, but also serves as a reminder of the freedom and spirit Rick would
need to give up to truly win Cathy back.
Sound and picture represent well on this
Warner Archive edition. The classic
sound of tunes like “Time and Tide” (Paul Williams) and “Falling in Love with
the Wind” (Dale Menten) will transport viewers back to the easy-listening days
of 1970’s radio.
Mr. Elliot’s beautifully understated
performance (aided by some wonderful moments in Ron Koslow’s script) turns Lifeguard
from a sappy romance into something else.
It becomes a rumination on life and what really
matters. It reminds us of the choices we’ve all had to make in our lives, those
decisions that take us down different paths.
The ones we look back on sometimes and wonder about. While the ending of Lifeguard is
hardly a surprise, it is an affirmation.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image and lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono sound are as good as
they are ever going to be on DVD and better than the film has looked in
decades. A trailer is the only extra.
To order Lifeguard, go to this link for it
and many more great web-exclusive releases at:
http://www.warnerarchive.com/
-
Scott Pyle
