National Lampoon’s Animal House – Double Secret Probation Edition (HD-DVD/DVD Combo Format)

 

Picture: B/B-     Sound: B-     Extras: C+     Film: B

 

 

At his peak, John Landis was on a roll combining his love of cinema with his very raw counterculture sensibilities.  After Kentucky Fried Movie, he seemed a natural choice for a motion picture that would feature the name of one of the premiere magazines of the time, National Lampoon.  Before that name was watered down by the Vacation films and then sold down the river further, you knew something interesting and different was on the agenda.  Also following in the footsteps of George Lucas’ American Graffiti, National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) was the beginning of films that declared that university life was heading for a decline.  Few films have been imitated as often and as badly.

 

Set in the early 1960s, the now comedy classic shows us the wacky underside of the Delta fraternity and the group of oddballs that include the late John Belushi in his legendary role of “Bluto” Blutarsky, the epitome of the crazy party animal before anyone knew what that was.  The energy and comic timing here is more than just about being a gross slob, but really creating a character we can identify with.  Tim Matheson, Kevin Bacon and Tom Hulce are also part of the Deltas, while John Vernon, Caesar Danova and Donald Sutherland get to play the adults and Karen Allen is as charming as she ever was.

 

I was never the biggest fan of the film, but have to say that as far as the screenplay by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller is concerned, they could not get away with just dumb or gross moment after dumb or gross moment because audiences were smarter, more demanding and expected (and often got) much better films.  It is as much a time capsule of the 1970s as it is the 1960s, but the endless imitators (still on the march) have taken their toll on the film’s freshness.  However, it is a time when the filmmakers including producer Ivan Reitman (later directing Ghostbusters and its belated, unfortunate sequel) who were part of the Lucas and Spielberg group of young new Hollywood filmmakers still had an edge of realism to their work and we were not being BS-ed with feel-good triggers than ring hollow.  It was a time when ambition was the standard and everyone was giving their all.  Only Bob Clark’s Porky films hit the mark as effectively.

 

It is nice to have another older hit film many people like in an HD format and this HD-DVD has two versions on opposite sides of its discs.  The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image on the DVD side is clear enough to enjoy, though it has slight edge enhancement and a slightly phony tinge to fine detail as a result.  Color is almost consistent.  The HD-DVD’s 1080p digital High Definition version is better, though both come from the same print, which has a few more flaws than expected.  Cinematographer Charles Correll, a still active and solid cameraman who also does his share of directing, made a memorable-looking film and does not get enough credit for it.  The HD version is the best representation of his work to date here, despite some flaws.

 

The sound is mixed, with a great score by the great Elmer Bernstein.  He did not score many comedies, but when he did, it was always interesting music.  The regular DVD side has regular Dolby Digital 5.1 and HD side has Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, but the dated fidelity is noticeable against his stereophonic music since it was sadly a monophonic theatrical release.  The Dolby Digital Plus mix makes this a bit more obvious, but both are still better than just having the Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono mix on the standard DVD side only.  Otis Day & The Knights’ Shout! does not sound bad either, but overall, a bit more upgrading and restoration of this film could and should be done.  Otherwise, this is a good HD performer for a film its age.

 

Extras include a reunion segment, Where Are They Now? segment, MxPx Shout! remix Music Video and “animated anecdotes” about the film.  That is enough for fans, though I still felt like there was more to say or learn about it.  Either way, this HD-DVD of National Lampoon’s Animal House is solid and more of the kind of back catalog the studios cannot get out on HD-DVD enough.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo