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Category:    Home > Reviews > Drama > Military > Sexism > Feminism > G.I. Jane (1997/Blu-ray)

G.I. Jane (1997/Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B     Extras: D     Film: C

 

 

There is a period after Thelma & Louise and before his recent resurgence in which Ridley Scott made some of his oddest high profile films.  One of those was G.I. Jane in 1997.  An ambitious tale about how Jordan O’Neil became the first woman to enter the all-male ranks of the Navy SEALs and how rough a road that was.

 

Odd in its original release, tons of jokes were made of Moore bald, a few with comparisons with her to Sigourney Weaver in Alien 3 and even a Sinead O’Connor joke or two.  With Viggo Mortensen (now associated with Lord Of The Rings and outspoken outside of film with matters of peace) as her drill sergeant, he is good, but it is hard to get past how his reputation has grown despite how good he is here.  Another joke was that this was two hours of her being beaten senseless.  Part of that comes from the limits of the David Twohy/Danielle Alexandra screenplay.  Another is a film that is trying to be on the fence about its military stance and not knowing where to go.

 

Some may erroneously label this quasi-Fascist in what could be seen as an endorsement of the military as “just a natural part of life” when such a stance would be insidious.  War and becoming a solider is a serious commitment not to be treated lightly or entered into as such.  Scott’s elongated training sequences do not have enough ironic distance to offset that perception, like Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket or Joseph Sargent’s Tribes.  That you have a male director and another male co-writer telling the story may ultimately be the film’s biggest failing.

 

The supporting cast includes Anne Bancroft, Jason Beghe, Kevin Gage and Jim Caviezel, whose portrayal of Christ in Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ received the same comments about beatings.

 

The 1080p 2.35 X 1 image was shot in Super 35mm by Hugh Johnson, who worked with Scott briefly in this period, including on Scott’s previous White Squall.  Images are often soft and meant to be that way, including almost amusing scenes of training in the rain where the rain just looks too phony.  At least it is not all digital.  Colors are somewhat muted and you get more blue than usual since Super 35 lends itself to that.  The PCM 5.1 16/48 sound mix is better than previous Dolby Digital versions, including the one included on this disc and though not the greatest mix ever made, is consistent with Scott’s tendency for superior sound fidelity and mixes with character.  Not among his best, the mix has some good moments and Trevor Jones’ score is mixed.

 

There are no extras on the 25GB disc, but this is a better presentation than the DVD, though far from the best on Blu-ray.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo


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