The River
(1984/HD-DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: C+ Extras: D Film: C+
Mark
Rydell’s The River (1984) was never
one of my favorite films, trying to have a phony sense of patriotism and
illicit appeals to pity while still playing it safe in its criticism of
capitalism as a family (headed by parents Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek) must
fight to keep the family farm in the middle of bad financial times and very bad
weather. The nail in the coffin comes
from a one-time friend John Wade (Scott Glenn) who has betrayed them by
becoming a robber-baron trying to steal all they have to be rich.
He wants
their farm to flood it for a water deal, but the Robert Dillon/Julian Barry
script (based on Dillon’s story) is more about melodrama as Wade becomes the
scapegoat for the wholesale violation of their property and civil rights. Definitely a product of the regressive 1980s,
though mighty ambitious as compared to what we have been getting lately, I
wonder if a major studio would even maker this film today, unless they were
using a boutique division. However, the
casting is a plus and it makes for interesting, if awkward viewing.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 VC-1 digital High Definition image was shot by the great Director of
Photography Vilmos Zsigmond, A.S.C., who revisits the previous stylizing he
used on films like McCabe & Mrs.
Miller, The Deer Hunter (both
reviewed elsewhere on this site) and Heaven’s
Gate. Even with that, this transfer
is not as sharp and clear as it could or should be, especially as compared to
the HD-DVD of The Deer Hunter, but
it is the highlight of this HD-DVD just the same.
The film
was originally a 70mm blow-up release (along with 35mm prints) and that came
with a 4.1 Dolby Magnetic sound mix, but despite winning an Oscar for special
achievement sound effects editing (by the late and very talented Kay Rose),
this Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 upgrade reminded me of the DTS soundtrack on the Speed Blu-ray where the sound is out of
balance and you have to go and have your hand on the volume button. That is a shame, but that is the problem
here, down to the fact that John Williams did a decent score.
Though
the old DVD had extras, this HD-DVD does not, though the film is only 124
minutes. Why? Who knows, but along with the sound problem,
this is lame and is one of the most disappointing Universal HD-DVD releases in
a while for back catalog. Only those who
absolutely need this one should get it.
- Nicholas Sheffo
