Freedom
(1981/Australia/Umbrella Entertainment/Region Zero/0/PAL)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D Film: C+
PLEASE NOTE: This DVD can only be operated on
machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Zero/0 PAL format
software and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment at the
website address provided at the end of the review.
Though we are used to Australian movie stars here, that
country has not always had a strong cinema and as efforts were made to build one,
the results were everything from Mad Max
to many films that never made it to the U.S., even if some of the talent
did. Director Scott Hicks eventually
made a name for himself with Shine
back in 1996, but his first major impact was 15 years before with Freedom, about a young man (Jon Blake)
who is sick of his down-trodden life and wants to do something about it.
Wanting money, happiness and a girlfriend, he works many
jobs, including one as a mechanic. He
loves the Porsche 911 and connects it to a happier way of life. Once he gets a lady friend (Candy Raymond of
the Aussie TV hit Number 96,
reviewed elsewhere on this site) involved with him, they steal the car and ride
away. It is great until the police
decide to chase them and the run is on.
The kind of film that could have been part of the French
New Wave or U.S. New Wave of film, the picture is surprisingly likable and
despite being some of what we had seen before, the combination of the cast,
directing style, energy and little-seen locations make this worth checking
out. It is a shame this one did not make
it overseas because it would have fit into the 1980s soundtrack-driven
non-musical film cycle well, except this one has more character and holds up at
least as well. All in all, this is worth
catching if you like good movies.
The anamorphically
enhanced 1.85 X 1 color PAL image looks good but dated, with some good color,
but could use a new print struck or some work on the surviving materials, but
the cinematography work of Ron Johanson is a plus, holds up well and looks
good, edited nicely by Phil Reid. The
Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono also sounds good for its age including the dialogue, but
the music could sound better and we wondered if it was recorded in stereo. The only extras are a trailer for this and
four other Umbrella DVDs.
As noted above, you can order this PAL DVD import film exclusively
from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
- Nicholas Sheffo
