Northfork

 

Picture: B     Sound: B-     Extras: B-     Film: B-

 

 

Sometimes even the most well-done films are not necessarily all that great.  Despite some great production quality, good story, or even charismatic acting, the final product just does not hold together well.  So where did everything go wrong?  Northfork (2003) is another more recent example of a film plagued by this disease.

 

The film went virtually unseen and slipped under raider until its video release, which found its way into some homes.  It has a texture similar to the Coen Brothers, but does not share in their capabilities of being smarter than the material.  That is, The Coen’s have a knack for being able to transform what would typically be disastrous material into complex and interesting escapades, see The Big Lebowski for further details. 

 

The setting is 1955 in Northfork, Montana where the residents are being evacuated to higher ground due to the construction of a dam that is about to flood the valley.  Some of the residents are not as willing to leave, including a priest (Nick Nolte) who is taking care of a child, who may have special powers.  Then there is a boat maker, who is prepared for the flood along with other characters played by Ben Foster, Daryl Hannah, Anthony Edwards, and Robin Sachs.  These individuals are on a mission in Northfork to find a seraph, possibly the young girl, which adds a mysterious tone to the film.  Six men dressed in black are sent after the remaining residents, one of them played by James Woods, but these citizens are not going to make their job easy.   

 

I might also compare a film like this to that of Atom Egoyan, who makes beautiful shot films, but the actual material is a wreck and almost incoherent unless you digest just about every frame, but who has time for that?  The film is directed by Michael Polish and is written by him and his brother Mark.  Already some are making the connection to The Coen’s.  These are the two individuals responsible for the David Lynch-esque Twin Falls Idaho, which had a cult following for it’s offbeat nature, but once again we have a flawed film that turned on its side almost resembles a more masterful creation that might fool some. 

 

The difference with a David Lynch film is that even as crazy and convoluted as it might get, the film follows through because those behind its production believe in the material enough to give it the authenticity that it needs.  Take Blue Velvet (1986) for example and pick apart some of the tangents that the film sets out on and even among all this (such as the ear in the grass) Lynch has the audacity to go back to that at the ending and still (even with all the mayhem) conclude the story that was just told.  Notice that even a fake looking bird completely restores the ending by adding to the bitter sweetness to such and extent that Lynch is basically making the claim that his film has such a fake ending why even bother using a real bird.

 

Those that did enjoy Northfork, or believe in the world it creates, will certainly be delighted by this DVD edition released by Paramount.  The film is presented in its original scope aspect ratio of 2.35 X 1, which has been anamorphically enhanced.  It is obvious that M. David Mullen’s cinematography is meant to represent some of the work done by Roger Deakins (as opposed to previous Coen’s cinematographer and now director Barry Sonnenfeld).  The framing and texture of the film has a rustic look that falls somewhere between black and white and color.  The saturation of colors is almost nonexistent.  The transfer for the DVD looks quite accurate and recreates the mood and feel of the film well.  There is a shade of softness with this print and detail is not quite as sharp as it could be, but not overly bad. 

 

The Dolby Digital 5.1 AC-3 mix is subtle, but effective.  Stuart Matthewman’s score comes through nicely as he is the typical composer for The Polish Brothers.  The feel of the 50’s is nicely rendered with some of the arrangements having a very cool laid-back tonality.  Most of the soundtrack resides in the front portion of the soundfield. The other audio track is for the commentary provided by both Michael and Mark.  This is a reasonably intelligent commentary as they make the film sound better than it probably is, but at least they have faith in their work. 

 

There are a few other extras including Bare-Knuckle Filmmaking: The Construction of Northfork, which is a very interesting segment that goes beyond the movie and delves into the production end of it.  This is a 36-minute documentary that deals with some of the financial issues that the film ran into as well as the short 25 day shooting time.  Overall, this is a nice segment that could go further into the recesses of Indie filmmaking.  There is also a short piece where the filmmakers take the final product back to the area where they made the film. 

 

Some might call this film original, while others might debate that it borrows from variable sources.  Whatever the case, even if you don’t buy the whole ‘angel’ subplot, you just might find this ride enjoyable for its visual sake, but take that away and you might just find it dull even with the fine performances.  Those that take the DVD journey will be appeased by some of the extras that add more dimensionality to this film, which could be it’s saving grace…how’s that for angelic?

 

 

-   Nate Goss