Arizona Dream (1993/Warner Archive DVD)
Picture:
C+ Sound: B- Extras: D Film: C
At a time
when Johnny Depp was known for taking risks to shed his reputation as a TV star
and show he could really act, he decided to work with Director Emir Kusturica
on a big, off-beat comedy/drama called Arizona
Dream. Made in 1991, the original
cut came in at 142 minutes and it was barely released in the U.S., then at
only 119 minutes. Warner Archive has
issued the shorter version and it is as offbeat as its reputation implied.
Depp plays
young Axel Blackmar, who has to deal with his somewhat abrasive car dealer
uncle (Jerry Lewis) when he comes from New York
to Arizona to
see him married to a much younger woman (Paulina Porizkova). He meets an older woman (Faye Dunaway in one
of her few good post-Mommie Dearest
roles) who he gets involved with. She is
isolated and never grew up, so they start a crazy relationship, but then he
meets her daughter (Lili Taylor) and finds her exciting too.
Maybe
this would work in its longer version, but this is choppy, off-beat for the
sake of being so and never becomes as involving as I had hoped for. Michael J. Pollard also shows up among the
cast and the underrated Vincent Gallo plays Axel’s friend Paul. Some moments are funny and you can believe
some of it, but in the end, this cut does not have the impact that seems to
have been intended. The actors are all
good and the whole project is ambitious, so I can see why these names signed
on. However, it made me want to see the
longer version (which has to exist somewhere) and maybe this release plus
Depp’s popularity will lead to that.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image can be soft and the print can show its
age, but this still looks pretty good throughout and color is not bad. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is the surprise
here with very healthy Pro Logic surrounds throughout. There are no extras.
You can
order this and other Archive releases at this link:
www.warnerarchive.com
-
Nicholas Sheffo
