The Killing Fields (1984/Region Four/4/PAL Import/Umbrella DVD Set)
Picture: C Sound: C+ Extras: B- Film: B-
PLEASE NOTE: This DVD set can only be operated
on machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Four/4 PAL
format software and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment
at the website address provided at the end of the review.
After
years of directing for TV, Roland Joffé became a critically successful
filmmaker for a brief period before political correctness stopped him on his
underrated Fat Man & Little Boy
(1989), but prior to that, critics could not say enough positive about him on
two films, beginning with The Killing
Fields in 1984. The drama about two
friends (am Waterston, Haing S. Ngor, the actor who died in a robbery and won
an Academy Award for his work here) trying to reunite against the background of
the Cambodian government and murderous Khmer Rouge in 1972, which partly came
out of the U.S. fiasco in Vietnam.
By 1975,
the Rouge wins and a catastrophic campaign of torture and genocide goes on for
years, ruing the country and tens of millions of lives as millions were
tortures, raped, molested, desecrated, starving and murdered. A nightmare too many still do not understand
or realize happened, this film never did go far enough for my tastes in really
nailing the event, yet is an ambitious work that should be seen once. I still feel the definitive dramatic film on
the subject has not been made yet, but this was a success and deserves to be in
print again.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is much softer
than a film shot in 35mm and likely blown-up to 70mm prints should be, with
poor definition, color issues and other problems. The result is not what Director of
Photography Chris Menges intended. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is a little
better than the 2.0 Stereo mix, but if this was blown up to 70mm, it would have
a 4.1 Dolby magnetic soundmaster and not just be a Dolby analog A-type
film. Mike Oldfield’s score is not bad
here, but could sound better.
Extras include a
feature length audio commentary with Joffé and Theatrical trailer on DVD 1, while DVD 2 adds a
making of documentary from the BBC and exclusive interview on camera with
Producer David Puttnam.
As noted
above, you can order this PAL DVD import set exclusively from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
-
Nicholas Sheffo
