Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Patty Hearst
Collapse
-
- Published: 07-01-2011, 10:00 AM
- 0 comments
X
Collapse
-
Patty Hearst
Released by: MGM
Released on: 4/4/2011
Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Natasha Richardson, Ving Rhames, William Forsythe, Dana Delany
Year: 1988
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
Paul Schrader, known for his directorial efforts such as Hardcore and the 1982 remake of Cat People, and known even more so for his screenwriting credits such as Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, helms this biopic based on the controversial Patty Hearst story.
For those not familiar with the case, newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was kidnapped in 1974 at the age of 19 by a radical militant group calling themselves the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was soon after involved with the group, denounced her parents and her wealthy lifestyle, and participated in armed bank robbery with the SLA, which also involved murder. After she was captured, a trial followed and was covered heavily by the media. She served a couple of years in prison, was released on orders by President Carter, and later pardoned by President Clinton. She wrote a book about her experience and this film is based on those writings. The controversy lies in that she makes claims of being brainwashed, physically and sexually abused, and confined to a closet with barely enough room to lie down for two months before joining the SLA. There are those who believe she was less than truthful about her ordeal, and that she was a willing participant in the activities for which she was incarcerated.
As said, Schrader's film follows her side of the story, and is told with the angle that she was brainwashed and broken down to the point of sympathizing with her captors, referred to as Stockholm Syndrome, and thus not acting on her own accord. Whether it will ever be proven beyond a doubt if she did or did not act on her own free will and not due to mental distress remains to be seen, but as a narrative this is an interesting film.
The first 25 minutes or so are predominantly played out as a point-of-view tale, as seen through Hearst's eyes. Lots of scenes are filmed in low lighting, and many times all that is seen is an open door with light coming in, making those speaking in the doorway difficult to see. It makes for an effective way of giving the viewer that sense of the unknown, and although it certainly doesn't put one in the shoes of the captive, it certainly helps to give an idea as to how someone in the situation must feel. And it's the most interesting of the portion of the movie, visually speaking. As the film progresses, her transformation from college student to radical leftist is the focus, along with her interrogation by the FBI and her eventual trial.
Performance wise, there some solid acting here. Natasha Richardson does a nice job of in her portrayal of Hearst (hey, full frontal nudity too), even though at times she goes a little overboard. But generally she's pretty convincing. William Forsythe plays a militant who wishes he was black and makes his character one of the standouts. Look for Dana Delany in a smaller role (she shows her boobs!) and is cute as a button. But the real kudos goes to Ving Rhames (with hair) as the head of the SLA. His character evolves rather quickly from a level-headed, street-wise leader to an insane, near Messiah-like figurehead who seems to lose his direction and delves further into delusion.
The pacing is slow at times, but the story is pretty darn interesting. Add to that some excellent character acting and you have an often overlooked biopic that deserves attention.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The movie is presented by MGM in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. It doesn't appear that much restoration was done, but the source material they used seems like it was more than decent to begin with. Visible are small pieces of dirt here and there plus plenty of grain (which is the way it should be), and not visible are any artifacts. This film has a lot of dark sequences and the blacks look as deep as they should. Once Patty Hearst is released from confinement the look of the film changes and the colors look nice (although not amazing) and things are pretty clear. The audio is a 2.0 Dolby Digital track with no problems to report. The balance seems proper. It does its job just fine.
The only extra is the trailer for the feature. There's no chapter menu even.
The Final Word:
A well made drama based on a true story that delivers an entertaining enough couple of hours. Definitely worth checking out.
Posting comments is disabled.
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (270)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4138)
- comic books (1392)
- comic reviews (872)
- comics (988)
- dark horse comics (484)
- dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
- dvd review (2512)
- idw publishing (216)
- image comics (207)
- kino lorber (385)
- movie news (260)
- review (318)
- scream factory (279)
- severin films (295)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (496)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Lee Frost
Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
Year: 1969
Purchase From Amazon
Hot Spur – Movie Review:
Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but...-
Channel: Movies
03-22-2024, 11:53 AM -
-
Released by: Mondo Macabro
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Max Pecas
Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
Year: 1985
Purchase From Amazon
Death Squad – Movie Review:
Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual...-
Channel: Movies
03-22-2024, 11:46 AM -
-
Released by: Quality X
Released on: February 28th, 2024.
Director: Chuck Vincent
Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon
Roommates – Movie Review:
Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),...-
Channel: Movies
03-15-2024, 01:10 PM -
-
Released by: Blue Underground
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Jess Franco
Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
Year: 1970
Purchase From Amazon
Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:
Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it...-
Channel: Movies
03-15-2024, 01:07 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Saul Bass
Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Phase IV – Movie Review:
Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and...-
Channel: Movies
03-15-2024, 01:02 PM -
-
Released by: Radiance Films
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
Year: 1969-1972
Purchase From Amazon
The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:
Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this...-
Channel: Movies
03-13-2024, 11:30 AM -