Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
The Car
Collapse
-
- Published: 12-23-2015, 09:46 AM
- 1 comment
X
Collapse
-
Car, The
Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: December 15th, 2015.
Director: Elliot Silverstein
Cast: James Brolin, Ronny Cox, Kathleen Lloyd
Year: 1977
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
Ah, THE CAR.
We have a long and complicated history. This is a film I first saw the ads for at about 11 years old. At that point, I was just beginning to develop a fascination with the occult and was inextricably drawn to this slice of very strange Velveeta due to the fact that the infamous Anton Szander LaVey, head of the then headline grabbing Church Of Satan, was listed as a technical advisor on it. When I finally saw it, replete with opening LaVey incantation as a text crawl on the opening screen, I was just a tiny bit spellbound.
But make no mistake. THE CAR is a "bad" film, beset with potentially crippling problems. It's fundamental concept is as dumb as a bag of wet hammers. Some of the dialog is risible. There's a couple of sloppy stunt sequences. And the acting is all over the map. So why do I love this wreck?
But first, let's get the minimalist plot out of the way. In a small picturesque town in Utah, a mysterious car has appeared out of nowhere in the surrounding desert and started killing people by running them over. Deputy Wade Parent (James Brolin) and Sheriff Everett (the great John Marley of THE GODFATHER) are tasked with trying to find out what the hell is going on, assisted primarily by another deputy - melancholy recovering alcoholic Luke (Ronny Cox, ROBOCOP). The other people primarily involved are Parent's girlfriend - schoolteacher Lauren (Kathleen Lloyd), mean town drunk Amos (R.G. Armstrong, EVILSPEAK) and Parent's two daughters, the kids from ESCAPE FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN's (Kim and Kyle Richards).
THE CAR was directed by journeyman Eliot Silverstein - the A list director of Lee Marvin's hit CAT BALLOU and the well received Richard Harris vehicle A MAN CALLED HORSE. But the biggest influence you see in Silverstein's work here is, oddly enough, his Twilight Zone episode "The Obsolete Man" from 1961. Because, as has been pointed out many times over the years is that THE CAR has the soul of a Swedish existentialist arthouse film. Much like that Twilight Zone episode about a futuristic fascist state with its odd camera angles and overweening sense of free floating anxiety, THE CAR traffics in overwhelming and oppressive atmosphere. The killer vehicle is quite arresting - the squashed down roof, satanically tinted windows and bluntly evil looking grille give it some gravitas. Then there's the characters. Half of them don't even have last names that we ever hear. People just randomly stare off into the vast desert landscape for no apparent reason at regular intervals. There's a strangely compelling aura of American Indian mysticism too - being set in a southwestern state much of the local sheriff's force is Native American. Emotions are generally tamped down with odd outbursts occurring at strange times. Brolin - who wavers between joking banter with his girlfriend, blank wall gazing, and screaming at the town drunk for details after the car mows down someone, isn't particularly good in the film, but he's compelling. The real scene stealer is Cox, who seems to have stepped right out of an Ingmar Bergman flick. Constantly weeping, craving a drink and just essentially capturing soul crushing depression in every shot, he's riveting. The film has some great dark humor too with actor John Rubinstein's French horn playing hitchhiker having the film's most hilariously painful interaction with the film's vehicular star.
The opening sequence, with the car chasing down two teenage bicyclists on a mountainous road, is masterfully shot and ends with some spectacular stunt work. While a couple of the film's kills suffer from poor editing, the main set pieces are well done. And the ending, as ridiculous as it is, is only slightly let down by some primitively period challenged fx. Overall however, the film LOOKS stunning. The vast and barren Utah landscapes look phenomenal enough to have you heading to Expedia to book a vacation. The night scenes in the film are best for creating actual dread, but as "sunlit horrors" go, this one is pretty good. And did I mention the killer car's signature honk? Brilliantly sinister. I'd like that in a ring tone.
For a film not exactly gifted with a lightning pace, THE CAR motors along with an engaging momentum. The big moments - the cyclists, the car's attack on a student marching band ending in a cemetery and an amazing demolition assault on a house are quite memorable. The dynamite infused final showdown is mostly solid as well. Lloyd gets the lion's share of awful dialog but it's not fatal to the enterprise. Approach this one the right way and you'll enjoy the... ride.
Video/Audio/Extras:
THE CAR drives onto Blu ray road with a solidly engineered 2.35:1. framed 1080p AVC encoded transfer. I own both this version and the earlier Arrow U.K. edition and find the transfers quite similar. Which is a good thing. THE CAR has some truly spectacular location shots and so fine detail, color saturation and strong black levels are crucial to making the movie transition well to HD. Others have noted some very minor compression artifacts in this edition but I never really noticed these. The image also looked quite organic to me with no obvious use of DNR.
Unlike the U.K. pressing this disc has two audio tracks: a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 one. The original track is good but this is a rare case where I prefer the new multichannel audio. It's carefully constructed and manages to amplify the tension in the car's more violent sequences quite nicely. The surround effects never get gimmicky or too distractingly OTT. I've always been a fan of Leonard Rosenman's brassy score for this, so it's nice to hear it get some added "oomph". Also, there are no defects in either track - all dialog is clear and well balanced.
This USA set has substantially less extras than the Arrow U.K. version, but it trumps that edition in one crucial area: the dumping of the disastrous audio commentary. So instead of being "gifted" with what I consider to be the single worst audio commentary I've ever heard in my life, Scream give us a nicely informative chat with director Silverstein. He may be up there in years, but he looks great and has a nicely down-to-earth attitude towards the film. He recognizes it as far from a classic but explains that he did the best he could with the studio's "JAWS on land, with a car" mandate. This is a very nice little piece. Next up we get actress Geraldine Keams (who played a deputy in the film) who details her time on it and her experiences as an American Indian in the film business. This is a very personal and interesting interview and well worth a look. Finally, bit player Melody Thomas Scott talks about her part in the film's memorable opening sequence. Scott went on to massive stardom in the soap opera "The Young And The Restless", and while she doesn't have particularly fond memories of this early acting credit (mostly due to her poor interactions with Silverstein) she's engaging and funny and has some good stories. Make sure to check out the gloriously cheesy theatrical trailer and TV and radio spots though. Prime 70's stuff. There is also a pretty strong still gallery worth taking a look at included.
The Final Lap:
I love THE CAR. The "horror movie that Ingmar Bergman should have made" is a terrific so bad it's good 70's fossil that manages to be alternately sinister and silly. I consider it one of the great 3AM flicks. Scream's edition looks good and sounds great, dumps the UK edition's worst extra and throws in a small but satisfying batch of exclusive bonus content.
Recommended.
-
#1John BernhardSenior MemberFind all postsView Profile12-23-2015, 07:11 PMEditing a commentThis is just plain bad for me, I was 18 when it was released, & disliked it when new and have never been able to enjoy it on any level. Brolin is awful, like R.G and Cox though.Agree about that commentary on the Arrow though, yowzers that one is hard to stomach. :down:
Posting comments is disabled. -
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (271)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4149)
- 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 (298)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (497)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Grindhouse Releasing
Released on: March 12th, 2024.
Director: William Grefé
Cast: William Shatner, Jennifer Bishop, Ruth Roman, Harold Sakata
Year: 1974
Purchase From Amazon
Impulse – Movie Review:
Directed by the one and only William Grefé, 1974’s Impulse is one of those rare films that allows you to witness what it would be like if a really sweaty William Shatner got mad at a lady carrying balloons. Before that...-
Channel: Movies
04-15-2024, 01:20 PM -
-
Released by: Universal Studios
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Zelda Williams
Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest, Henry Eikenberry
Year: 2024
Purchase From Amazon
Lisa Frankenstein – Movie Review:
The feature-length directorial debut of Zelda Williams, 20214’s Lisa Frankenstein takes place in 1989 and follows a teenaged girl named Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) who, two years ago, lost her mother...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:40 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Gianfranco Giagni
Cast: Roland Wybenga, William Berger, Stéphane Audran
Year: 1988
Purchase From Amazon
Spider Labyrinth – Movie Review:
Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is an American who works as a Professor of languages studies and has a fascination bordering on obsession with translating pre-Christian religious texts. He was also locked in a closet...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:37 PM -
-
Released by: Mondo Macabro
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Arizal
Cast: Barry Prima, Eva Arnaz, W.D. Mochtar
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon
Special Silencers – Movie Review:
When director Arizal’s 1982 epic begins, we meet a man named Gumilar (W.D. Mochtar), a sinister dude who has constantly bloodshot eyes. He’s meeting with a man about some sort of business deal, but a flashback shows us how some time ago he killed...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:35 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Piero Regnoli
Cast: Walter Brandi, Lyla Rocco, Maria Giovannini, Alfredo Rizzo, Marisa Quattrini, Leonardo Botta
Year: 1960
Purchase From Amazon
The Playgirls And The Vampire – Movie Review:
Piero Regnoli’s 1960 goofy gothic horror, The Playgirls And The Vampire, revolves around a quintet of beautiful showgirls - Vera (Lyla Rocco), Katia (Maria Giovannini),...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:30 PM -
-
Released by: Unearthed Films
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Nacho Cerdà
Cast: Anastasia Hille, Karel Roden, Valentin Goshev
Year: 2006
Purchase From Amazon
The Abandoned – Movie Review:
Directed by Nacho Cerdà, who co-wrote with Richard Stanley and Karim Hussain, 2006's The Abandoned opens in Russia in 1966 where a poor family sits at the dinner table only to be interrupted when a large truck stops suddenly in front...-
Channel: Movies
03-28-2024, 04:29 PM -