562 Blow Out

[colinr0380]

Spoiler

I suppose it is extra ironic that someone who wanted to be a make up artist and seemed mainly concerned with physical appearances ends up as a disembodied voice standing in for someone who is 'physically right' but vocally subpar!

[Frank Booth]

One of the best additions to the Criterion Collection in quite some time. I received the DVD for my birthday from my girlfriend, and it's fantastic. About a month prior to the release, I was able to attend a theater screening of the film in Brooklyn and Noah Baumbach introduced the film.

I'd say that, alongside CARRIE and OBSESSION, this is a De Palma essential. Great score from Donaggio, as well.

[colinr0380]

I was just watching an interesting documentary about the Zapruder footage of the Kennedy assassination and was fascinated by the story of a representative of Time Magazine buying the footage within 48 hours of the event from Zapruder, taking the original and a copy and getting the copyright to it, then publishing it as a series of still images in their magazine (redacting the notorious "frame 312" of the assassination) while holding the film footage back for a decade. Apparently it was only Geraldo Rivera playing the footage on his chat show in the mid 70s that eventually put the footage into the public arena.

I suppose that the newspaper in Blow Out doing the rather strange seeming action of publishing all the frames of the car driving into the lake (allowing Travolta to turn them into a film) makes sense as being a kind of call back to the way that Time printed the Kennedy assassination and would have been even more resonant to a contemporary audience who may still have been more used to seeing the Kennedy assassination in that form.

[Manny Karp]

Some observations:

- Wonderfully precise and heavily layered staging and photography, and "I love the artist's use of the colors red, white and blue" given the film's setting and content.

- Like any DePalma film, illogic abounds. For example, after Travolta drops his recording equipment on the pedestrian bridge and heads for the water, Lithgow sneaks away on that same bridge, presumably walking right past the equipment. Granted, he was in a hurry, but he certainly seems the type of guy who would recognize and snatch the equipment.

- Despite moments like the above, the film is balanced by other clever, subtle details. Later on, in Nancy Allen's kitchen, there are two glass pictures or plaques in the windows; they appear to feature an owl and a frog, the same animals Travolta recorded earlier at the crash site. That's a nice little resonance.

- The satirical, condescending tone of the "film within a film" intro immediately gives way to a relatively more realistic, "serious" style... but as the film progresses and Travolta plunges deeper into the conspiracy, the original tone gradually reasserts itself, but with a greater complexity and unease. I don't think this film is as good as The Conversation or Blow Up, but here DePalma says something about observation and recording in a way that the other two films don't, with their comparatively "high" pedigrees and single point of view. Oddly it brought to mind Adaptation, which I think does a similar thing through the twin-but-opposite characters who basically become one at the film's pulpy climax.

[misterjunior]

- Like any DePalma film, illogic abounds. For example, after Travolta drops his recording equipment on the pedestrian bridge and heads for the water, Lithgow sneaks away on that same bridge, presumably walking right past the equipment. Granted, he was in a hurry, but he certainly seems the type of guy who would recognize and snatch the equipment.

- Despite moments like the above, the film is balanced by other clever, subtle details. Later on, in Nancy Allen's kitchen, there are two glass pictures or plaques in the windows; they appear to feature an owl and a frog, the same animals Travolta recorded earlier at the crash site. That's a nice little resonance.

I think the more likely culprit there is Franz. He was, after all, there taking photos of the incident and the angle matches up.

[goblinfootballs]

DCP playing at American Cinematheque (Los Feliz 3) on 2 July.

[ChunkyLover]

4K UHD upgrade coming in September.

[therewillbeblus]

I was hoping this would be a priority for UHD, but never imagined it would be so soon! After a mixed response upon my first watch in college, this has gradually become one of my all-time favorite films. It's great for many reasons, but more than anything it's De Palma effortlessly exhausting all of his cinematic sensibilities to concoct one of the most engaging and fun viewing experiences, which is far more intelligent than it appears to be at first glance. The only thing that's stopped me from writing anything on it over the years is Pauline Kael's stellar analysis, which is one of my favorite pieces of her writing, and says exactly what I'd want to say about it only much better. An easy upgrade to invest in

[andyli]

This will be a new transfer since the 2011 blu-ray (as well as the subsequent Arrow blu-ray) was based on a 2K scan.

[therewillbeblus]

Waiting for that sweet new color scheme for Blue Out

[tenia]

It depends who will do the grading. The 2011 2K master was done by Deluxe New York and was very balanced. Possibly, and especially since DePalma has supposedly supervised and approved this master, the new 4k restoration might simply try and match the 2011 grading.

[yoloswegmaster]

Not sure what the comment about the new color scheme is about since the screengrabs on the site looks to have a similar color-scheme to the previous blu. It's not the exact screengrab but you can see that the color timing is still the same.

Previous blu transfer:



New 4K transfer:

It depends who will do the grading. The 2011 2K master was done by Deluxe New York and was very balanced. Possibly, and especially since DePalma has supposedly supervised and approved this master, the new 4k restoration might simply try and match the 2011 grading.

Curiously, they don't mention on the specs if DePalma was involved with this new restoration or not.

[therewillbeblus]

I didn’t even check the page, I just had the impulse to make a bad pun. Glad to be comforted either way

[tenia]

I do hope we get the 4K resto on Blu somewhere (for people like me who aren't 4K-able) because this cap alone seems to show a very noticeable improvement in texture.

[yoloswegmaster]

I do hope we get the 4K resto on Blu somewhere (for people like me who aren't 4K-able) because this cap alone seems to show a very noticeable improvement in texture.

I just asked Jon Mulvaney and they confirmed that the bluray that's included on the 4K version will also be sourced from the new restoration. They didn't mention anything about the standalone blu but the listing makes it sound like it will also be sourced from the 4K restoration.

[tenia]

Thanks for the detail. The BD-only release listed on the website shows as Now available, which led me to believe there won't be a remastered BD-only release. That's why I wondered if the BD in the combo would be new or not, though the tech details indeed seem to say that at least in the combo, it should be a remastered BD indeed.

[therewillbeblus]

Maybe don't pre-order the (potentially-)new blu until after this is out, and then do so direct from Criterion in the Fall flash sale? I'd definitely ask Mulvaney about that option specifically though

[yoloswegmaster]

Thanks for the detail. The BD-only release listed on the website shows as Now available, which led me to believe there won't be a remastered BD-only release. That's why I wondered if the BD in the combo would be new or not, though the tech details indeed seem to say that at least in the combo, it should be a remastered BD indeed.

Nevermind, Criterion just emailed me back saying that the blu-ray is going to be the same one from 2011.

[tenia]

Ugh.
Thanks for the confirmation though !

[cdnchris]

Though they confirmed it I checked the disc just to be sure and yes, the Blu-ray here is the exact same disc as the old one.

2011:


2022:


2011:


2022:

[Boosmahn]

So Criterion's listing is incorrect?

4K UHD and Blu-ray: New 4K digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack; DVD: Restored digital transfer

The new restoration won't be on the preexisting standalone Blu-ray or the Blu-ray in the 4K combo? Is this (going to be or already) the case for any 4K upgrade with a new restoration?

[dwk]

Seems to be. I think Le cercle rouge and, I assume, In the Mood for Love are the only upgrades to include the new transfer on Blu-ray.

[Boosmahn]

Thanks... that's unfortunate. Those listings should really be rewritten to reflect that, then.

[PfR73]

So I got the 4K combo to replace my existing Criterion Blu-ray (the one & only time I've done this so far since Criterion is refusing to upgrade the Blu-ray copies). I had been aware of this note on DVDCompare regarding all the previous Blu-ray releases: "At the 27:39 mark, there is no longer a fade between the garage scene and the Motel outdoor scene. Without the fade effect, the scene is 7 frames shorter."
However, 7 frames didn't seem that significant and I had no previous version of the film with which to compare myself. But, now having the UHD copy, I was curious how the newer restoration handled this. Well, the fade is actually back. But what I discovered, is it wasn't just a matter of 7 frames on the Blu-ray, rather it was missing more like 5 seconds.
As the camera tracks along the outside of the motel, you hear Sally offscreen ask Jack if he wants coffee. On the Blu-ray, she is not visible through the window and you just see her shadow come into view as the film jumpcuts inside and she is standing right next to Jack with her finger on his forehead. On the UHD, the outside tracking shot continues for 5 more seconds so that Sally actually walks up to Jack and puts her finger on his head, making the cut inside a match cut rather than a jump cut. And, also on the UHD her line about coffee doesn't happen until she comes into view because you actually see her say the line.

[tenia]

Oh, so that's where the additionnal 10 secs vs the BD are coming from.