dwatts
09-26-2003, 10:06 AM
As someone who enjoys writing reviews, I know the value of being impartial going into a film. In the case of The Brood (or Chromosome 3 in the version I watched) I can only claim to be slightly impartial (if that is possible!) David Cronenberg is simply one of the best Directors making films today. If you sift through his legacy, you find a unique individual, someone with a real vision of the world that is somehow warped, distorted – yet seems to make perfect sense. His mode of expression, and repeated themes, are part of all of us, yet no-one dares go to the edge as often as he does – either artistically, or commercially.
Cronenberg seems to relish filming the unfilmable. Who else would have tackled Naked Lunch? Who else would have embraced Crash? Who else would have made Spider? And who else would have stopped mid-career, put aside his fantastical imaginary worlds, and brought us Madame Butterfly? How many Directors have reimagined older films and been successful, such as when he made The Fly? And how many movies based on a Stephen King stories have really been worth a damn?
Perhaps it is because Cronenberg has stayed anchored outside of the Hollywood system, preferring to make films in his native Canada? Perhaps it is the people he managed to surround himself with. Whatever the reasons, Cronenberg has an authenticity that you can’t seem to find anywhere else, and his style of filmmaking is largely unique, special to him. He has come to embody an entire style unto himself, you’ll likely read about movies being “Cronenbergian”, as though that term existed before he ever lived.
So what we have here is a living legend, someone whom it is always interesting to watch. So it is with great distress that we have to endure half-hearted DVD releases, all around the world, of his works. I guess that the independence he has enjoyed is still working against him somehow. Sure, Criterion did us proud with Dead Ringers (which is, obscenely, now OOP) and we all know their upcoming release of Naked Lunch is going to be exemplary, but the rest of his catalog lies represented somewhere between adequate and poor. This is a shame, and it hopefully will be fixed sometime in the future. It really is pretty rotten that genre fans can’t get his films loaded to the gills, with perfect transfers. It’s called RESPECT folks!
Regardless, Cronenberg’s films are so good that even a half-hearted release is a worthy one. No matter what form they come in, you’re in for a ride with a Cronenberg film. In the case of The Brood – it’s an interesting one at that, and represents something which, undoubtedly, could not be made today. What does it say about the progress of our society, when we see films from the 70’s containing images that would be censored in present times?
I digress, as you might well have figured out, I am in awe of Cronenberg and what he represents. It is heart-warming to know that an artist of such bizarre visions should not only have been able to make their ideas come true (albeit in a fictional world), but that he’s made an entire career out of it – that he’s still out there somewhere, astounding us with every frame of ever imagination he can bring to life.
I opened by saying I could only be half-subjective. The other half of this statement is that the last time I watched the Brood, I was not really taken with it. So it tempers my approach a little bit, it’s hard not to be a little leery when you’re going in knowing the film you’re about to see is perhaps not a masterpiece in the making. However, sitting here, fresh from viewing it again, I have to say I’m embarrassed that I spoke ill of this film. Some days things click, some days not. I guess last time was a bad day.
Stay with me here – this review might be a little long for some. I’ll deal with the basics first, and then dig into “Final Thoughts”.
Story:
Frank Carveth (Art Hindle), is married to Nola (Samantha Eggar). They have one child, a little girl by the name of Candice. When the movie opens, Nola is receiving psychological care from Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed) in a remote medical center called the Somafree Institute. This means she is distant from her family, living away from home.
Every weekend, Frank takes Candice to the center to visit her mother. Frank is never allowed access to his wife, since Dr. Raglan says this would interfere with her treatment.
After a visit, Frank bathes his daughter, and notices bites and bruises on her back. Clearly she has been abused at the institute. Knowing that his wife was herself abused by her own mother, Frank puts two-and-two together and believes that Nola has been attacking the girl. He rushes to the center, and tells Dr, Raglan that the little girl will no longer be visiting on weekends.
Knowing he will have to fight his wife in court, Frank then hires a lawyer to bring a case against Dr. Raglan and the institute for what he perceives has happened to his wife. He then takes his daughter to stay with her grandmother, who at this point is estranged from her own husband.
During the evening, after Frank has gone, the grandmother is brutally beaten to death. Candice sees the aftermath, throwing her into psychological silence.
The grandfather then arrives on the scene, planning to bury his own wife. He confronts Dr. Raglan, since he wants to tell his daughter what has happened, but is surprised when he too is denied access. Cursing Dr. Raglan, and threatening to return later, he leaves to visit the house he had shared with his ex-wife, drinking heavily. While drunk he calls Frank to ask if he wants to return to the Institute with him. Frank agrees, but before he can get to the house, the grandfather too, is murdered by a strange dwarf.
What is Dr. Raglan doing at his institute? Why is he hiding Nola? What or who are the strange dwarfs that are killing people? Why were the grandparents murdered in their homes? All is revealed, as this surreal movie takes us into the minds (and out again) of emotion gone awry.
Image Quality
This review is based on the French release of this film – known as Chromosome 3. For the most part, the image is very good. However, it should be noted that there is some strange grain during the climatic scenes. Also, and I could be entirely wrong here, I noticed some strange framing in the climax. It almost looks pan-and-scanned for some close-ups. I do not know if this is the case, and do not have the new US release to compare, but it is during these scenes that I noticed an increase in grain. Again – this could be entirely in my own mind. Of course this one is widescreen.
Sound
Glorious mono! Nothing special here at all – everything is clear, obviously not spectacular. NOTE: This is a French DVD. It comes with two language options, French, and original mono with French subtitles. I have previously been told that it is possible to get rid of the French subs, but I’ll be darned if I can manage it. Apparently there is some trick in the menus; it’s a trick I have been unable to achieve.
Supplemental Material
Well, while at first it appears to have a wealth of extras, in reality things are little more spartan. Here we have a filmography (text), a narrative filmography, a behind the scenes segment (5 minutes), and a 20 minute interview with Howard Shore (composer) and Cronenberg.
Sound good? Well, all but the 20-minute interview is entirely in French, with no subs. The interview itself is in both French and English (all answers are in English). It is a very nice interview – but it’s a pity the other extras are lost on me.
Image Quality - B
Sound – C+
Supplements - C
DVD
http://www.xploitedcinema.com/dvds/dvds.asp?title=521
Color
Region 2
1:1.85 Widescreen
Glorious Mono!
Cronenberg seems to relish filming the unfilmable. Who else would have tackled Naked Lunch? Who else would have embraced Crash? Who else would have made Spider? And who else would have stopped mid-career, put aside his fantastical imaginary worlds, and brought us Madame Butterfly? How many Directors have reimagined older films and been successful, such as when he made The Fly? And how many movies based on a Stephen King stories have really been worth a damn?
Perhaps it is because Cronenberg has stayed anchored outside of the Hollywood system, preferring to make films in his native Canada? Perhaps it is the people he managed to surround himself with. Whatever the reasons, Cronenberg has an authenticity that you can’t seem to find anywhere else, and his style of filmmaking is largely unique, special to him. He has come to embody an entire style unto himself, you’ll likely read about movies being “Cronenbergian”, as though that term existed before he ever lived.
So what we have here is a living legend, someone whom it is always interesting to watch. So it is with great distress that we have to endure half-hearted DVD releases, all around the world, of his works. I guess that the independence he has enjoyed is still working against him somehow. Sure, Criterion did us proud with Dead Ringers (which is, obscenely, now OOP) and we all know their upcoming release of Naked Lunch is going to be exemplary, but the rest of his catalog lies represented somewhere between adequate and poor. This is a shame, and it hopefully will be fixed sometime in the future. It really is pretty rotten that genre fans can’t get his films loaded to the gills, with perfect transfers. It’s called RESPECT folks!
Regardless, Cronenberg’s films are so good that even a half-hearted release is a worthy one. No matter what form they come in, you’re in for a ride with a Cronenberg film. In the case of The Brood – it’s an interesting one at that, and represents something which, undoubtedly, could not be made today. What does it say about the progress of our society, when we see films from the 70’s containing images that would be censored in present times?
I digress, as you might well have figured out, I am in awe of Cronenberg and what he represents. It is heart-warming to know that an artist of such bizarre visions should not only have been able to make their ideas come true (albeit in a fictional world), but that he’s made an entire career out of it – that he’s still out there somewhere, astounding us with every frame of ever imagination he can bring to life.
I opened by saying I could only be half-subjective. The other half of this statement is that the last time I watched the Brood, I was not really taken with it. So it tempers my approach a little bit, it’s hard not to be a little leery when you’re going in knowing the film you’re about to see is perhaps not a masterpiece in the making. However, sitting here, fresh from viewing it again, I have to say I’m embarrassed that I spoke ill of this film. Some days things click, some days not. I guess last time was a bad day.
Stay with me here – this review might be a little long for some. I’ll deal with the basics first, and then dig into “Final Thoughts”.
Story:
Frank Carveth (Art Hindle), is married to Nola (Samantha Eggar). They have one child, a little girl by the name of Candice. When the movie opens, Nola is receiving psychological care from Dr. Hal Raglan (Oliver Reed) in a remote medical center called the Somafree Institute. This means she is distant from her family, living away from home.
Every weekend, Frank takes Candice to the center to visit her mother. Frank is never allowed access to his wife, since Dr. Raglan says this would interfere with her treatment.
After a visit, Frank bathes his daughter, and notices bites and bruises on her back. Clearly she has been abused at the institute. Knowing that his wife was herself abused by her own mother, Frank puts two-and-two together and believes that Nola has been attacking the girl. He rushes to the center, and tells Dr, Raglan that the little girl will no longer be visiting on weekends.
Knowing he will have to fight his wife in court, Frank then hires a lawyer to bring a case against Dr. Raglan and the institute for what he perceives has happened to his wife. He then takes his daughter to stay with her grandmother, who at this point is estranged from her own husband.
During the evening, after Frank has gone, the grandmother is brutally beaten to death. Candice sees the aftermath, throwing her into psychological silence.
The grandfather then arrives on the scene, planning to bury his own wife. He confronts Dr. Raglan, since he wants to tell his daughter what has happened, but is surprised when he too is denied access. Cursing Dr. Raglan, and threatening to return later, he leaves to visit the house he had shared with his ex-wife, drinking heavily. While drunk he calls Frank to ask if he wants to return to the Institute with him. Frank agrees, but before he can get to the house, the grandfather too, is murdered by a strange dwarf.
What is Dr. Raglan doing at his institute? Why is he hiding Nola? What or who are the strange dwarfs that are killing people? Why were the grandparents murdered in their homes? All is revealed, as this surreal movie takes us into the minds (and out again) of emotion gone awry.
Image Quality
This review is based on the French release of this film – known as Chromosome 3. For the most part, the image is very good. However, it should be noted that there is some strange grain during the climatic scenes. Also, and I could be entirely wrong here, I noticed some strange framing in the climax. It almost looks pan-and-scanned for some close-ups. I do not know if this is the case, and do not have the new US release to compare, but it is during these scenes that I noticed an increase in grain. Again – this could be entirely in my own mind. Of course this one is widescreen.
Sound
Glorious mono! Nothing special here at all – everything is clear, obviously not spectacular. NOTE: This is a French DVD. It comes with two language options, French, and original mono with French subtitles. I have previously been told that it is possible to get rid of the French subs, but I’ll be darned if I can manage it. Apparently there is some trick in the menus; it’s a trick I have been unable to achieve.
Supplemental Material
Well, while at first it appears to have a wealth of extras, in reality things are little more spartan. Here we have a filmography (text), a narrative filmography, a behind the scenes segment (5 minutes), and a 20 minute interview with Howard Shore (composer) and Cronenberg.
Sound good? Well, all but the 20-minute interview is entirely in French, with no subs. The interview itself is in both French and English (all answers are in English). It is a very nice interview – but it’s a pity the other extras are lost on me.
Image Quality - B
Sound – C+
Supplements - C
DVD
http://www.xploitedcinema.com/dvds/dvds.asp?title=521
Color
Region 2
1:1.85 Widescreen
Glorious Mono!