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| Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel,
Michael Madsen, Brad Pitt, Kevin McDonald |
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Anamorphic
widescreen |
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Dolby Digital
5.1 |
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DTS |
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Trailer(s) |
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Featurette(s) |
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Documentary |
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Audio commentary
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Deleted scenes
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Concept art
/ storyboards |
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Multi-angle
feature |
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[With
a cliff in front of them and cops behind them.]
Thelma Dickinson (Geena Davis): OK, then listen, let's not get
caught.
Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon): What're you talking about?
Thelma Dickinson: Let's keep going.
Louise Sawyer: What do you mean?
Thelma Dickinson: Go.
Louise Sawyer: You sure?
Thelma Dickinson: Yeah, yeah. Let's.
Two
women on the run from the police after a defensive killing become outlaws.
 An
unusual entry in director Ridley Scott's oeuvre at the time it was made,
Thelma & Louise somehow saw all major elements click into
place to produce a modern classic that ended up having quite an impact
on popular culture and somehow writing film history. It may not be perfect
as a film: many characterizations are sketchy at best, and caricatures
like the highway patrolman and the sexist truck driver don't quite mesh
with the protagonists' much more rounded performances. The film's polished,
glossy look can verge on the absurd at times, but overall works well,
especially towards the film's desert-bound ending; and the narrative
timidity that never really pushes any of the characters to extremes
beyond the murder that sets plot in motion should be seen in the context
of the times, as it was still regarded by many as an extremist feminine
statement even though Thelma and Louise could hardly be considered unreasonably
violent.
But it's the pairing of Sarandon and Davis in the two leads that gives
the film its drawing power as well as its semi-classic status. Infinitely
more likeable and convincing, and at least ten times more interesting
than any of the male characters in the entire film, the actual
accomplishment here is the production of a successful mainstream picture
about the friendship between two women generally perceived by audiences
as 'ordinary' (never mind how glamorously Scott and his cinematographer
makes them look at all times). Watching their characters and their friendship
develop throughout the course of the film provides the sometimes uneven
narrative with a continued focus of fascination, and history with a
classic film duo. |
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Available
since 1999 for Region 1 and Region 2 as a regular release, with the
trailer and a commentary track from director Ridley Scott. The new Special
Edition is on release for Region 2 from early May 2002, with a Region
1 release currently not scheduled until 2003.
The
anamorphic widescreen image is framed at an aspect ratio of approx.
2.35:1. The picture exhibits some fine grain at times, most notably
in the darker interior shots, and shadow detail is a little variable
as well. Sunlit exteriors however look terrific, and this transfer boasts
an overall high image quality, slightly better than the original DVD
release.
The Dolby
Digital 5.1 sound mix is focused mostly on the front soundstage,
with plenty of left-to-right directional effects and the occasional
moment of rear channel activity. The score is nicely presented, with
good dialogue separation. In all, a solid but not hugely impressive
sound mix.
One
of Ridley Scott's biggest critical and commercial hits was an early
catalogue release that begged for a revisit, and Scott's regular DVD
producer Charles de Lauzirika has now gone back to this 1992 film and
made sure it got the treatment it deserved on DVD.
The director's audio commentary track that was featured
on the first DVD release is one of Scott's best commentaries. He seems
relaxed and laid-back, discussing many aspects of the film and his involvement,
ranging from scene-specific details to more general items. A second
audio commentary was recorded for this Special Edition release, featuring
screenwriter/co-producer Callie Khouri and the two co-stars, Susan Sarandon
and Geena Davis. This is a far breezier track, full of reminiscing about
the production and (for Khouri) about the screenplay's initial development,
and it makes for a terrific, involving listening experience as these
three women discuss how this film has affected their lives.
The centerpiece among the other extras on board this release is clearly
the newly produced 60-minute documentary 'The Last
Journey'. This enthralling, expertly made film charts the film's entire
production history using terrific new interview footage of all key participants
(Harvey Keitel is the only notable absentee). Cast and crew members
speak generously and honestly about their experiences, especially Brad
Pitt (for whom this film was his breakthrough as an actor), who charminlgy
reveals (among other things) some embarrassing details from his love
scene with Geena Davis. The original EPK featurette
is much shorter and plays like an extended trailer for the film, but
also includes some interview footage and behind-the-scenes glimpses
of location shooting. A second promotional featurette is much cheesier
(including the famous baritone voice-over), made especially for the
film's VHS video release.
Less thrilling - but still a more than worthwhile inclusion - are the
eight deleted scenes included here. While never really
essential to the narrative, many of these fairly shot scenes offer additional
insight into the main characters, including a much longer version of
the seduction scene between Thelma and J.D., and a scene that shows
Harvey Keitel's character discussing his doubts about the case at home
with his wife. Presented separately is an elaborate alternate
ending, which was the originally scripted conclusion, carrying
on a little further after the heroines' famous take-off. Although the
alternate ending doesn't change much of the actual narrative, it clearly
does leave the viewer with a completely different feeling, making it
more of a downer as a whole. Like the deleted scenes, the alternate
ending (which also has an optional director's commentary) is presented
in non-color-corrected, slightly faded anamorphic widescreen. The film's
finale can also be viewed together with the storyboard designs in a
multi-angle presentation called 'Over the Edge', which
offers a choice of the final sequence, the storyboard sequence, or both
combined in a single shot.
The image gallery presents stills and various international
poster designs and runs about three-and-a-half minutes, accompanied
by music from the score. Rounding out these terrific extras, there's
a music video, the theatrical trailer
and a collection of TV spots. Menus
have a terrific animated design, with sepia-toned footage of the desert
locations squeezed between two exaggerated letterbox-style black bars,
and navigation options presented in
Dan
Hassler-Forest
Reviewed: May
5, 2002
Click
here for IMDB info on Thelma
& Louise.
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to return to the front page.
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