Afterglow Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Afterglow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 12, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Afterglow / Ray Meets Helen.

Despite a long career that has seen at least some success in both critical circles and box office returns, Alan Rudolph hasn’t really seemed to become a significantly recognized name for much of the filmgoing public at large. Rudolph’s oeuvre is rather wide and varied, but for anyone unfamiliar with him and needing a probably inherently inadequate summary of his approach, it may be salient to note that Rudolph was an acolyte of Robert Altman, with Rudolph lending a hand in a number of capacities on such well remembered Altman efforts as The Long Goodbye, California Split, Nashville, Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson and The Player, and with Altman returning the favor by co- producing a number of films directed by Rudolph, including one included in this new double feature from MVD’s Marquee Collection imprint, Afterglow.

Absolutely no one seems to be happily married in Afterglow, which may make the perceived subtext of the film’s title positively ironic, at least if understood within the confines of a monogamous relationship. There’s also irony galore in one of the focal characters' names, Lucky Mann (Nick Nolte), a hardbitten construction worker who has somehow ended up married to erstwhile movie star Phyllis Hart (Julie Christie, Academy Award nominated for this performance). Lucky and Phyllis enjoy a reasonably cordial relationship, though it’s obvious from the get go that Phyllis is more than aware of Lucky’s frequent dalliances.

A seemingly more upscale couple, Jeffrey (Jonny Lee Miller) and Marianne Byron (Lara Flynn Boyle), are also experiencing marital discord based on different goals and needs in their relationship. When Marianne ends up hiring Lucky to do some construction work, an affair soon ensues, and Phyllis’ “undercover” spying on the situation soon brings her into contact with Jeffrey, with more resultant partner hopping.

There are a number of frankly odd and maybe even slightly creepy subplots that also enter the story, but the relationships between the four focal characters is front and center, with perhaps a bit more weight given to Lucky and Marianne in the early going at least. The film might have worked better as a farce, or at least with a bit more humor. It's often well if archly written (as in a number of Rudolph films, the characters tend to speak in aphorisms), and the relationship between Lucky and Phyllis is nicely articulated, but the story gives way to some maudlin escapades, especially in its final act.

Afterglow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Afterglow is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of the MVD Marquee Collection, an imprint of MVD Visual, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. A number of issues like pretty pronounced wobble during the credits and some fairly rough looking moments (see screenshots 7, 8 and 9) suggest that this is probably not a newer master. When the presentation features more brightly lit material, and especially when close-ups are employed (which they frequently are), detail levels are rather good, though the entire presentation looks pretty soft. The palette is curiously wan at times, with flesh tones skewing toward pink. My score is 3.25.

Afterglow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Afterglow features a nice sounding LPCM 2.0 track. One of the film's undeniable assets is its moody, jazz inflected score by the great Mark Isham (and any jazz fans should pay attention to the band he assembled, as disclosed in the final credits roll), which is rendered with appropriate smokiness throughout. Dialogue and effects as in the urban clamor in some outdoor material are all rendered without any problems. This film features optional English subtitles, though kind of strangely Ray Meets Helen does not.

Afterglow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers include Afterglow (480p; 1:49) and Ray Meets Helen (480p; 1:39), along with a number of other releases from MVD Visual.

Afterglow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Performances help Afterglow elide some of its less believable moments, but the film may strike some as too ridiculously melodramatic, especially in a final few minutes which I personally don't think are Christie's finest moment, Oscar nomination and New York Film Critics Best Actress Award aside. Video encounters some iffy moments, but audio is fine, for those who are considering a purchase.