Aloha, Bobby and Rose Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Aloha, Bobby and Rose Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 27, 2018

Floyd Mutrux's "Aloha, Bobby and Rose" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new video interviews with the director and actors Paul Le Mat and Robert Carradine. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles fore the main feature. Region-Free.

The fugitives

The original concept for Aloha, Bobby and Rose was to be like Jean-Luc Godard’s New Wave classic Breathless. Not a conventional remake, just a similar type of road film with a distinct American appearance and atmosphere. Floyd Mutrux then figured out that LA would be the perfect place for the main protagonists to begin their journey and started working on their story.

If you are already suspecting that Mutrux’s film is simply a distant older cousin of Jim McBride’s ‘80s film, you should know that you could not be further away from the truth. It is a drastically different project that sees and feels the rhythm of a very different country, and it does so without distorting the reality in which its protagonists exist. McBride’s film is a neo-noirish poem that seeks beauty -- and when it can’t locate it invents it -- and then unapologetically indulges in it until it reaches a state of delirium. These films also employ music in entirely different ways.

Bobby (a fit and very handsome Paul Le Mat) and Rose (Diane Hull) are very much in love, but their future seems bleak. He is just a part-timer at a tiny LA gas station while she already has a son and struggles to be a good mother.

While out in the city Bobby and Rose stop at a convenience store to pick up drinks. When Bobby decides to pull a prank, the owner empties his rifle and accidentally kills the young man behind the counter. The lovers panic and instead of waiting for the police to arrive jump in Bobby’s ’68 Camaro and disappear into the night. However, some hours later Bobby confesses that they can remain free only if they reach San Diego and from there quickly cross the border.

Mutrux’s film offers one of the purest nostalgia trips that one could get without being placed in an actual time machine. The story is as simple as described above, but the journey that the film chronicles is simply astonishing. The director probably had a modest budget to work with which is why he incorporated a lot of authentic footage and yet this is precisely the reason why the whole thing feels so special now. From the trendy billboards to the busy fast-food joints to the darker corners of old Hollywood, this film oozes an unfiltered ‘70s atmosphere that is incredibly attractive.

Adding to the magic is a brilliant soundtrack with classic tunes by the likes of Elton John (“Tiny Dancer” and “Bennie and the Jets”), Lenny Welch (“Since I Fell for You”), Stevie Wonder (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours”), and Little Eva (“Locomotion”). Some of the segments where the music is used are so nicely done and are so effective that they easily could have replaced the trailers that were cut to promote the film.

Not long after the lovers leave LA the late Tim McIntire pops up and nearly steals the show as a colorful character from Texas who is on his way to Mexico to have a good time with his missus (Leigh French). Half the film’s charm comes from this brilliant cameo. A very young Edward James Olmos also quickly steps in front of the camera as a tough chicano character hanging out in a shady bar.

Mutrux made the film with his best friend, William Fraker, who a few years earlier had lensed Bullitt and Rosemary's Baby.

Aloha, Bobby and Rose Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Floyd Mutrux's Aloha, Bobby and Rose arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing.

The release is sourced from a brand new remaster that was struck from an interpositive specifically for the Blu-ray release. While working with the OCN would have produced even better density the end result is wonderful -- the entire film looks very healthy and has an all-around solid organic appearance. There are some minor fluctuations that affect depth and clarity, but they are part of the original cinematography. For example, very large sections of the film were shot at night while allowing neon lights to directly enter the visuals; elsewhere during daylight footage the camera also openly flirts with very bright sunlight. Fluidity, however, remains very consistent. There are absolutely no traces of problematic degrainig or sharpening adjustments. The color grading is very convincing, though I have to speculate that initiating the entire project with OCN eventually would have produced even more convincing ranges of nuances. Image stability is excellent. There are two segments where I noticed extremely light vertical lines popping up that were almost certainly retained, but there are no large damage marks or other conventional age-related imperfections (see screencapture #11). Very nice technical presentation. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Aloha, Bobby and Rose Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is stable and clean. Depth is also very good. There are a few segments where I sense that balance could be slightly better, but the end result here is indeed very good. The dialog is stable and clean, though some minor unevenness can be observed where organic sounds and noises become prominent. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

Aloha, Bobby and Rose Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview with Floyd Mutrux - in this exclusive new video interview, director Floyd Mutrux recalls the era in which Aloha, Bobby and Rose was conceived and what it was like to work with his best friend William Fraker, and discusses the style of the film, a key sequence that sums up perfectly what the film is about, Paul Le Mat's character and his vulnerability, the casting of Tim McIntire, some of the great actors that he discovered, his relationship with Steven Spielberg, etc. The interview was conducted by Gaucho Packard/Code Red Team for Scorpion Releasing. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Interview with Paul Le Mat - in this exclusive new video interview, Paul Le Mat recalls how he was hired to play the character of Bobby after director Floyd Mutrux saw and liked him in American Graffiti, and discusses some of his special qualities, what it was like interacting with Dianne Hull and Tim McIntire, the shooting of the street races, the song that are used throughout the film and the very specific type of mood that they were supposed to convey, a strange experience that profoundly altered his career, etc. There are some very interesting comments about his contribution to Death Valley and The Burning Bed. The interview was conducted by Gaucho Packard/Code Red Team for Scorpion Releasing. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Interview with Robert Carradine - in this exclusive new video interview, actor Robert Carradine explains how he entered the film business and recalls how he was cast to play Moxey, and discusses what he believed to be his best scene which never made it into the film version of Aloha, Bobby and Rose, working with Paul Le Mat and racing cars, the creative use of music throughout the film, and the lasting cult appeal of the film. There are also some short but very good comments about his contribution to The Pom Pom Girls, Orca: The Killer Whale, and Buy & Cell. The interview was conducted by Walter Olsen and Jim Kunz for Scorpion Releasing. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Trailers - trailers for other Scorpion Releasing releases.

Aloha, Bobby and Rose Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jean-Luc Godard's New Wave classic Breathless provided the blueprint for this mostly forgotten stunner from Floyd Mutrux. Viewing it feels a lot like being placed in a real time machine and sent back to the '70s when it was easier to fall in love and great music was never in short supply. Scorpion Releasing's recent Blu-ray release of Aloha, Bobby and Rose is sourced from a lovely new remaster and features three outstanding exclusive video interviews with director Mutrux and actors Paul Le Mat and Robert Carradine. This is my favorite North American catalog release this year, and even though it is only May, I have already reserved a spot for it on my Top Ten list. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.