6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
Janice and Bill Templeton, a happily married couple, the parents of well-adjusted preteen Ivy. Their family security is disrupted by the arrival of a mysterious stranger, Elliot Hoover. At first mistaken for a potential child molester, Hoover explains that his obsessive interest in young Ivy is actually paternal. It is Hoover's contention that their daughter is the reincarnation of his own child, who died in a horrible accident. This information is dismissed out of hand-and then strange things begin happening. Edit by PP
Starring: Marsha Mason (I), Anthony Hopkins, John Beck (II), Susan Swift, Norman LloydHorror | 100% |
Mystery | 17% |
Psychological thriller | 14% |
Supernatural | 13% |
Coming of age | 6% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.84:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
Music: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
The legendary Robert Wise will probably be forever most associated with his twin musical film triumphs of West Side Story and The Sound of Music, this despite the fact that Wise’s long and varied career included everything from editing Citizen Kane to directing films as disparate as The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Sand Pebbles. Even with this inherent virtuosity, 1977’s Audrey Rose seemed like an odd choice for Wise, especially to critics and audiences of the day who saw the film as a slightly warmed over version of The Exorcist. Though perhaps not that well remembered then (or indeed now), Wise had trafficked in horror (or at least quasi-horror) previously, with 1944’s Val Lewton produced The Curse of the Cat People and later with The Haunting. Interestingly, both The Curse of the Cat People and Audrey Rose deal with a young girl experiencing a “possession” of sorts. In the 1944 film, it’s the unwelcome influence of a supposed “imaginary friend,” while in Audrey Rose it’s the spirit of a deceased little girl which has ostensibly transmigrated into a new body.
Audrey Rose is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Twilight Time with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.84:1. Unfortunately this is one of the more ragged looking releases we've seen from Twilight Time, one that admittedly betters the rough (and non anamorphic) DVD, but not by much. The overall look here seems artificially brightened, resulting in a pale appearance. That may only exacerbate what looks like a not very well saturated palette to begin with. Contrast fluctuates as well, at times defeating close-ups which are struggling to provide fine detail. The biggest issue here, and one that is readily apparent in many screenshots accompanying this review, is grain management, which is all over the place. The entire film is quite grain heavy to begin with, but here grain hangs and clumps unnaturally, sometimes with a slightly yellow ambience. That tendency tends to swallow detail and give the film an almost thatched look which increases the appearance of softness. It should be stated that in motion things aren't quite as bad as they may appear in some of these screenshots, but this is still far from an ideal presentation.
Audrey Rose's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is much less problematic than the video component, providing sure and stable support for the film's dialogue and Mike Oldfield-esque score by Michael Small. Fidelity is excellent and dynamic range has some agreeable spikes courtesy of the rampant hysteria that ultimately sets in.
Audrey Rose is a rare misfire by the esteemed Robert Wise, one that tries to invest an Exorcist-lite milieu with a supposedly more thoughtful presentation involving reincarnation. Mason does fine work here, but even she seems to flounder given the film's increasing set of improbabilities. The video component of this release is also problematic, though fans will most likely find it watchable if not stellar.
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