6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A frustrated African-American TV writer proposes a blackface minstrel show in protest, but to his chagrin it becomes a hit.
Starring: Damon Wayans, Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tommy Davidson, Michael RapaportDrama | 100% |
Music | 11% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The United States is currently (as this review is being written) undergoing some significant reexamination of its history with regard to race, but the fact that Bamboozled was shot and released at the turn of the millennium may give credence to the idea that many of the issues currently making the front pages of newspapers and/or the top of online news feeds have obviously been around for at least untold decades if not centuries. That said, Bamboozled also makes clear that the United States' history with so-called "race relations" and depictions of race have also been the subject of rather biting critiques over the course of all those years. Spike Lee has never shirked from being overtly political in many (maybe most or arguably even all) of his films, as some of the supplements on this disc make completely clear, but even in the context of a “Spike Lee Joint”, Bamboozled is unusually piquant and provocative. In what might be seen as a little “soul” inspired riff on Mel Brooks’ The Producers, Lee fashions a film around the outrageous idea of a black guy working in the television industry who is sick of being treated badly (mostly by a white boss), and who comes up with an idea which he is sure will be so offensive it will get him fired: a minstrel show to be broadcast on national television, replete with performers ( black performers, it should be added) in blackface. Of course, in true Producers fashion, this “sure fire miss” turns into a hit of unexpected proportions, with a number of careening consequences.
Bamboozled is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. In lieu of an insert booklet, Criterion provides an accordion style foldout with this release which contains the following verbiage on the master:
Bamboozled is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.77:1 [sic]. Black bars at the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format. This new digital master was created in 2K resolution from the original SD PAL DV footage and new scans of the original Super 16 mm film footage and approved by director Spike Lee.Criterion's own site has some more information on the transfer process here, for those who may be interested, but this is one of those releases where there is probably going to be a split between reactions to how "accurate" the transfer is and how it actually looks. While some tweaking to the palette was evidently done which may raise some hackles with some fans, aside from that issue and especially with regard to the DV material, the "accuracy" of this transfer is probably fine, though as can clearly be seen in the screenshots culled from the DV material, things just don't look all that great. Detail is pretty fuzzy a lot of the time, and colors are kind of muddy looking as well. Some darker scenes, or even scenes that have dark elements within the frame, can look pretty mottled (see screenshot 18). The 16mm footage (which is how the minstrel show was done) shows considerably more saturation, much better detail and a clearly visible grain field. Lee is on hand here specifically stating that the technologies utilized were done to keep costs down and the shoot on schedule, so he obviously made some choices at the time of the production which a high definition presentation can't overcome and which may indeed point out the limitations of some of the technology utilized.
The original 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the 35 mm magnetic track using Avid's Pro Tools and iZotope RX.
Bamboozled's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track features no similar quality qualms, with a nicely immersive and often rambunctious sound that beautifully supports both the more heartfelt music (some courtesy of the great Stevie Wonder) as well as the considerably more provocative minstrel material. Sound effects like Glover's dancing also reverberate nicely and are directionally accurate. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout the presentation, and I noticed no issues whatsoever to report.
Bamboozled is not an easy film to watch, and no doubt Spike Lee intended it to be that way. I personally found it hard to actually laugh at any of this, though it seems like Lee wants to provoke the kind of humor that is founded in discomfort. The underlying conceit of this piece is kind of devastating, but as with many Lee films, my hunch is while I personally didn't react to the film this way, some may feel Lee's approach is pretty heavy handed and screed like. Performances are winning, though some of the material is obviously extremely provocative. The film's hybrid technologies used during the shoot means this has a pretty heterogeneous appearance which can be fairly ragged looking in the DV sequences. The audio is great, and the supplementary package outstanding. Recommended.
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