Blind Date Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Blind Date Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 18, 2021

Nico Mastorakis's "Blind Date" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films. The supplemental features on the disc include remastered vintage trailer for the film; music videos; vintage production and promotional materials; and the documentary "The Films of Nico Mastorakis". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The 1980s produced two Blind Date films and they actually make a pretty decent double-bill. The one that Blake Edwards directed in 1987 is unquestionably better-known, and for obvious reasons. Aside from the fact that Edwards’ name was attached to it, it teamed up Kim Basinger and Bruce Willis, who would become two of the decade’s most recognizable stars. In fact, after appearing in 9½ Weeks Basinger was already enormously popular amongst male viewers, while Willis was on his way to accomplish the same with the original Die Hard film. Interestingly, even though Edwards’ Blind Date was not a small film, a lot of people discovered it much later on, after it was released on home video. Even well into the 1990s and beyond, whenever Basinger’s name was mentioned the two films on everyone’s mind were Batman and 9 ½ Weeks, while any conversation about Willis and his work always started with Die Hard.

The second Blind Date film was completed by Nico Mastorakis a couple of years earlier. This film does not have a big future male star, but it has a very interesting cameo by a future female star. It is Italian actress Valeria Golino, who very quickly pops up before Mastorakis’ camera for a meaningless photo shoot. If you blink, you will miss her ‘performance’, but she is there and it is worth pointing out because just like Willis a couple of years later she would appear in another huge blockbuster, Rain Man. After that, Golino was on everyone’s radar.

The most interesting similarity between these films, however, is that they both seek to entertain while being unhinged. Obviously, they unleash their mayhem in very different ways, but the important point is that they go down the same path. Edwards’ film is just bigger and employs a different attitude while ramping up the adrenaline.

Mastorakis’ film is predictably darker and edgier, but it isn’t entirely devoid of humor. Its main protagonist (Joseph Bottoms) simply has a different type of accident that leaves him permanently blind, so he faces an entirely new range of dilemmas. (In Edwards’ film, the ‘accident’ occurs when Willis’ character agrees to participate in a blind date that turns his world upside down). One of them is how to identify a madman who has been killing beautiful women, one of which happens to be a model he used to secretly observe from afar. A doctor gives him a special device that sends nerve impulses to his brain that allow him to partially ‘see’ in black and white, but is this enough to make him track down the madman? Then there is his romantic relationship with a co-worker (Kirstie Alley) who loves him but does not know that he is obsessed with the model. So, can he save the model’s life but continue to have a meaningful relationship with his co-worker?

This film is very difficult to praise unless you make the effort to understand Mastorakis’ concept of entertainment. At its core is an intent to create thrilling situations that are not necessarily rational but do particular things to strengthen a specific atmosphere. Also, you have to keep in mind that Mastorakis isn’t a great stylist, so more often than not he does the best he can with what is available to him. (This is precisely why the photo shoot with Golino is kept in the film. It is meaningless, but it fits Mastorakis’ concept of entertainment). In other words, if the blind man’s decisions to do things and visit places do not always seem entirely rational it is because they are not -- he does what Mastorakis wants him to do. With this clarification out of the way, the drama, dark humor, and erotica should begin to come together exactly as they should, and hopefully entertain you as Mastorakis intended.

*In the documentary The Films of Nico Mastorakis that is included on this release, there is a segment in which the director discusses a long erotic sequence he shot with Bottoms and Alley, which was then heavily edited. This segment sums up perfectly the director’s creative vision for Blind Date. It is quite funny, too.

Blind Date Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Blind Date arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films.

The 4K master that was prepared for this release is an absolute stunner. (In case you are wondering, yes, this is the same 4K master that Scorpion Releasing worked with to produce this release in the United States. I have it in my library). I like everything about it -- delineation, clarity, depth, and fluidity are as good as I wanted them to be. The master also boast a spectacular color scheme, which did not surprise me at all because it was apparently supervised and approved by Nico Mastorakis. You should be able to get a general ideal of its excellence just by looking at the screencaptures that are provided with out review because even there it is crystal-clear that color-grading job was incredibly precise. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. All in all, what you get with this release is a technical presentation that usually very big genre films receive when they are properly remastered by the majors. (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).

Blind Date Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional Enlgish SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. It is outstanding. It has a tremendous dynamic amplitude and actually makes the film look like a much bigger production than it really was. The use of music is particularly effective, which I found rather surprising. The dialog is clear, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no encoding anomalies to report.

Blind Date Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a remastered vintage trailer for Blind Date. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Music Videos - a couple of original music videos for tunes that were used in Blind Date. (7 min).
  
  1. John Kongos - Blind Date
  2. Stanley Myers - Main Theme

• Stills Gallery - a collection of vintage production and promotional materials for Blind Date. With music. (6 min).

• The Films of Nico Mastorakis - this massive documentary is a good enough reason to enthusiastically recommend 88 Films' release of Blind Date. It covers Nico Mastorakis' entire filmography, with the director discussing in great detail the conception and production of each of his films, including Blind Date. The documentary is presented in four parts. It was produced in 2002. In English.
  
  1. Part One. (56 min).
  2. Part Two. (23 min).
  3. Part Three. (35 min).
  4. Part Four. (39 min).

• Cover - reversible cover.

Blind Date Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A long time ago, I sought Blind Date for two simple reasons: I kept seeing Valeria Golino's name attached to it, and after viewing The Deer Hunter I found out that Stanley Myers composed its soundtrack. It is a pretty colorful mish-mash of genre thrills with a strong '80s atmosphere, so it won't be everyone's cup of tea. But this is the type of entertainment all of Nico Mastorakis' films deliver, and some just do it a little bit better than the rest. I think that Blind Date is one of Mastorakis' better films, or least more stylish ones. (For what it's worth, I absolutely cannot stand his notoriously nihilstic stinker Island of Death). 88 Films' upcoming release if sourced from a stunning 4K master and features the excellent documentary The Films of Nico Mastorakis. It is also Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.