Chilly Scenes of Winter Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Chilly Scenes of Winter Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 1, 2023

Joan Micklin Silver's "Chilly Scenes of Winter" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with producers Griffin Dunne, Mark Metcalf, and Amy Robinson; archival program with the director; original ending; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

John Heard’s character, a middle-aged state employee named Charles, is fully aware that Joan Micklin Silver’s camera follows him closely, so very early into the film he looks straight into it and declares his intent to reveal how he met the woman of his dreams. This is not the only time Charles talks to the camera, but he never develops an intimate relationship with it. It was the right decision. Films that use this trick to connect with their audience usually mismanage the desired relationship and only hurt their credibility. Some, like that very controversial film Ken Russell made with Theresa Russell in the 1990s, even destroy their credibility when they use the trick ad nauseum.

Her name was Laura (Mary Beth Hurt) and she was one of Charles’ coworkers. Even though she was not new in the building where they worked together, Charles discovered her accidentally. Or it could be that fate had intervened and sent Charles to Laura. The truth is that it did not matter exactly how they met. However, it did matter that Laura was married to another man (Mark Metcalf). He did not love Laura as she deserved to be loved, which is why she had tried to walk away from him, but they never terminated their marriage.

This oddly broken marriage became the main source of Charles’ misery because it gave him the false hope that he can be the man that loves Laura as she deserved. His feelings for her were genuine and he did his best to express them properly to her. But the more Charles tried to convince Laura that he was the right man for her, the more suspicious she became of his intentions. Laura wanted to be treated as a normal woman, not as the most beautiful and flawless human being Charles kept insisting she was, and when he could not make the change, she walked away from him.

Or did she?

Is it possible that Laura was right and Charles had fallen in love with a perfect woman that did not exist? And if this is precisely what had happened, could it be that it was Charles that had denied their relationship a chance to survive by replacing Laura who had responded to his feeling with the imaginary woman he wanted to love and grow old with?

Chilly Scenes of Winter asks a few intriguing questions but they are not packaged well to produce an engaging and thought-provoking film. Indeed, virtually all of these questions are channeled through uneven episodes that look like random extracts from a second-rate 1970s soap opera whose characters are having a terrible time figuring out how to sound and behave like adults. Needless to say, the tone and messaging of Chilly Scenes of Winter are almost always out of sync.

Ironically, despite its many flaws Chilly Scenes of Winter accurately reveals how much easier it was for the two sexes to be spontaneous while pursuing each other romantically. The charming improvisation that was common at the time, in particular, looks like lost art because contemporary societal standards demand that it is flagged as toxic. (On a related note, this is precisely why in the few places where romance still shows some signs of vitality and is carefully pursued it is unbearably dull. It is allergic to spontaneity and rejects the notion that unscripted leadership can be enjoyed by both sexes).

The acting is mostly underwhelming. Heard has a few good moments but they are not enough to make the dilemmas that his character struggles with memorable. Hurt’s handling of the frequent mood swings of her character is unconvincing. The great Gloria Grahame plays a depressed mother and looks decent but her time before the camera is very limited.

Silver utilized the services of cinematographer Bobby Burne, whose credits include such cult classics and gems as Smokey and the Bandit, Blue Collar, Hooper, and Bull Durham.

Chilly Scenes of Winter 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, Chilly Scenes of a Winter arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The release is sourced from an outstanding exclusive new 4K master. On my system, the entire film looked gorgeous and I think that this is its optimal presentation on Blu-ray. In native 4K, I think that the dynamic range of the visuals will be superior and as a result in some areas there will be greater ranges of layered nuances. However, on the current presentation delineation, clarity, and depth are already very, very impressive, so even if you have a very large screen you will be quite pleased with the overall quality of the visuals. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering. Color balance is very convincing. The primaries look natural and wonderfully saturated while the supporting nuances are nicely balanced and very healthy. I thought that the film's 1970s appearance was very effectively replicated. Image stability is terrific. The entire film looks spotless as well. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Chilly Scenes of Winter Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The dialog is very clear, sharp, and easy to follow. Balance is excellent. Dynamic intensity is pretty good, but the film's soundtrack does not have any material that will impress audiophiles. Dynamic contrasts are modest at best even in areas where there is some meaningful activity, such as the car crash. There are no age-related imperfections to report in our review.

Chilly Scenes of Winter Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Joan Micklin Silver on "Chilly Scenes of Winter" - presented here is an excerpt from an interview with Joan Micklin Silver explains what it was like growing up in Omaha and being in love with cinema and discusses her work on Chilly Scenes of Winter. The interview was conducted for the Directors Guild of America's Visual History series on September 19, 2005. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Joan Micklin Silver: Encounters with the New York Director - this archival documentary examines the career of Joan Micklin Silver. It was produced by Katja Raganelli and Konrad Wickler in 1983. In German and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (46 min).

• Producing "Chilly Scenes of Winter" - Chilly Scenes of Winter was the first film produced by Griffin Dunne, Mark Metcalf, and Amy Robinson. In this exclusive new program, the three discuss the conception and production of the film as well as their work with Joan Micklin Silver. The program was produced in December 2022. In English not subtitled. (29 min).

• Original Ending - in 1982, Joan Micklin Silver recut the ending of her 1979 film Head Over Heals. At that time, she also changed the film's title to Chilly Scenes of Winter, which is the title of Ann Beattie's novel that inspired it. The original ending is presented here remastered. In English not subtitled. (9 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a remastered original trailer for Chilly Scenes of Winter. In English not subtitled. (2 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Shonni Enelow's essay "Nowhere Fast" as well as technical credits.

Chilly Scenes of Winter Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A lot of women spend most of their lives hoping to meet a man like the one Mary Beth Hurt's character does in Chilly Scenes of a Winter. Some are willing to admit it, some are not. But who is this man? And what makes him so special? Instead of providing a legit description of him, Chilly Scenes of a Winter gets into his head and then slowly begins to deconstruct his thoughts and desires. In the process, it asks a few quite intriguing questions about the ways in which the two sexes used to connect and discover romance. Unfortunately, these questions are not packaged well to produce an engaging and thought-provoking film. Criterion's Blu-ray release of Chilly Scenes of Winter is sourced from a very solid exclusive new 4K master. RECOMMENDED only to fans of the film.