David and Lisa Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

David and Lisa Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 2, 2015

Filmmakers are often tempted to treat mental illness as a golden ticket to melodrama, orchestrating extremes of behavior in the name of manipulation, giving actors free reign to create the experience of psychological torture in the broadest manner imaginable. When a rare feature comes along that doesn’t indulge overkill, it’s cause for celebration. 1962’s “David and Lisa” has its share of heated moments, but writer Eleanor Perry and director Frank Perry are careful to treat the characters with respect, searching motivation and instinct with sensitivity and a great degree of understanding. Far from a crude movie of the week, “David and Lisa” manages to isolate internal frustration and troubling interactions, emerging as a story of tentative endearment, but also one of rare comprehension (at least for its time), portraying schizophrenia and obsessive actions with attention to detail, not outbursts. It’s an emotionally satisfying picture with limited manipulation.

Escorted by his concerned mother, Mrs. Clemens (Neva Patterson), 19-year-old David (Keir Dullea) is returned to a group home after a recent stay. Extremely intelligent but prone to aggressive behavior when touched, David isn’t interested in anything the facility has to offer, openly refusing therapy provided by Dr. Swinford (Howard De Silva), who truly wants to help this special young man. Emerging from isolation but still wary of others, David meets Lisa (Janet Margolin), a schizophrenic who only speaks in rhymes, carrying a lifetime of trauma tied to her identity. Trying to find a comfortable middle ground with his new friend, David can’t help but sabotage his own growth in the home, with Dr. Swinford’s questions and a reunion with his dysfunctional family stirring up anger issues, pushing the patient into Lisa’s company, with her childlike ways triggering is long dormant sense of empathy.

The screenplay (adapted from a novel by Theodore Isaac Rubin) doesn’t try to sugarcoat David’s behavior in the opening of the feature. There are no soft introductions, only a sharp sense of discovery as the hesitant young man is returned to a home he thought was out of his life forever, showing contempt for the staff and displaying extreme anger when touched by others -- a trigger of panic and fury tied to undefined abuse and years of coldness around his parents. Born into wealth and privilege, David struggles to navigate decisions made in his best interest, longing for some form of independence as he immediately isolates himself in the home, only emerging for meals. David’s arc is one of awakening, using time in the facility and attention from Dr. Swinford to gradually achieve a sense of hope about his future, though such aspirations are frequently cut down by his impulses, keeping a world he would like to participate in at arm’s length.

Lisa doesn’t change David, but her unusual way with life throws him off guard. She provides an emotional and intellectual challenge as David turns from patient to amateur therapist, working to connect with Lisa on her level of rhyme and wonder, responding to her purity of spirit. Romance isn’t emphasized, but a connection is clearly made between the pair, who develop a union that’s confessional and medicinal, finding Lisa pushing beyond David’s physical and mental borders, while David challenges Lisa to confront her history as Muriel, her real name. Eleanor Perry’s script is superbly measured, never indulging hysterics. She keeps a real sense of chaos alive, but also humanity, finding David yearning to shed his insecurities and emotional bonds, requiring help from outsiders he previously wanted nothing to do with. Lisa also avoids golden child clichés with erratic behavior and an interior reservoir of pain that’s exposed in a brilliant but painful scene where Lisa, on a field trip to an art museum, curls up with a statue of a mother embracing her infant child. The director plays the moment with stillness, giving the inherent meaning of the act all the more power.

Frank Perry’s direction is largely successful, handling the pressure building within David with vigor, also exploring his dark dreamscapes with nightmarish imagery tied to clock-based beheadings, underlining the character’s fear of destruction and his mummifying obsessive tendencies. Perry is also capable of subtlety, managing Dullea and Margolin (in her film debut) with some degree of restraint, only ordering up outbursts when absolutely necessary to help break the picture out of its comfort zones. The stars match the helmer’s skill with strong, layered performances that capture internal erosion and personal connection, giving unique life to the highs and lows both patients feel during the story.

David and Lisa Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation arrives from a troubling source, with print issues exposing scratches, speckling, rough reel changes, and softness on the far left side of the frame. Judder and flicker are also detected. Fine detail isn't extraordinary, with a slightly smoother appearance brought on by cinematographic limitations and, once again, source issues. Some scenes do reveal a passable sense of depth and skin texture. Artifacts are present. Overall bitrate is unusually low, while the feature and the lengthy HD supplement only take up roughly 15 GBs of space.

David and Lisa Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix is hit hard with hiss, which carries a heavy presence throughout the listening experience. Thankfully, dialogue exchanges aren't completely smothered, sustaining their dramatic range with slightly crispy highs. Scoring is acceptable without ever being remarkable, supporting as intended but never reaching defined instrumentation. Atmospherics are calm, only explored during day trips with the residents and during scenes of group interaction.

David and Lisa Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (41:36, HD) with Keir Dullea catches up with the actor in what appears to be his home, taking in his memories of working on "David and Lisa." Sharing considerable respect for the picture and production participants, his most interesting admission concerns his relationship with co-star Margolin, with their mutual attraction left unfulfilled due to his marriage. Dullea's career is covered with some degree of detail, discussing the troubled set of "Bunny Lake is Missing," the excitement and discipline of stage work, and his time with Stanley Kubrick on the set of "2001." Affable and endearingly eccentric, Dullea provides a rewarding trip down memory lane.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

David and Lisa Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If "David and Lisa" has a misstep, it's in the finale, which cooks up an artificial divide between the titular characters to help them with personal epiphanies. While offering a big heart, the last ten minutes of the movie threaten to flood the feature with artificiality, ruining all the work the Perrys and the cast have put into making this tale feel authentic to heart and mind. It's a small slip that's unfortunately placed at the worst possible time. However, it hardly erases any of the impressive work that's come before it, with "David and Lisa" too profound and careful with emotional textures to be completely thwarted by a last-minute attempt to erect a peaceful sense of closure for a film that's already managed to connect in full.