Eureka Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Eureka Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 30, 2016

Nic Roeg's "Eureka" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Eureka Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interviews with producer Jeremy Thomas, writer Paul Mayersberg and editor Tony Lawson; archival Q&A session with Nic Roeg; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Daniel Bird, a reprinted interview with Nic Roeg, an excerpt from the director's autobiography and Robert W. Service's poem The Spell of the Yukon. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"Me, Charlie. I am the most dangerous man I know."

The film is broken into multiple segments and one must pay very close attention to a lot of small details in order to understand its message -- or at least key aspects of it. This, however, isn’t easy because the film does not really want to be treated as a puzzle that can be fully solved with conventional logic.

For a while the camera follows closely Jack McCain (Gene Hackman, The French Connection), a tough prospector who discovers mountains of gold somewhere in the frozen wilderness of the vast Yukon Territory. The moment when McCain sees the gold for the first time is filmed like a surreal experience that temporarily leaves him feeling in a state of ultimate bliss. While it lasts elsewhere a beautiful fortune-teller (Helena Kalianiotes, Five Easy Pieces) also collapses and later on dies in McCain’s hands. Then there is a somewhat abrupt jump forward to the early 1930s, where McCain has already become the richest man in the world. McCain has also built his dream home, Eureka, on a beautiful Caribbean island and created a family, but he is a lonely man who frequently spends time in the past and recalls that special moment when his life changed forever.

Between the uneven flashbacks that emerge here the film slowly heads in an entirely new direction. There are small bits from McCain’s past that point to fascinating relationships and even the possibility that he might have followed a path that has been predetermined. Meanwhile, an ambitious mobster (Joe Pesci, Casino) and his trusted lawyer (Mickey Rourke, Wild Orchid) attempt to force McCain to sell his beloved Eureka and the land around it because they want to transform it into a gambling paradise. Around the same time McCain also realizes that he no longer has any real authority over his free-spirited daughter (Theresa Russell, Black Widow) and that her lover (Rutger Hauer, Blade Runner) is a dangerous man on a mission.

In the final act there is a trial that reveals more about McCain’s past, his family, and some of the people that have challenged him. But the manner in which the information is presented also leaves the door open for an entirely different take on the many crucial events that precede the trial and McCain’s fate.

The foundation of the narrative comes from a brutal murder case that was described in a novel written by Marshall Houts, but Nic Roeg and screenwriter Paul Mayersberg made numerous corrections that basically changed its identity. To this day, the original case remains unsolved.

The idea that gold can be the catalyst for great evil isn’t new, but this film forces one to reevaluate it while placing it in two entirely different contexts. In the first gold and greed are closely linked and the film sees McCain’s downfall basically as an unavoidable event. In the second there are supernatural forces that are linked to relationships and events which suggest that McCain’s reality is a much darker and more intense place than the real world and that he is placed there because he must pay for past sins.

The trouble with this film is that it creates massive contrasts and then leaves one to place them in the proper order, but this isn’t easy. In fact, the closer one begins to examine various details, the more one senses that there is a lot that is actually part of something much bigger and more complex and yet the film remains awkwardly reluctant to reveal what it is. Admittedly, this allows Roeg to infuse it with a special atmosphere, but when the final credits roll it does feel a bit like one has witnessed an event that did not exactly turn out as planned.

Eureka 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, Nic Roeg's Eureka arrive son Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.

The release is sourced from an old master, which I assume is the only one currently available in MGM's vaults. Image quality is rather inconsistent. During the darker/indoor footage shadow definition is frequently unconvincing; some light noise also emerges and affects depth (see screencapture #16). Clarity is mostly pleasing, with the outdoor/daylight footage looking rather good (see screencapture #1). There are a few light color pulsations but they shouldn't affect your viewing experience. Color saturation should be better and ideally there should be a much better range of healthy nuances. Perhaps the best news here is that there are no traces of recent attempts to resharpen and repolish the film. However, grain isn't as well exposed and resolved as it should be. Image stability is good. There are some random burn marks and dirt spots that pop up (see an example in screencapture #9), but there are no torn or warped frames to report. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Eureka 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 clear and easy to follow. However, there are a couple of segments where some light background hiss emerges and makes its presence felt. Balance is good. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Eureka Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Eureka. In English, without optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Nicolas Roeg at NFT - presented here is an archival recording of an on-stage Q&A session with Nic Roeg which was moderated by Philip Strick at the National Film Theatre in London following the world premiere of Eureka on February 13, 1983. Nic Roeg discusses his career and style (which early on was dictated by American films), his work with Francois Truffaut, the production history of Walkabout, the complexity of Don't Look Now, the use of rather unusual soundtracks in his films, Eureka, etc. In English, not subtitled.

• Jeremy Thomas - in this new video interview, producer Jeremy Thomas discusses the origin of Eureka; the shooting of the film in Jamaica, Miami and Northern British Columbia; what it was working with Nic Roeg; etc. In English, without optional English subtitles. (14 min).

• Paul Mayersberg - in this new video interview, writer Paul Mayersberg discusses the adaptation of Marshall Houts' novel and the real murder case and bizarre trial that are described in it, and offers a great analysis of the film and many of its contrasting/dual themes. In English, not subtitled. (54 min).

• Tony Lawson - in this new video interview, editor Tony Lawson discusses his involvement with Eureka and the structure of its narrative, some specific editing choices he made, and his interactions with Nic Roeg, etc. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Music and Effects Track - presented as LPCM 1.0.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring a new essay by Daniel Bird, a reprinted interview with Nic Roeg, an excerpt from the director's autobiography and Robert W. Service's poem The Spell of the Yukon.

Eureka Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nic Roeg's Eureka is a fascinating project, but it seems to have been overwhelmed with ideas and contrasts that make it quite difficult to choose an identity. Yes, the story about one man's obsession with gold is fairly straightforward, but it feels like it is actually part of something much bigger that remains elusive and ultimately leaves one somewhat frustrated. Eureka Entertainment's recent Blu-ray release includes exclusive new supplemental features that offer some quite interesting information about the film, its unique narrative, and the true event that inspired it. RECOMMENDED.