Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Ghost World Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 16, 2017

Terry Zwigoff's "Ghost World" (2001) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new documentary film with new interviews with actors Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, and Illeana Douglass; new audio commentary with Terry Zwigoff, comic creator and film cowriter Daniel Clowes, and producer Lianne Halfon; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Howard Hampton and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Best friends

It is obvious now that very few people knew how fast the internet would change America’s socio-cultural landscape. Around the year 2000 there was already a consensus that it is a place where serious business can be done, but it was unclear precisely what its social role could be or how it would be managed. So when people suddenly started shifting the bulk of their social activities to the internet -- first in group chat rooms and then to the large dating networks where they were matched with potential 'friends' -- an odd vacuum emerged with two different groups of explorers. Those from the first group were perfectly fine with their choice and were basically enjoying their time in the new virtual reality that the internet had revealed to them. When not in front of their computers, these folks enthusiastically discussed their experiences and the many wonderful relationships they had been able to create with ‘friends’ they never knew existed. Those from the second group acted differently, at least while they were in public. They were not entirely comfortable admitting that they were spending time in the new reality because it had a different social code that was mostly at odds with the one from the real world. So they thought that the right thing to do was to protect as much of their privacy as possible. Then at one point the barrier that separated the two groups fell and the big social networks earned permanent spots in people’s lives. (Whether this was a good thing will surely be debated in the future, but this writer is already convinced that the old days when people still had some genuine privacy in their lives were the far better option).

Terry Zwigoff’s film Ghost World is set in the beginning of the short transitional period before the formation of the groups that are motioned above and follows closely two young girls who have just graduated from high-school. Enid (Thora Birch) is the more outspoken of the two and a rebel of sorts who is convinced that there is something fundamentally wrong with the way the world functions. She isn’t on a mission to change it, but whenever she recognizes its flaws she enthusiastically points them out and scolds the people around her that willingly ignore them. Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) is a pragmatic thinker who understands that to get things done in life -- like renting a new apartment -- it is best to contribute to the system rather than critique or even fight it. Because they don’t have boyfriends, the two girls spend just about all of their free time together, and while they don’t always agree on everything, they absolutely love being together.

But Enid and Rebecca’s friendship is put to the test shortly after they decide to have a bit of fun with Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a loner in his mid-thirties who has published a small personal ad in a desperate attempt to reconnect with a mysterious woman. Much to their surprise, Seymour turns out to be a pretty decent guy with an incredible record collection and a brain that actually functions properly -- at least according to Enid, who quickly realizes that he sees the world they live in a lot like she does. Eventually, Enid becomes attracted to Seymour, and while trying to figure out how to have a meaningful relationship with him slowly begins to drift away from Rebecca, who has been planning to have her as a roommate in her new apartment.

The film has an interesting dual identity that at times can be a bit tricky to defend. One part of it focuses on the existence that social outcasts in America were forced to endure before the explosion of social media. Ghost World is actually a very appropriate title for it because most of these people were essentially ghosts that only occasionally stepped into the real world where ‘normal’ people had normal lives and relationships. So when Enid and Rebecca encounter Seymour, a classic social outcast, the film begins comparing what it looks and feels like to be on both sides of the barrier that separates the ghost world and the real world. This is the better of the two parts that offers some quite interesting food for thought. (The segments with the seemingly invisible old man that patiently waits for the canceled bus to show up are particularly good).

In the other part there is an obvious desire to be funny in the same way some of Sam Mendes, Kevin Smith and Todd Solondz’s films are. In other words, there are a number of gotcha moments that add a special flavor to the narrative. The trouble here is that quite a few of them are too carefully timed and instead of being effective because they are spontaneous, more often than not they actually look and feel incredibly artificial. (The two segments with the kooky guy in the convenience store are prime examples).

The cast is mostly good. Buscemi is clearly in an entirely different league, however, and it also easily shows that he is a lot more comfortable with his character. There are some very effective segments with Birch, but also quite a few where her emotions and reactions look remarkably overdone. Johansson occasionally looks a bit wooden, but it is something that works rather well for her character.

*Ghost World is based on the comic book of the same name. It was the first film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay based on a Graphic Novel or Comic Book.

Ghost World 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, Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Northlight 2 film scanner from a 35mm interpositive. Thousands of instances of debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, and small dirt. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisors: Lee Kline, Terry Zwigoff.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg/Deluxe, Los Angeles."

The release is sourced from a new 4K remaster of Ghost World which was supervised by writer-director Terry Zwigoff. The film now really looks terrific in high-definition, boasting excellent depth and fluidity, and a wonderfully balanced color scheme. I actually upscaled it to 4K and thought that the end result was probably as good as Blu-ray can deliver at this point while moving 1080p content to a higher resolution. The well-lit indoor footage looks most impressive, but there are also some panoramic shots from LA that are quite striking (see screencapture #5). There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are no stains, flecks, dirt, or other annoying age-related imperfections. (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).

Ghost World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film has a very diverse soundtrack and music has a very specific role in key parts of the film. Fortunately, the lossless track handles it without any hiccups and depth, clarity and fidelity could not be any better. The dialog is always crisp, clear, clean and very easy to follow.

Ghost World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Ghost World. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).

• Art as Dialogue - in this brand new documentary, actors Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson, and Illeana Douglass discuss their contributions to Ghost World, some of the key themes that are tackled in the film as well as its atmosphere, the specific period in which the film emerged, director Terry Zwigoff's working methods, etc. The documentary was produced exclusively for Criterion. In English, not subtitled. (42 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scenes - a collection of deleted scenes. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080p).

• "Jaan Pehechaah Ho" - the opening scene in Ghost World includes excerpts from the 1965 Bollywood film Gumnaam (The Unknown) that feature a performance of the song "Jaan Pehechaah Ho". That clip from Gumnaam is presented here in its entirety. An optional commentary is included as well. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this brand new audio commentary, cowriter/director Terry Zwigoff, comic creator and film cowriter Daniel Clowes, and producer Lianne Halfon discuss in great detail the production history of the film and its success. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2017.
  
  1. Gumnaam and casting
  2. Ezra Buzzington
  3. Development
  4. "Not that kind of soundtrack"
  5. Taking Tarkovsky
  6. No tumbleweeds!
  7. Ham it up
  8. Through Enid's eyes
  9. "I Love Steve Buscemi"
  10. Play it straight
  11. Patience and Prudence
  12. Directing actors.

• Booklet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by critic Howard Hampton and technical credits.

• Mini Comic Book - Eightball/Ghost World. (Please the screenshots provided without review).

Ghost World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I find Terry Zwigoff's Ghost World to be much more effective as a time capsule than as the quirky comedy that it frequently aspires to be. To be honest, I think that it would have been a much better film without the many carefully timed 'gotcha' moments. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from a solid new 4K remaster of the film, and offers some quite good new supplemental features with director Terry Zwigoff and cast members that fans of the film will surely appreciate. RECOMMENDED.