Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		2.0

Honky Tonk Freeway Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 27, 2021

John Schlesinger's "Honky Tonk Freeway" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by producer Don Boyd and critic/filmmaker Daniel Kremer and critic/biographer Nat Segaloff as well as vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The future

It is hard to believe that Honky Tonk Freeway was directed by the same man that delivered Midnight Cowboy. A little over a decade separates these films and they are so drastically different that the presence of John Schlesinger’s name in their credits feels like an error. To be clear, the difference isn’t defined by an accelerated stylistic evolution or some profound change in Schlesinger’s creative philosophy. When comparing the two films there is simply an undeniable gigantic drop in quality that is very odd.

The original screenplay for Honky Tonk Freeway came from a man named Edward Clinton, who apparently gave up writing soon after the film flopped at the box office. However, whether Schlesinger actually did use his screenplay is unclear because the mayhem that is at the center of his film could not have possibly been scripted. Can this be the reason why the film turned out as it did? It is a plausible scenario, but an unlikely one because a careful examination of what takes place in the film reveals a very obvious intent to imitate the blueprint behind Stanley Kramer's It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. So, the mayhem could not have been scripted but the intent was to imitate an existing blueprint that essentially does precisely that? Correct. It appears that the idea was to unleash a large cast of actors as it is done in Kramer’s film, but with Schlesinger shifting the focus of attention to what should have been a brilliant satire targeting urbanization in America. As evident in the film, the shift did occur, but the brilliant satire never materialized.

There is another plausible scenario which again features an intent to imitate the blueprint behind Kramer’s film. Indeed, it could be that Clinton provided a strong screenplay that effectively satirized urbanization, but for some reason Schlesinger lost control of the cast and wrapped up the film as best as he could. There are quite a few sequences that leave such an impression, particularly after the highway is damaged and traffic is redirected to the small town. Many of the big-name actors that are supposed to shine and make the film attractive look lost in random events that quickly become a serious endurance test. On top of this, plenty of this material is very badly edited as well.

The reason why the film flopped, however, is crystal-clear -- it is neither funny nor thought-provoking. A few good laughs here and there at least could have made it tolerable, but Schlesinger repeatedly fails to find the right tone for the mayhem. Indeed, a lot of the material seems promising, but it is either mismanaged or overdone in such amateurish ways that it very quickly becomes off-putting.

The cast list features William Devane, Beau Bridges, Teri Garr, Beverly D’Angelo, Jerry Hardin, George Dzundza, Geraldine Page, and even Jessica Tandy. But these great actors can’t pass for ordinary folks whose lives are being turned upside down in a quiet corner of Florida where tourism seems to be the only source of revenue for anyone that is willing to make ends meet the right way. While in front of Schlesinger’s camera, they still look like actors that are struggling to improvise while participating in events that appear completely random as well.

*Schlesinger’s original cut of the film was apparently R-rated. However, before the film entered the distribution system, it was carefully edited to become PG-rated. This Blu-ray release features the theatrical PG-rated version of the film.

Honky Tonk Freeway 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, Honky Tonk Freeway arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a very frustrating 4K master that was prepared on behalf of StudioCanal. Delineation, depth, clarity, and density levels range from very good to excellent, so on a larger screen the improvements are very easy to recognize and appreciate. Unfortunately, the master is poorly graded and as a result there are various very familiar issues that we have come to expect from 'restorations' that were finalized in European labs. So, what is the problem here? Incorrect LUT values that destabilize primaries and important supporting nuances. It appears that the whites were suppressed and collapsed by the greenish hues that you can see in screencaptures #1, 4 and 20. The effect is usually very prominent during daylight or well-lit footage, but not in darker footage. This is why in very dark footage balance actually often looks convincing (see screencapture #22). In daylight footage, blues and supporting blue nuances are destabilized as well, though here the fluctuations are smaller and often easy to ignore. Reds suffer as well, especially when they are supposed to appear properly balanced with strong whites. So, because of the improper color-grading that was applied when the master was prepared, when you view the film you should expect to see unnatural random spikes of greenish hues that affect the overall balance of the visuals. Image stability is excellent. There are no distracting age-related anomalies to report. My score is 2.75/5.00. (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).

Honky Tonk Freeway Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtleties are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent. Indeed, clarity, sharpness, and balance remain convincing throughout the entire film. Dynamic intensity is quite impressive as well, which surprised me a bit because the mayhem produces plenty of organic sounds and noises. The dialog is clear, clean, and very easy to follow.

Honky Tonk Freeway Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage theatrical trailer for Honky Tonk Freeway. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - exclusive new audio commentary recorded by producer Don Boyd and critic/filmmaker Daniel Kremer and critic/biographer Nat Segaloff.

Honky Tonk Freeway Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Believe it or not, it is nice to have massive misfires like Honky Tonk Freeway because they help you understand why very similar projects like It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Nashville are special. John Schlesinger was apparently quite unhappy with how Honky Tonk Freeway turned out, and while this isn't surprising, just about everything that is bad about it can be traced right back to him. Simply put, it is a very poorly directed film that should have never been released in its current form. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a recent but problematic 4K master that was prepared on behalf of StudioCanal.