Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Jennifer 8 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson February 15, 2024

After directing the satirical comedies Withnail & I (1987) and How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) in his native Britain, Bruce Robinson traveled to Hollywood where he hoped to make his first "mainstream film" (as he put it to longtime Southwest film critic Bobbie Wygant in a 1992 interview). Robinson penned an original screenplay titled Jennifer Eight: A Policeman's Story. While Robinson's script was commissioned at Paramount, no one at the studio wanted to make it except for chairman Brandon Tartikoff, who green-lit it. [Star Andy Garcia confided this to Paul Willistein in a 1992 interview, which appeared in the daily paper The Morning Call (Allentown, PA).] Robinson envisioned an older, unattractive man for the police officer who gets romantically entangled with a beautiful blind woman. Robinson wanted an older actor but Paramount thought a younger leading man would be a better box-office draw so it chose Garcia, who appeared in his first starring role. It seems that Uma Thurman was both Robinson and Paramount's first choice to star opposite Garcia. She hardly had to audition to win the part.

John and Helena.

Before Jennifer 8 went into production, Paramount's management was in transition and turmoil. Robinson told Jamie Portman of Canadian-based Southam News that the studio incurred two or three management changes. Robinson said this impacted everyone at the studio. "People were scared to death." When filming began, Robinson was livid that executive producer Scott Rudin wasn't around. Howard W. Koch stepped in for Rudin but Robinson and him didn't see eye to eye. Producer Gary Luchessi replaced Koch. Robinson got along better with him. But as covered in Scream Factory's extended featurette about the film, Robinson had difficulty shooting scenes that were in his script due to length, budget, and creative differences with the studio. For example, Paramount truncated scenes between Garcia and Thurman's characters. Robinson told Portman that he would have liked eight additional minutes added to the 125-minute movie. Robinson cited excised scenes between FBI investigator St. Anne (John Malkovich) as "some of the best material we had in the movie." He griped that Paramount preferred all of its films to run around 100 min­utes.

Mass critical reception to Jennifer 8 was mixed. But in spite of all the problems before, during, and production (as well as a shorter run time, which Robinson did not want), the picture received several stellar reviews. Variety's Todd McCarthy described it as "an unusually intelligent and unexploitative late-season thriller...Involving without being exciting, pic is notable for avoiding most of the standard suspense film contrivances, as well as for Conrad Hall’s utterly smashing cinematography. Robinson avoids the slick glossing-over of conventional suspense montage and the cheap thrills of shock cuts, but still manages to build up a fair degree of tension by playing scenes out to near-agonizing length....at least a cut or two above the usual Hollywood thriller." The Knoxville (TN) News Sentinel’s Betsy Pickle was one of its most enthusiastic supporters: "A thriller that doesn’t make allowances for lazy spectators....this movie is a moody combination of drama and suspense, with clever twists and respect for the viewer. All of the performers are excellent....Jennifer 8 rises above the standards of the genre, invoking memories of classic thrillers with its thoughtful gambits and brilliant cinematography. It’s also refreshingly contemporary in its portrayal of male and female multidimensional characters. Jennifer 8 avoids the slick and the sensational, preferring instead to explore deeper levels of behavior." David Kronke of the Los Angeles Daily News thought the film succeeded in large part to Robinson: "It’s one of the strengths of the film that Robinson introduces such queasy elements as Berlin’s weird dominion over Helena and a peeping tom at the school for blind students, but doesn’t ex­ploit or unnecessarily juice them....Robinson, more than any other recent director, succeeds in un­derscoring the fact that the film is borne from Berlin’s troubled perspective....the film moves with such a quiet assurance and probes its story’s textures with such care and integrity that it’s a pleasure to watch. A thriller that registers emotionally and intellectually without leaving you exhausted and battered by its overheated rhetoric? In 1992 Hollywood, that’s positively subversive." Likewiese, Bob Lapham, then the Arts & Entertainment editor for the Abilene (TX) Reporter-News, lauded the director as well as his star: Robinson "does a masterful job, directing from his own script. He shoots tantalizing scenes, and makes the most of Garcia’s great eye dramatics. This is Andy’s best yet....the film's strengths shine through brilliantly. And the all-crucial climax is a gem."

Jennifer 8 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory's "Special Edition" is sourced from a 2023 4K restoration that was struck from the original camera negative. Jennifer 8 appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Theatrical Cut and Extended Cut can be accessed on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. Each has a rough average video bitrate of nearly 35 Mbps. The standard-definition inserts on the EC carry a standard video bitrate of around 19658 kbps. I have not seen Paramount's older Blu-ray transfer that Reviewer Emeritus Michael Reuben covered of the bare-bones BD-50 released by Warner Bros. in 2013. But I would echo several of his observations for this recent transfer: "the blacks are deeply black...The color palette is muted and washed out, in part because the film is set in Northern California during the rainy season....Despite the frequent softness of the image, there is abundant detail, even in shadows of the many dark interiors." It's also worth quoting from Michael MacCambridge's review from the Austin (TX) American-Statesman: Robinson and Conrad L. Hall "in­vest the pea-soup foggy exteriors of northern California with a chilly, ominous foreboding." In looking at Michael's screen captures, I'd say that Scream Factory's presentation has better clarity in the long shots and overall, the image sports greater texture.

I was curious to see how Jennifer 8 looked initially on home video compared to this latest release. Paramount issued the film on LaserDisc in two separate presentations: standard "full screen" (1.33:1) and non-anamrophic 1.85:1. I chose to watch the former after reading Douglas Pratt's comparison of the two in his book, The Laser Video Disc Companion: A Guide to the High-End Delivery System for Home Video (New York: Baseline Books, 1995; 3rd edition): "The color and audio transfers [on the LDs] are identical. When the film's cinematography experiments with pale lighting or misty images, the disc's picture gets a little too grainy, but generally, the flesh tones are accurate and the presentation is acceptable. The Widescreen Edition has been letterboxed with an aspect ratio of about 1.85:1, masking off the top and bottom of the standard version image and adding nothing to the sides. Since the letterboxed image often looks cramped or awkwardly framed, we prefer the standard presentation" (p. 399). As you'll see in my screenshots, the 1.33:1 adds quite a bit of headroom. But it also masks info along the sides in Hall's wider compositions. So in those types of shots, the 1:85:1 shows more picture info. Scream's transfer is noticeably brighter than Paramount's LD and this helps illuminate details on faces. There are some differences in color temperature. For instance, Det. Sgt. John Taylor's (Graham Beckel) face is a bit red on the LD compared to the light fleshtone on the Scream Blu-ray. In one of the interrogation scenes, Garcia's suit is light brown on the LD and gray on the Blu-ray. In a different scene, there's a long shot of Helena Robertson (Uma Thurman) playing her cello in the gymnasium of Shasta-Trinity Institute. In a June 1991 draft of his screenplay, Robinson writes: "Sunlight streams in staining the air red." There's a slight red tint to that scene on the LD (frame grab #37). Scream's transfer of the identical shot is much clearer (see #38) with some brightness coming in, but it doesn't have the red air. Altogether, there are some differences in the color timing compared to the LD, which I'd say is at least close to how the film appeared in theaters. My video score for Scream's transfer is 4.25/5.00.

Screenshot #s 1-10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, & 40 = Scream Factory 2024 Blu-ray Special Edition (1.85:1)
Screenshot #s 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, & 39 = Paramount Home Video 1993 LaserDisc (1.33:1)

There are twelve scene selections for each version.

Jennifer 8 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

On the Theatrical Cut, Scream has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix (3743 kbps, 24-bit) and a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo track (1977 kbps, 24-bit). The Extended Cut only receives a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo mix (1964 kbps, 24-bit). I listened to both mixes and they sound similar. The 5.1 adds a bit more surround effect. Rainfall, a door closing in the Shasta Institute, et al. are clearly audible on the rears. Robinson so aptly described "marauding wind" as a sound f/x in his screenplay for a nighttime exterior. That's also heard on the satellite speakers.

Andy Garcia's dialogue is sometimes hard to understand. (I could hear his words a little better on the 2.0 than the 5.1.) A few print reviewers also had issues with intelligibility. In her review in the Asbury (NJ) Park Press, Eleanor O'Sullivan wrote: "Garcia also has sloppy diction; he slurs so many lines he adds to the plot's confusion." Roger Moore, then an arts reporter for the Winston-Salem (NC) Journal, had this to add about Garcia's delivery: "[The actor] mumbles and slurs his dialogue in the worst Brando fashion. He makes it difficult to put together what might seem, early on, an obvious bit of puzzle-solving." When I played my LD transfer of the film, I could discern the words better. Paramount's Dolby Stereo 2.0 mix probably focalizes dialogue better on the center channel.

Christopher Young's original score, which was recorded at the Skywalker Scoring Stage, sounds splendid on both mixes. Balance is good between front and back channels. Note: First composer Maurice Jarre's unfinished score, which La-La Land Records released on CD in 2012 along with Young's, has not been included on an alternate track.

Optional English SDH are available for both cuts.

Jennifer 8 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW "Is It Dark Yet?": Looking Back at Jennifer 8 (42:38, 1080p) - this is a recent retrospective doc containing brand-new interviews with writer/director Bruce Robinson as well as stars Andy Garcia and Lance Henriksen. Robinson is filmed in what looks like his home (movies and books adorn the shelves behind him). While Garcia and Henriksen are filmed separately, they both appear in what may be the same post-production facility. Robinson explains the idea he hatched for a Jennifer 8 screenplay, the problems he faced with the studio, the changes that were happening at Paramount, and the contentious working relationship he had with editor Conrad Buff. Garcia and Henriksen describe what they brought to their characters and the collaborations they had with fellow actors in the film. The interviewees also explain the contributions of Uma Thurman, Kathy Baker, John Malkovich, and DP Conrad L. Hall. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Deleted Alternate Ending (5:44, upconverted to 1080p) - this is the same alternate ending that appears in the Extended Cut of the film. It's accompanied by Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound (192 kbps). The original source is standard definition. The video averages a bitrate of 11527 kbps. In English, not subtitled.

• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:22, upscaled to 1080p) - Paramount's official trailer for Jennifer 8. While the trailer appears in anamorphic widescreen, it's an interlaced-source upscale that looks cropped on the right. Don't watch it if you've never seen the film before as it visually gives a lot away.

Jennifer 8 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jennifer 8 is a solid psychological thriller that I am glad Scream Factory has released to replace the out-of-print WB Blu-ray. While it's doubtful that we'll ever get a director's cut that recovers scenes that Robinson shot, which were left on the cutting room floor, the home video debut of the alternate ending is a welcome addition. The skin tones on Scream's transfer are natural and consistently rendered, although there are some differences from how some of the characters' facial complexions originally appeared in the theatrical and first home video releases. The recent interviews with Robinson, Garcia, and Henriksen make this a fine edition to own. RECOMMENDED.