Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Patty Hearst Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 28, 2020

The saga of Patricia Hearst and her 1974 kidnapping has been explored in numerous media offerings, with journalists and dramatists drawn to the story’s overt strangeness and ties to the Hearst legacy. For 1988’s “Patty Hearst,” screenwriter Nicholas Kazan goes straight to the source, adapting Hearst’s 1982 autobiography, “Every Secret Thing.” Director Paul Schrader takes the opportunity to probe into the mind of a kidnapped woman brought to her breaking point, examining days of imprisonment that eventually led to the birth of an unlikely “urban guerilla.” Admittedly, the sheer oddity of the event is enough to fill a run time, but Schrader and Kazan struggle to locate the urgency of Hearst’s transformation, getting lost in style without pinpointing compelling motivations, providing very little insight beyond what Hearst shares in her book.

In 1974, while residing in Berkeley, California with her fiancé, Patty Hearst (Natasha Richardson) was kidnapped by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army. Returning to their compound, the SLA tossed a blindfolded Patty into a closet, keeping her for months as they failed to negotiate a ransom, eventually electing to keep the young woman, brainwashing her to believe in the SLA way of American revolution. Eventually exposed to leader Cinque (Ving Rhames) and the rest of the army (including Francis Fisher, William Forsythe, and Dana Delany), Patty accepts her new reality, rechristened “Tania” and used as bait for media outlets, contributing to violence and bank robberies as outsiders attempt to understand the confusion brewing inside her head.

With under two hours of screen time to work with, “Patty Hearst” doesn’t go inch-by-inch through the case, hitting the basics of the initial kidnapping, where Patty was pulled from her house by the SLA, blindfolded, and locked in a closet. Schrader shows the most interest in these early scenes, working with cinematographer Bojan Bazelli to create a surreal experience from Patty’s perspective, toying with lighting and angles to generate an understanding of her scattered mind as she’s visited by Cinque and his threats, forced to make recordings for her captors while gradually losing herself in the process. The idea of “Patty Hearst” is to focus on the victim’s disorientation as she’s manipulated by the soldiers, battered by threats as a way to soften her up. The torments sends Patty on a tour of memories, reflecting on the privileged life she’s led, which represents everything the SLA is against. For the first act, the feature has a distinct approach and cinematic presence, with Schrader (a wildly uneven filmmaker) finding focus, zeroing in on a frightened woman with brain that’s gradually liquifying, succumbing to the SLA’s quest to bring disorder to the world as a way to free it from perceived fascism.

Once Patty comes out of her fog, Schrader and Kazan struggle to find a story to tell, offering a greatest hits package of SLA offenses, including sexual abuse, mind games, and their eventual graduation to bank robbery, putting Patty up front and center to attract attention and escalate their war against the establishment. While Richardson delivers an assured performance, she’s playing a question mark, as Hearst’s true experience during her kidnapping and reprogramming is up for debate. Kazan addresses such mystery by making Patty something of a dim innocent suddenly confronted with a traumatic situation, gradually introducing behaviors that clue the audience into her compliance, enjoying the power of being a revolutionary, which gives her the identity she’s always craved, unable to find her place in the world of Hearst. “Patty Hearst” goes through the months, highlighting the character’s position as an observer, watching the soldiers argue about their show of force, fumbling chances to achieve their goals, exposing them as inexperienced and powerless. Individual pieces of this puzzle are intriguing, but Schrader seems to give up the fight halfway through, failing to emphasize Patty’s evolution in a compelling manner.

Patty Hearst Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Listed as "Newly scanned & restored in 2K from its 35mm interpositive," "Patty Hearst" makes its Blu-ray debut with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Color is most striking here, with a respectful refreshing of hues throughout the feature, bringing out the heavy reds inside the SLA compound, and street encounters showcase bright primaries and greenery. Costuming also retains potency, offering period outfits. Skintones are natural. Detail is mostly engaging, highlighting the grimy areas of the SLA house, including Patty's closet. Bodily particulars are defined comfortably, picking up on sweat and Patty's slow deterioration. Delineation is consistent. Grain is heavier but film-like. Some sequences struggle with blurriness, but the source remains in reasonable condition.

Patty Hearst Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix contributes a crisp understanding of dialogue exchanges, capturing dreamlike interactions and expository ones, preserving performances. Scoring cues are supportive with clean instrumentation, growing more urgent with distinct percussion as Patty's world grows more violent. Atmospherics are appreciable around street activity and inside the house, capturing room tone and group activity.

Patty Hearst Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Telling Her Story" (12:42, HD) is an interview with director Paul Schrader, and he admits to following the Patty Hearst case as it unfolded in the 1970s, interested in the details of the crime and aftermath. Offer the project because "other directors were scared of it," Schrader seized an opportunity to explore the wilds of Hearst's imagination in the opening act of the feature, getting away from the true crime elements of Nicholas Kazan's screenplay. Schrader doesn't really seem delighted with his work from the 1980s, exploring the many ways he would approach the material today, using the limited series format to explore the many personalities involved in the crimes, including "the great" Cinque Mtume. Memories of Hearst are shared, including a trip to the Cannes Film Festival, where John Waters, an avowed fan of the controversial woman, finally received a chance to meet her. Casting triumphs with Natasha Richardson are explored, and style choices are highlighted. Schrader closes with a career assessment of his "misfit males and their maladies" oeuvre, noting the female empowerment requirements of the writing if the story was told today.

• Image Gallery (1:10) collects poster art, film stills, and BTS snaps. Also included is a picture of Richardson with Patty Hearst.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Patty Hearst Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Contributing to the deflation of "Patty Hearst" is final act that examines her legal battles after being caught, coming up against a system that hopes to exploit her, inspiring the criminal to take command of her story. Courtroom visits are uninspired, and the final summation with Patty intends to expose an alertness behind her staged simplicity, which doesn't contain the sting Kazan intends. Documentaries (including 2004's "Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst") and interviews have done a reasonable job detailing the kidnapping and aftermath of the event, but insight into Patty's true experience has ever truly surfaced. "Patty Hearst" certainly comes close in its opening act, doing a vivid job examining the victim's fear and her sense of opportunity, but the writing doesn't maintain this level of psychological examination and surreal experimentation. Viewers aren't left with much more than a basic appreciation of suffering and contemplation, keeping Patty the true crime and pop culture riddle she prefers to be.