6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
After a failed suicide attempt, the aching and fragile Lane returns to her childhood home in Vermont to recuperate. Buoyed by a summer romance with neighboring writer Peter, Lane is soon determined to leave Vermont and start a new life, but when Peter's embrace mysteriously cools, and her overbearing mother shows up with a surprising announcement, Lane finds herself tangled in a destructive web of passion, deception, and manipulation.
Starring: Denholm Elliott, Mia Farrow, Elaine Stritch, Jack Warden, Sam WaterstonDrama | 100% |
Romance | 41% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
1820 kbps
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
MGM's recent Blu-ray release of Woody Allen's SEPTEMBER (1987) has effectively replaced Twilight Time's BD-50, which is out of print. In English, with optional English SDH. Region free.
It's a rarity when a studio allows one of its directors to re-shoot an entire movie but that's exactly what happened in 1987 when Orion Pictures permitted Woody Allen a fresh "do-over" at Kaufman Astoria Studios to film September again. For this chamber drama, which is like Interiors (1978) but a little more lighthearted, Allen recast four of the principals. Maureen O’Sullivan, Mia Farrow's real-life mother, played the film's mother Diane to Farrow's Lane in the first version. But Allen didn't feel O'Sullivan was strong enough. It isn't common knowledge that Allen had another actress in mind before he offered the part to Elaine Stritch. In his biography of Allen, John Baxter writes that the writer/director sought Gena Rowlands but she declined because "the character’s showbiz extravagance would make it too great a stretch for her." Around the time Stritch accepted his offer, Allen decided to reassign Denholm Elliot to a different part. Elliot portrayed Lloyd, Diane's physicist husband in the first shoot. In the interview book Woody Allen on Woody Allen: In Conversation with Stig Björkman, Allen complimented Charles Durning for doing a "tremendous job" as Lane's neighbor Howard, who is in love with the Farrow character. But Allen felt that he had miscast Durning so he plugged Elliot into the role. The great character actor Jack Warden then stepped in to play Lloyd. Eric Lax wrote an article about re-casting September for the San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle and noted that Christopher Walken was initially cast as Peter, an advertising copywriter who's in love with Lane's best friend Stephanie (Dianne Wiest). But Allen said that Walken and him weren't "copacetic" about Peter's character during the first few weeks of shooting so Sam Shepard was brought in to replace him. Shepard finished acting the part during the initial shoot, which lasted ten weeks. However, Allen later told Stig Björkman that Shepard appeared more interested in using his acting paychecks to commission his plays. Shepard's lack of enthusiasm for acting, among other reasons, compelled Allen to recast Peter with Sam Waterston, who he worked with on Interiors and an uncredited role in Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the first version of September still exists. When queried by Björkman if he preserved it, Allen replied: "I haven’t, no. It’s gone."
Daughter confronts mother.
We didn't review Twilight Time's Blu-ray from 2017 or Arrow Academy UK's box set, Woody Allen: Seven Films 1986-1991 (where September is included), which was released the same year. Based on my research, the 1.85:1 transfer for MGM's disc derives from the same master. It sports constant thick grain that's generally well-balanced. Cinematographer Carlo Di Palma's lensing for the all-interiors film sports an amber and light butterscotch look. I believe its appearance here is faithful to how it looked in theaters. Suzanne Moore remarked in her review in New Statesman & Society: "The sepia tones of the lighting match the brown and beige decor of the house." David Denby of New York magazine observed a similar color scheme: "The interiors are a uniform beigey pale yellow, and even the faces look polished with lemon oil." Between acts, the electricity goes out in Lane's home. Scenes shift to candlelight only for awhile. (See Screenshot #s 2, 5, 9, and 16-18.) I noticed a little video noise. MGM has used the MPEG-4 AVC encode. The BD-25 is really only 18.24 GB but MGM has given the video transfer a decent mean bitrate, which averages 26000 kbps. Twilight Time's average is comparable at 29963 kbps while Arrow's is the highest (37095 kbps).
The 83-minute feature has received nine chapter breaks, which are only accessible on the fly. (MGM does not provide any thumbnails or shortcuts on its menu.)
MGM has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio Dual Mono mix (1820 kbps, 24-bit). I read a review in the Hollywood Reporter that September was recorded and presented in stereo but virtually all home video editions—from Orion's 1988 LaserDisc to the three Blu-ray editions—have presented the film with a monaural track. There's absolutely no sound to be heard on the surround channels. I found myself turning up the volume substantially on my receiver to hear the dialogue at a fully audible level. To MGM's credit, the studio hasn't done any EQing to the track but it's definitely mixed too low to begin with. There is no perceptible buzzing, humming, or dropouts. Allen incorporates a number of vintage jazz tunes, which are played on a phonograph in the film. Those sound fine. Overall, the mix is rather unremarkable.
MGM's subtitle track covers all spoken words. There's one passage where a bit of dialogue seems rearranged on the subs. The track often translates the names of the jazz songs.
Extras are nil.
I regard September as a companion piece to Interiors but the earlier film is superior in every area. Even though this is third-tier Allen, he gets a great performance from Elaine Stritch. This was a comeback movie for the comedic actress. (She hadn't appeared on the big screen in a dozen years.) Stritch is the primary reason to watch September. MGM's video and audio presentations are most likely replicas of the Twilight Time and Arrow editions. But if you don't own one of those, then this is worth consideration. RECOMMENDED to Allen's fans.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1988
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1990
1980
The Woody Allen Collection
1986
1989
1978
1983
The Woody Allen Collection
1979
1982
1971
2023
1972
1993
2017
Kárhozat
1988
Aimer, boire et chanter
2014
2014
1920
1932
1930