Shampoo Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Shampoo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 30, 2018

Hal Ashby's "Shampoo" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an excerpt from an archival program featuring Warren Beatty as well as new program featuring critics Mark Harris and Frank Rich. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by Rich and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Time out

It is awfully difficult to pick a character to like in Hall Ashby’s film Shampoo, and it is not because there is a shortage of nice ones. In fact, all of the characters that Ashby’s camera picks up, befriends and then begins following around are very nice: they are good-looking, elegant, successful and cultured. Most of them are pretty darn entertaining too, the kind of strangers that you would not mind meeting at a party and wasting an hour or so chatting with.

So, what’s the problem? Below I am going to give you a few hints to consider but will leave the rest for you to discover and digest when you sit down to watch the film.

The location is Los Angeles during the ‘70s and the place is buzzing. Everyone is making money, spending money and having a ball doing it. There is a presidential election underway but the nice people have figured out that it is a big circus staged for the masses and only a few have plans to tune in when the winner is announced. So, the vast majority of them are focused on the fun.

Professional hairdresser George (Warren Beatty) is right in the middle of it and loving the activities. He has the reputation of a sizzling lover and the spoiled wives and mistresses of some of the wealthiest players in Beverly Hills are routinely seeking his services inside and outside of the beauty salon that employs him. It has been great, but his clients have made his relationship with his girlfriend, Jill (Goldie Hawn), tricky. George is also regularly seeing Jill’s best friend, Jackie (Julie Christie), who is actually officially dating Lester (Jack Warden), an old-school businessman who can make big things happen, even though he is still married to Felicia (Lee Grant). So, George has been doing a lot of acting but at the same time allowed to be played just as good by equally talented performers.

On election night a few small but meaningful missteps seriously disrupt George’s supposedly perfect game and he is forced to start improvising without wearing a mask. At first he plays good defense and almost succeeds reversing his losses, but as the polls begin to close it finally dawns on him that in the game of life he has been just another third-rate actor.

The film is utterly brutal but in such a delicate way that it can easily trick some viewers to conclude that it is yet another silly comedy that goes down a familiar path. Frankly, it makes Ashby look a lot like a very experienced doctor that delivers a terminal diagnosis and then calmly suggests that there is still hope for the patient even though everyone around him knows that he is lying. In other words, there are a few feel-good moments here and there, but the big picture that emerges right before the final credits roll is bone-chilling.

Here are two things that make the film relevant today: After it targets the good old boys (Warden’s character and his political buddies) it provides enough rope for the ‘smart’ players that are supposedly much better than them to hang themselves, and quite predictably eventually they get what they deserve. The second is the revelation that the entire bunch of nice people is in fact nothing more than a motley crew of hypocrites -- a few just happen to be better chameleons that the rest.

Beatty is entertaining but not always believable, and his fake hair looks even worse now. On the other hand, Warden has far less time in front of the camera but always shines bright and as a result gives the film its character.

Shampoo 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, Hal Ashby's Shampoo arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

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

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution from the 35mm original camera negative at Cineric in New York on the facility's proprietary high-dynamic-range wet-gate film scanner. An earlier restoration supervised by cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs was used as a color reference. The original monaural soundtrack was restored from the 35mm original dialogue, music, and effects (DME) monaural magnetic master at Chace Audio by Deluxe in Burbank, California. The 5.1 remix was then created from the same source.

Transfer supervisor: Grover Crisp; Sheri Eisenberg/Sony Pictures Colorworks, Culver City, CA.
Audio mixer/restorer: Jim Young/Chace Audio by Deluxe, Burbank, CA.
Pictures restoration: Prasad Group, Chennai, India."

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster that is every bit as solid as the one that Sony Pictures delivered for Tootsie. Indeed, it boasts superb depth and clarity, while fluidity is as good as one could have expected for a film of this age and caliber. The grading is very convincing. There is a diverse range of healthy primaries and proper equally healthy nuances that ensure a very pleasing vibrant appearance. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustment, and when projected the entire film has a superb organic look. Image stability is excellent. Finally, there are no debris, scratches, cuts, damage marks, stains, or warped frames to report. (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).

Shampoo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the film with the Mono track and thought that in terms of clarity, depth, and stability it could not have been any better. However, I also tested rather large sections of the film with the 5.1 track, and even though the film does not have intense dynamic movement that would have benefited dramatically from the mix, there is quite a difference. Basically, the entire audio field is expanded very successfully and provided with a much nicer range of nuances. So, I encourage you not to automatically dismiss the 5.1 track.

Shampoo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The South Bank Show: "Warren Beatty" - presented here is an excerpt from an episode of The South Bank Show in which Warren Beatty discusses Bonnie and Clyde and explains why and how it became a groundbreaking film, as well some of the key themes in Shampoo. The episode is hosted by Malvyn Bragg and was broadcast in 1998. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080i).

• Mark Harris and Frank Rich - in this brand new program, critics Mark Harris and Frank Rich discuss Shampoo. The program was produced for Criterion in June 2018. In English, not subtitled. (31 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by Rich and technical credits.

Shampoo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Shampoo functions a lot like a big medical report -- it correctly diagnoses LA's elitists and the special people in their lives. The great director Hal Ashby reveals his findings with a nice sense of humor, but it does not take long to figure out that he has lost hope that they can be cured. It is hardly surprising, though, because gradually they all emerge as terminal hypocrites. Criterion's upcoming release is sourced from a solid 4K remaster of the film and features a very refreshing archival program with Warren Beatty. Given the current socio-political environment, it is an incredibly timely release. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.