Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Snapshot Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 3, 2024

Simon Wincer's "Snapshot" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include three audio commentaries; new program with stunt artist Grant Page; archival interviews with cast and crew members; vintage promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It’s easy money. All she must do is take her clothes off and be herself. The man with the camera will do the rest, which would not be hard work for him, either. She is so beautiful, so natural, he would just have to keep pushing the tiny button on the camera to take the perfect pictures he needs. It is the kind of job any girl would want, isn’t it? Getting paid for being yourself.

Angela (Sigrid Thornton), who is in her early twenties and struggling to make ends meet as a hair stylist, reluctantly agrees with Madeline (Chantal Contouri), a very successful professional model. How could she not? Angela is being offered what Madeline already has -- the good life. Madeline drives a fancy Mercedes-Benz, wears a chic fur coat, and has four rings that are probably worth a fortune. She must have an entire team of handsome gentlemen begging to take her out on a date, too. And you know what? She probably does go out with a different gentleman each day of the week. Or does she take Sunday off?

Soon after Angela quits her job at the hair salon and has her first gig on the beach, however, she begins to realize that the good life Madeline has sold her may not be as enjoyable as advertised. At first, Angela attempts to convince herself that she just needs time to get used to it, but when several friendly chameleons attempt to take advantage of her and a dangerous stalker begins tracking her down, it suddenly dawns on her that she is stuck in a horrible nightmare where life is cheaper than a lousy drink.

Simon Wincer’s Snapshot offers a more restrained variation of the drama that is chronicled in Paul Schrader’s Hardcore. In Snapshot, the drama is seen through the eyes of an innocent and naive girl as she is tricked into entering the dangerous rabbit hole, which in Hardcore is explored by a shocked and angry father who is looking for a girl like her that has already disappeared in it. Obviously, the terrain is different -- Wincer shot Snapshot in Australia, while Schrader shot Hardcore in America -- but the rabbit hole and its misery are identical.

The other, much more significant discrepancy between these films is that their revelations about the rabbit hole are presented by different storytellers. Wincer is the weaker of the two. After the naïve girl is lured to begin posing for erotic content, Wincer misses several obvious opportunities to go deep enough and shock with content that exposes the rabbit hole for what it is. In fact, Wincer consciously redirects Snapshot to make it appealing as a horror film, which is undoubtedly an error because the reoccurring shifts in its tone and atmosphere force Angela and several other characters to convey feelings and emotions that are unconvincing. Schrader remains focused on the rabbit hole and occasionally shows more than is needed to make the viewer grasp how awful and destructive it is.

Interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly because both films were completed and released in 1979, the visual styles of Snapshot and Hardcore are quite similar. Both are unafraid to embrace kitsch. Also, both produce material that could have been discovered in a documentary feature from the same era. As a result, both films boast rawness that is atypical for the conventional dramas that audiences flocked to see in their native countries.

Wincer worked with cinematographer Vincent Monton, who a few years later lensed the cult genre films Road Games and Race for the Yankee Zephyr.

This release introduces a new 4K restoration of the shorter Theatrical Cut of Snapshot. Also included on it is a longer Director’s Cut, which utilizes trims from a standard definition source. Apparently, the original film elements for the additional material are lost.

Snapshot Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Snapshot arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of the film, which is also available on 4K Blu-ray. You can see our listing and review of this release here.

I viewed the new 4K makeover in native 4K, but also spent time with the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray. I own Vinegar Syndrome's original release from 2017, so I was able to do plenty of comparisons.

As far as I am concerned, an opportunity was missed to deliver the definitive presentation of the film. Delineation, clarity, depth, and density levels are all quite impressive. Fluidity is terrific in native 4K and 1080p. The entire film looks spotless as well. However, the color grading job is unconvincing, though, oddly, some areas of the film still look very good. The biggest and most consequential issues emerge from the destabilization of primary blue and blue nuances in seemingly random areas -- blue and blue nuances are replaced with turquoise, which alters the film's native identity. Unnatural green hues do some damage as well. I have provided examples in the review linked above. So, if you already have Vinegar Syndrome's release, my advice is to keep it in your library. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Snapshot Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is outstanding. Clarity, sharpness, depth, and stability are very good. I would say that dynamic intensity is excellent too, though you need to keep in mind that Snapshot does not have an elaborate soundtrack. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Snapshot Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary One - this archival audio commentary was recorded by director Simon Wincer, producer Antony I. Ginnane, Sigrid Thornton, Vincent Monton, and Mark Hartley. The commentators provide a lot of information about the title changes that were made to promote Snapshot, the exact period in which the film was shot in Australia, its flexible genre identity, domestic reception and international success, the choices the main characters make, etc. The commentary is included on the Theatrical Cut.

• Commentary Two - this audio commentary was recorded by Antony I. Ginnane and Katarina Leigh Waters. The bulk of the information that is shared again addresses the conception and production of Snapshot, the different locations in Australia where key sequences were shot, the casting choices that were made and the careers of the main actors, the more explicit footage, the film's reception, etc. Also, there are some interesting comments about the editing of the two versions of the film. The commentary is included on the Director's Cut.

• Commentary Three - this audio commentary was recorded by Antony I. Ginnane and Jaimie Leonarder. Again, there is a lot of information about the highly anticipated arrival of Snapshot -- after the surprising success of Patrick -- the casting of Chantal Contouri as a "bitch" and Sigrid Thornton, the intentional overlapping of different genre elements, the film's U.S. distribution, etc. Also, there are some interesting comments about the evolution of Australian genre cinema. The commentary is included on the Director's Cut.

• Producing Snapshot - in this archival program, Antony I. Ginnane explains how the success of Patrick helped Snapshot become a reality and discusses its production and success. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Not Quite Hollywood Interviews - the following interviews were utilized by Mark Hartley in his documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!. The interviewees discuss the production, success, and lasting appeal of Snapshot. In English, not subtitled. (40 min).
  
  1. Sigrid Thornton
  2. Antony I. Giunnane
  3. Lynda Stoner
  4. Simon Wincer
  5. Everett De Roche
  6. Vincent Monton
  7. Tom Burstall

• Interview with Simon Wincer - in this archival audio interview, Simon Wincer recalls his work on Snapshot. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Grant Page: Elements of Danger - in this program, the legendary Australian stunt artist Grant Page (Stunt Rock) discusses the staging of the finale in Snapshot. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Stephen Morgan: The Trans-Pacific Mode - in this program, Australian critic Stephen Morgan discusses the exact moment in which Snapshot was released and ongoing trends in Australian genre cinema. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• The Day After Halloween Opening Titles - presented here are restored opening titles for The Day After Halloween, which is how Snapshot was retitled for international distribution. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailers and TV Spots - in English, not subtitled. (6 min).
  
  1. Theatrical trailer
  2. The Day After Halloween Theatrical Trailer
  3. TV Spot One
  4. TV Spot Two

• Image Galleries -
  
  1. Original Promotional Materials
  2. Behind the Scenes
  3. Dialogue Continuity Script

• Book - limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Alan Miller, exclusive extracts from director Richard Franklin and producer Anthony I. Ginnane's unpublished memoirs; archival interviews with screenwriter Everett De Roche and special effects supervisor Conrad Rothmann, and full film credits.

Snapshot Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite its flexible genre identity, Snapshot offers a more restrained variation of the drama that is chronicled in Hardcore, which is why the two have very similar creepy characters. Snapshot simply chooses not to go all the way to the bottom of the rabbit hole where they hide, as Hardcore does. This Blu-ray release introduces an exclusive new 4K makeover of Snapshot that should have turned out much better. However, it has an excellent selection of new and archival bonus features.