Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Cider House Rules Blu-ray Movie Review

Caine is able.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 28, 2011

Most of us who grew up in the United States can passably pull off at least a few dialects, like a Southern drawl or a Western twang or that brash accent that typifies a New Yorker. Most of us can even do a creditable British accent, as if it had been genetically encoded into us from generations past. Why is it so surprising, then, when we hear a British person do a great American accent? To borrow a term used by my own British relatives, I was literally gobsmacked when I heard The X Files’ Gillian Anderson speaking with a clipped British accent on a talk show included as a supplement on a Blu-ray. Anderson may be cheating, at least somewhat, as she actually was American born, but later emigrated to England at a young age. But there are many British actors who have spent most of their lives in their native country who some audience members might be shocked to find out weren’t born with that authentic sounding American patois. While “everyone” knows that Kenneth Branagh or Toni Collette don’t really sound like their characters in, say, Dead Again or The Sixth Sense, some Law and Order fans might be surprised to find out Linus Roche is a Brit through and through. Projects as disparate as L.A. Confidential and House M.D. prove how capable our British cousins are at aping our ways of speech, but it still comes as something of a surprise to hear how artful the best mimicry often is. Add Michael Caine’s work in The Cider House Rules to that list, work that Caine himself evidently was impressed by, at least evidenced by some laughing reminiscences in the commentary by Lasse Hallström and John Irving on this new Blu-ray. Caine took home his second Oscar for his performance as the sweet but ultimately sad Dr. Larch in this film, and at least part of that little statuette was probably awarded to Caine on the technical merits of how well Caine managed to sound “American.”

The Cider House Rules is a quintessentially American story, filled with the rustic ambience of New England, though truth be told in a highly romanticized state. In some seeming synchronicity between this review and this reviewer, my own father was born in England (no accent, though) and was orphaned at an early age, placed into foster care in upstate New York. From what he and his siblings deigned to share with those in my generation (which wasn’t much, due to their childhood trauma), their orphanage was certainly nothing like the idyllic mansion run by Caine’s Dr. Larch in The Cider House Rules. It’s one of the film’s conceits that Larch’s compound, though slightly dilapidated, is a place of love and nurturing for its abandoned or otherwise parentless children. That glossy veneer may prevent the film’s central thesis of foundling Homer (Tobey Maguire) needing to escape from having as much impact as it might have.

Aside from taking unwanted babies into his home, Larch also provides another service for pregnant mothers, namely illegal abortions. That aspect of the original source novel led some to accuse John Irving (who won the film’s second Oscar for writing his own adapted screenplay) of penning a pro-abortion rights screed. It’s hard to argue with that position, though Homer himself takes up an antagonistic position to Larch which, while perhaps not “pro-life” in the traditional, post Roe v. Wade sense, at least takes issue with the procedure at its most basic level. Homer’s gradual realization that in some extreme cases abortion may be necessary provides one of the longer emotional arcs of the film, an arc which some obviously may find objectionable.

The Cider House Rules drastically alters and whittles away at Irving’s original source novel, with whole scale editing of several key characters and plot points. What we’re offered instead is Homer’s coming of age story, as he decides on a seeming whim to leave the orphanage with abortion seekers Candy (Charlize Theron) and Wally (Paul Rudd), who are not yet married and can’t risk a child now that Wally is about to fly off and fight in World War II. This aspect gives the film its lengthy second act, when Homer and Candy fall in love after Wally goes missing and is presumed dead.

Some have faulted the film for never really amounting to much of anything, despite its emotional pull and incredibly picturesque scenery. But many of director Lasse Hallström’s films are slow moving and more centered on character than events, and that is certainly the case with The Cider House Rules. Irving and Hallström go into some detail in the excellent commentary included on this Blu-ray about the many versions of the screenplay they had to go through to get to this fine balancing act of having enough of the source novel to maintain a connection but not too much for a two hour film to contain, and while some of the jettisoned material does deprive the film of some emotional heft, what is left is a gorgeous and heartfelt piece that, while not very realistic, still manages to tug quite forcefully at the heartstrings.

Bolstered by a fine trio of leading performances by Caine, Maguire and Theron, and with some excellent supporting turns by Kathy Baker and a sadly largely wasted Jane Alexander, The Cider House Rules, like so many of Hallström’s efforts, looks like a picture postcard but manages to actually create some real human emotion within the confines of its perfect looking setting. The film may indeed never get anywhere, as some have accused it, but at least the journey is extremely heartfelt and unbelievably gorgeous a lot of the time.

The Cider House Rules Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Cider House Rules is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. Whatever qualms viewers may have with Irving's adaptation and Hallström's glossy veneer, there's little doubt that this is one of the most gorgeous looking films in the director's oeuvre, one which perfectly captures an autumnal glow throughout many of the location shots. Cinematographer Oliver Stapleton loves shots with diffused lighting, with effulgent auras surrounding structures and even people at times. All of that is wonderfully represented on this new Blu-ray, which sports excellently saturated and accurate color, a nicely intact grain structure, and excellent contrast. There is some noticeable edge enhancement at likely places like horizons in backlit shots, but otherwise this is a clean and solid looking presentation which wonderfully recreates the original film's look.

The Cider House Rules Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Cider House Rules is offered with an excellent lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 mix. Surround activity, while never overwhelming, is consistent and extremely well rendered on this track. The boisterous clatter of children running through the orphanage, the entrance of a nice vintage car, or the sounds of migrant farm workers in an apple orchard all offer great moments of discrete channel utilization. Fidelity is excellent throughout the track, and Rachel Portman's gorgeously elegiac (and Oscar nominated) score sounds absolutely wonderful, with those heart tugging strings seeming to reach through the speakers to do the tugging with visceral impact. Dialogue is always crisp and clear, and occasionally is nicely directional (listen in some of the outdoor scenes as widely displaced people are well positioned in the soundfield). This isn't a knock your socks off kind of aural experience, but it's extremely well done and should easily please the film's many fans.

The Cider House Rules Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Lasse Hallström, Screenwriter John Irving and Producer Richard N. Gladstein. This is a really interesting commentary which gives a wealth of background information not just on the basic adaptation from novel to screen, but how much was actually changed after the first draft of the script. The bulk of the commentary is between Hallström and Irving, and they go into quite a bit of depth about how they arrived at the final version we see on screen.
• The Cider House Rules: The Making of an American Classic (SD; 22:09) is an above average featurette documenting the adaptation from novel to screen, with good interviews with Maguire, Theron, Caine, Irving and Hallström, with some interesting comments by none other than Stephen King.
• Deleted Scenes (SD; 8:48) has some extra medical scenes, as well as a nice bit with Jane Alexander.
• Theatrical Trailer (SD; 2:31)

The Cider House Rules Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is one of those films where lovers of the original source novel almost always say, "The book was better." That may seem odd, given that this is one of those very rare occurrences where the original novelist actually adapted his own work for the screen. But Irving's books are often extremely convoluted affairs, filled to the brim with intriguing and often eccentric characters, and, as they say, something had to give. What's left here isn't exactly what The Cider House Rules was in printed form, but it is nonetheless a very affecting and effective film if it's approached with certain diminished expectations. The best things here are the very well wrought performances as well as Hallström's always keen visual sense, which makes The Cider House Rules one of his most auspiciously evocative films. This Blu-ray looks and sounds great and it comes Recommended.