Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Fan Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 30, 2019

“The Fan” was intended to be a calmer, more character-oriented endeavor at one point during its development. However, marketplace demands contributed to a tonal overhaul of the production, with producer Robert Stigwood interested in transforming a mild piece on the dangers of stalkers into a De Palma-esque freak-out featuring graphic violence, looking to attract more attention. Perhaps this is why “The Fan” plays so unevenly, as director Ed Bianchi has difficulty managing the extremes of the effort, with one side of the material dealing with sliced skin and vulgar threats, while the other explores the creation of a Broadway musical. It’s a very strange picture, and not intentionally so, but outside of occasional ugliness, the film is reasonably entertaining, helped along by a supporting cast of acting veterans and the pressure point of obsession, which is always good for a few cheap thrills.

Sally (Lauren Bacall) is a beloved actress about to commence work on a new musical, entering rehearsals with some age-related hesitation. She’s joined by her secretary, Belle (Maureen Stapleton), and her supportive ex-husband, Jake (James Garner), but somewhere in New York City, she’s being closely monitored by Douglas (Michael Biehn). A young stalker who dreams of possessing Sally, Douglas has lost contact with reality, authoring increasingly hostile letters to his primary obsession before turning to murder to get closer to his dream woman. Frightened but unwilling to give up on her work, Sally finds protection from Inspector Andrews (Hector Elizondo), a tired cop who’s won over by the legend’s star power. An adaptation of a Bob Randall novel, “The Fan” uses letters to help the audience understand Douglas’s deteriorating headspace. He’s not well, refusing outside concern from his family, remaining in his own world where he’s the hero, waiting to collect his prize in Sally, sending correspondence to Belle that details everlasting love. And when that fails, the letters explore pronounced sexual offers. The first act of “The Fan” is quite effective, examining Douglas’s twisted concept of romance and his daily routine of stalking, keeping close tabs on Sally as she prepares for another role on Broadway, matched with young dancers for a colorful musical. Biehn does a solid job being creepy and Bianchi finds ways to add unease to the feature, while composer Pino Donaggio works overtime to offer the production a real De Palma-like orchestral rush.

When “The Fan” becomes a slasher film, it loses a lot, especially when nobody in the production really has an understanding of bodily harm. Douglas selects a straight razor to commence his killing ways, but one character is merely pawed around the cheeks with the weapon, while another is raked across the chest, left for dead. I don’t know much about murder, but cheek attacks seem woefully ineffective. Superficial wounds aside, Douglas is more interesting as a brewing nutcase than an unleashed one, and gore zone visits clearly don’t mesh with Bacall’s side of the feature, with Sally not especially unnerved by the situation, more unsettled by the demands of dips and twirls during Broadway rehearsals. The uneven tone of “The Fan” grows as the story unfolds, with ridiculousness getting in the way of some potentially fascinating areas of personal denial, including Douglas’s possible homosexuality.

The Fan Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation doesn't appear to be a fresh scan of "The Fan." Colors retain their autumnal presence, delivering a colder read of life in New York City, but highlights remain, including bright Broadway lighting and costumes. Warmer interiors are communicative, and skintones are a tad bloodless but remain natural. Detail is satisfactory with inherent softness, surveying facial particulars in constant close-ups, and clothing is textured, ranging from stretchy dance attire to crisp formalwear. City life maintains distances. Delineation is comfortable, preserving low-lit stalking sequences and darker outfits. Source is in decent shape, without major areas of damage.

The Fan Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix delivers a comfortable listening event for "The Fan," leading with defined dialogue exchanges, capturing everything the actors are offering, with a satisfying emotional range. Scoring provides a bigger presence on the track, with appreciable instrumentation and dramatic support. Crowd and street atmospherics are intact. Mild hiss is present.

The Fan Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians David DeCoteau and David Del Valle.

• "Number One Fan" (25:52, HD) sits down with Michael Biehn, and if there's one person who should be interviewed about "The Fan," it's him. Biehn doesn't disappoint with his memories of the production, joining the picture after a successful audition, eager to make his mark with his first major role, even researching the psychology of stalking. The picture was soon disrupted when the original director quit, bringing in Ed Bianchi as a replacement, and the tone of the movie was altered, moving from a mild thriller to a slasher event (the success of "Dressed to Kill" inspired the evolution). Lauren Bacall wasn't happy with the changes, and Biehn has some choice anecdotes about her awful behavior towards him and Bianchi. Also highly amusing is the interviewee's recollection of Maureen Stapleton and her long list of phobias, including riding in elevators, which was a requirement during the shoot. Biehn is careful when discussing the murder scene involving a gay man, but less so when detailing his physical acting with Bacall. The actor closes with tales about his agent's first reaction to "The Fan," his brutal honesty with the press while promoting the effort, his acting legacy, and his appreciation for gay fans who approach him about the performance.

• "Fan Service" (38:15, HD) is a lengthy discussion of "The Fan" with director Ed Bianchi, who took the gig after a successful career in commercials, leaving the early planning stages of "Saturday Night Fever 2" to take command of a production that lost its original helmer. Bianchi is more diplomatic than Biehn when discussing Bacall's impossible behavior, but he offers some examples of her toxicity and power plays, making it clear to all she didn't want to be there. He's more complimentary to the supporting cast, highlighting the professionalism of James Garner, Hector Elizondo, and Stapleton. Tech credits are celebrated, along with the New York City shoot. Bianchi is open about the influence of Hitchcock on his work, trying to do something when the material moved from chills to bloodshed, also leaning on composer Pino Donaggio to class up the feature. The interviewee goes on to explore the release of "The Fan," with Paramount Pictures quietly trying to capitalize on the recent murder of John Lennon, which only managed to repel audiences. The career influence of "The Fan" is also shared.

• "Fanning the Flames" (18:13, HD) talks "The Fan" with editor Alan Heim, who was coming off "All That Jazz," reluctantly taking the gig, eventually trying to leave the project after its tonal change. Heim shares his feelings about the musical sequences, which required careful cutting to protect Bacall's performance, and his personal interactions with the actress, whom he tried to avoid whenever he could. Recognizing the slow pace of "The Fan," Heim labored to speed up the effort, celebrating Donaggio's score as the true success of the picture. The cutter also presents memories of constantly changing credits, which held up post-production, and acknowledges the movie's gay following.

• Still Gallery (4:19) collects lobby cards, poster art, film stills, and pages from the publicity kit.

• T.V. Spots (1:33, HD) offer three commercials for "The Fan."

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:04, HD) is included.

The Fan Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"The Fan" spends a lot of screen time on the musical, which doesn't help to amplify suspense. The big show seems positioned to appease Bacall, who's more comfortable on a stage than she is accepting threats from Douglas. Vocal quality aside, Bacall is more alert during the show, which is appealing, but "The Fan" doesn't need this subplot, which takes time away from the central crisis, weakening Douglas's reign of terror at the very moment it should translate into nail-biting thrills and chills.