Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

The Panic in Needle Park Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 21, 2016

Winner of Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Jerry Schatzberg's "The Panic in Needle Park" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Signal One Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; scenes with audio commentary by director Jerry Schatzberg; archival featurettes; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The lovers

The Panic in Needle Park was the very first film about drug addiction that I saw. It was a long time ago, but I remember well that I did not like it. Initially, I simply could not understand its characters and the community they were a part of.

Years later I saw the film again, after I had befriended a young man who was a drug addict. In the beginning, I did not know about his addiction because there was absolutely nothing that made him look different. He was full of energy and very enthusiastic about life. He loved hiking and camping and at one point someone even convinced him to join an amateur soccer team. He had a girlfriend and they were very much in love.

He had told his girlfriend that his addiction isn’t serious and that he can manage it. I think that in the beginning she truly believed him and had assumed that eventually he will get himself clean. After all, he was strong and had his entire life under control. So, for a while they were both hiding that he had a problem -- a very serious one.

She called me after I had moved to a different city. I hadn’t seen them in a long time but knew that they were still living together. I learned from her that my friend had entered rehab twice but was still struggling with his addiction. This was shocking news to me because I did not know that he had a problem with drugs. So, I went back, met her first and then drove to the clinic to see him. I could not believe my eyes because the man I met there was not the friend I had. He had lost a lot of weight, his hair had started falling, and when he talked, I could sense how incredibly tense he was. The drugs had reshaped him into a completely different person. It was a very disturbing meeting, and I simply could not understand how someone like him could allow such drastic transformation to occur.

It was around that time that I started reading more about drug addiction and saw The Panic in Needle Park again. This time the film left a lasting impression on me. The two characters played by Al Pacino and Kitty Winn looked a lot like my friends -- beautiful together and full of life in the beginning, completely broken and disillusioned at the end.

The film very effectively shows how the transformation occurs, and how after a while it is basically impossible to reverse it. It is an ugly self-destruction process during which people do some truly terrible things and suffer in horrible ways.

Schatzberg and cinematographer Adam Holender shot the film on location in New York City, amidst some real addicts and dealers, which is why at times it looks and feels a bit like a low-budget documentary. There is chaos, unfiltered street noise, and plenty of people who are completely unaware that there is a camera rolling somewhere in the back.

Pacino and Winn easily blend with the rest of the addicts. Also, there are quite a few sequences throughout the film where it really does look like they might have taken some hard drugs. (A good example is the sequence where Pacino’s character overdoses in the tiny apartment room).

The Panic in Needle Park 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, Jerry Schatzberg's The Panic in Needle Park arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Signal One Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a brand new 2K restoration of the film which was supervised and approved by director Jerry Schatzberg. The new master was prepared by Twentieth Century Fox.

Since the exact same master was accessed, my comments for this release are practically identical to the ones I left for the French release from Carlotta Films (which was also sourced from the same Fox master). Depth, clarity and fluidity are consistently excellent. Contrast and brightness levels are also managed very well and I don't see any troubling anomalies to report. The color grading, however, has me a bit concerned. There is an obvious shift towards colder primaries, with a noticeably strong range of blues and grays. In some segments the shift is so prominent that the eyes of the main characters actually look suspiciously blue. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is excellent. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Panic in Needle Park Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Director Jerry Schatzberg intentionally allowed a lot of unfiltered sounds and noises to enter his film and as a result occasionally there are some minor fluctuations in terms of dynamic intensity. However, clarity and depth remain very pleasing. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report.

The Panic in Needle Park Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original U.S. theatrical trailer for The Panic in Needle Park. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Jerry the Photographer (2004) - in this featurette, Jerry Schatzberg discusses his early years as a photographer and eventual transition to the film business. Mr. Schatzberg opened his studio in the late 1950s and worked 11 years as a photographer. He did numerous assignments for Vogue, Town & Country, Esquire, Life, and Look. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Jerry the Filmmaker (2004) - in this featurette, Jerry Schatzberg discusses his early work as a director, the types of stories he wanted to tell (which were about models and the industry they were a part of), his first film, Puzzle of a Downfall Child, and interactions with Faye Dunaway, The Panic in Needle Park and its production history, Al Pacino's contribution to the film, cinematographer Adam Holender's lensing, etc. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Al & Jerry (2004) - in this featurette, Jerry Schatzberg discusses his work with Al Pacino on The Panic in Needle Park, key sequences from the film and how they were shot (some featured a great deal of improvising), how Al Pacino rarely "gets out of character" even after he has finished shooting, etc. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Jerry in Cannes (2004) - in this archival featurette, Jerry Schatzberg recalls how The Panic in Needle Park was accepted by the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival. The film went on to win Best Actress Award (Kitty Winn). A year later, Jerry Schatzberg returned to the Cannes Film Festival with Scarecrow, which won the prestigious Palme d'Or Award. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).

• Five Scenes with Commentary by Jerry Schatzberg (2004) - in this featurette, dierctor Jerry Schatzberg discusses five scenes from The Panic in Needle Park. The bulk of the information addresses the lensing of specific segments, Al Pacino's performance (and improvisations), the film's atmosphere, and the unique nature of Helen and Bobby's relationship. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).
  
  1. Helen & Bobby
  2. Baseball
  3. Bobby's Overdose
  4. Prison
  5. Prison
  6. Ferry

• Panic on the Streets of New York (2011) - in this archival featurette, Jerry Shatzberg explains how he began his directing career with Puzzle of a Downfall Child and consequently how he became involved with The Panic in Needle Park after Al Pacino also committed to it. Cinematographer Adam Holender also discusses his time in New York City (after he immigrated from Poland), professional relationship with Jerry Shatzberg, and the visual style and atmosphere of The Panic in Needle Part. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Writers in Needle Park (2011) - in this archival featurette, co-writer Joan Didion discusses the research work that was done on location in New York City while the script for The Panic in Needle Park was finalized. Joan Didion also recalls how the film was received at the Cannes Film Festival and its performance at the box office. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

The Panic in Needle Park Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is yet another wonderful release from Signal One Entertainment with a fantastic selection of supplemental features. If you are looking to add Jerry Schatzberg's The Panic in Needle Park, I think that currently it is the best release on the market for English speakers. (It is sourced from the same new 2K master that Fox prepared, which French label Carlotta Films used earlier this year). HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.