Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

The Pope of Greenwich Village Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 23, 2015

Nominated for Oscar Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Stuart Rosenberg's " The Pope of Greenwich Village" (1984) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Shout Factory. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival featurettes; and character profiles. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Paulie and Charlie

They are cousins with very different priorities in their lives. Charlie (Mickey Rourke) is a thoughtful and dependable manager in an upscale restaurant in Greenwich Village who dreams of having a similar place. He has saved some money, but it hasn’t been easy and he needs a lot more. He is also in a serious relationship with Diane (Daryl Hannah), who thinks that it is time for them to start a family and have a baby. But Charlie isn’t ready to be a father. If he became a father, he could see himself counting other men’s money for the rest of his life.

Paulie (Eric Roberts) is a waiter in the same restaurant and is stealing from the owner. Charlie has repeatedly warned him to be careful, but Paulie is convinced that no one could figure out his tricks. He has even started working with the chef, an alcoholic, who does not seem to care what Charlie does as long as keeps bringing him more of his favorite vodka and he does not have to pay for it.

But Paulie is caught and fired. On the same night, Charlie is also told to pack up and leave.

Soon after, Charlie, who desperately needs money to continue making his alimony payments to his ex-wife, agrees to help Paulie and an aging Irish safecracker (Kenneth McMillan) steal a large amount of money from Bed Bug Eddie (Burt Young), a kooky Italian gangster who has been paying a couple of shady cops to keep their colleagues away from him. Until the three enter the building where the money are kept everything goes according to Paulie’s “perfect” plan, but when another shady cop with a tape recorder decides to stop by and accidentally dies all hell breaks loose.

The film offers an unusual mix of comedy and drama that appears to have been inspired by some of Martin Scorsese’s classic gangster films. There is a lot of talk about loyalty and respect in it, but the edge that Scorsese’s big crime dramas have is missing here. The macho attitudes are also kept at bay.

The focus of attention is on the constantly evolving relationship between Paulie and Charlie. They obviously care about each other, but it is repeatedly made clear that they would not mind walking away from their “friendship” if the right opportunity presented itself. However, both of them are such lousy players that their relationship is essentially defined by the same repetitive cycle – they try to get rich, they fail, and then together they start again from scratch.

What makes the film worth seeing isn’t the nature of Paulie and Charlie’s schemes and failures but their interactions. Indeed, Roberts and Rourke’s acting styles are very different and the chemistry that they have together is quite special. It should be said, however, that Rourke is the one that brings balance and stability and creates the interesting nuances in the relationship between the cousins. Roberts is likable, but he tends to overreact at times and this is something that does impact the quality of the film.

The supporting cast is great. Young is very convincing as the angry Italian gangster who likes to intimidate his opponents. McMillan is equally believable as the jaded Irish safecracker. Hannah looks exactly like the type of girl that would not mind walking away from her lover once she is certain that he isn’t completely devoted to her. Geraldine Page is sensational as the alcoholic mother of the crooked cop.

The soundtrack features original music by legendary composer and pianist Dave Grusin (Tootsie, The Firm) and classic songs by Frank Sinatra ("Summer Wind") and Lou Monte ("Luna Luna Luna Lu"), amongst others.

The Pope of Greenwich Village 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, Stuart Rosenberg's The Pope of Greenwich Village arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout Factory.

It is extremely easy to tell that the release has been sourced from a dated master with various limitations. Generally speaking, detail ranges from decent to pleasing, but various parts of the film can look quite flat. Even during the daylight footage depth can be quite underwhelming. During the darker footage shadow definition is decent, but it should be a lot better (see screencaptures #13 and 16). Contrast levels remain stable. Colors are stable as well, but the film's color scheme should have a much bigger range of nuances. This is one of the master's most obvious limitations. Grain is visible throughout the entire film, but it is not as stable, well distributed and beautifully resolved as it should be. There are no traces of recent sharpening adjustments, but some inherited light halo effects can be spotted. Finally, image stability is very good. However, some tiny flecks and dirt spots can be seen. All in all, this is an acceptable presentation of The Pope of Greenwich Village, but the film could look much better in high-definition. My score is 3.25/5.00. (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).

The Pope of Greenwich Village Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has not been fully remastered, but even during the opening credits where Frank Sinatra is heard singing depth is very good. Clarity is pleasing as well, though there are some minor fluctuations whenever the camera follows Paulie and Charlie on the busy streets of New York City. The dialog is stable and clean. Finally, there are no pops, cracks, or audio dropout

The Pope of Greenwich Village Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Featurettes - four short segments in which cast and crew members address the production history of The Pope of Greenwich Village and its style and atmosphere. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. The Making of the Film. (8 min, 1080i).
  2. NYC: New Hollywood on the Hudson. (3 min, 1080i).
  3. Taking a Risk. (2 min, 1080i).
  4. The Anonymous Art of the Character Actor. (3 min, 1080i).

• Trailer - original trailer for The Pope of Greenwich Village. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Personality Profiles - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Mickey Rourke. (2 min).
  2. Eric Roberts. (2 min).

The Pope of Greenwich Village Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I really wanted to see Mickey Rourke win an Academy Award for his performance in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. I know that opinions about the quality of his work are divided, but I am convinced that the more time passes, the more people will begin to realize that when he was in his prime he was one of the best character actors in America. Stuart Rosenberg's The Pope of Greenwich Village is one of those films in which Rourke really shines and it should have been remastered before it was released on Blu-ray. It is included in a two-disc set with Michael Cimino's Desperate Hours, which is distributed by Shout Factory. You can see our listing of this release here. RECOMMENDED.