Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Virgin Suicides Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 20, 2018

Sofia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides" (1999) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original vintage trailers for the film; new interviews with the director, cinematographer Ed Lachman, and actors Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett; new video program with writer Jeffrey Eugenides; music video and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by novelist Megan Abbott, as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The empty cage

Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut, The Virgin Suicides, definitely feels like a distant relative of Peter Weir’s classic film Picnic at Hanging Rock. Most of the time it has the same airy, borderline surreal ambience that is present in Weir’s film that can just about trick your mind to register that you have fallen asleep but with your eyes wide open. Viewing it can be a very special experience.

The narrative is essentially one giant reconstruction of a series of tragic events, most described by a former high-school ‘star’ (Michael Pare) who is now enrolled in a recovery program of some sort in a secluded sanatorium. A few of his former buddies also add up to his recollections.

Back in the ‘70s, when he was the leader of the football team, Trip Fontaine (Josh Hartnett) was the kind of guy that every girl wanted to have as a boyfriend -- tall, athletic, charming and smooth. Basically, he was the ultimate heartthrob that could improve any girl’s image and make her stick out. Trip knew it and frequently took advantage of his admirers -- until one day he bumped into Lux Lisbon (Kirsten Dunst) and she rocked his world. Lux had four sisters, but by the time she started seeing Trip the youngest one, Cecilia (Hanna Hall), had already ended her life. Their relationship was a struggle because Mrs. Lisbon (Kathleen Turner) was incredibly protective of the girls and Mr. Lisbon (James Woods) very rarely had the courage to change her mind. Nevertheless, Trip did not give up on Lux and eventually even managed to convince Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon to let all of the sisters attend the hugely anticipated Homecoming Dance. That night, which was apparently the last time that Trip saw Lux, he got what he was after -- he made love to her and then walked away. Not long after that, after Mrs. Lisbon had withdrawn the sisters from the local school and made them prisoners in their own home, like Cecilia they ended their lives because they could no longer endure their misery.

The film is based on Jeffrey Eugenides’ excellent novel and while it remains very faithful to the original material it really feels like a unique Coppola project. The main reason for this is Coppola’s ability to successfully make the special ambience the center piece of the narrative. So even though the reconstruction of the tragic events and the evolution of the relationships between the main characters remain important, it is the ambience and the contrasts that emerge through it that end up producing all of the crucial themes about the dangerous cultural stereotypes that destroy the sisters.

It also helps tremendously that Coppola allows the beautiful and the ugly as well as the logical and the illogical to overlap as randomly as they actually do in the real world where teenagers and adults routinely misunderstand, misjudge, and mistreat each other. However, this is also the one aspect of the narrative that admittedly makes the entire film a rather easy target for critics who have never been experienced this type of awkward coexistence and therefore cannot rationalize it.

The film’s visual style is very sleek and elegant but not in a pretentious sort of way. It just feels absolutely perfect for the desired by Coppola and veteran cinematographer Ed Lachman surreal ambience.

The popular French duo Air recorded the original soundtrack for the film. Later on, Air released it as an album which also featured additional music that was inspired by the film.

The Virgin Suicides Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Approved by director Sofia Coppola, this new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner at Roundabout Entertainment in Burbank, California, from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The original 5.1 surround soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm Dolby SR magnetic track. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX.

Transfer supervisors: Ed Lachman, Russell Smith.
Colorist: Joe Gawler, Harbor Picture Company, New York City."

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster of the film which was supervised by cinematographer Ed Lachman and approved by director Sofia Coppola. Predictably, the entire film looks very fresh and enormously healthy. Delineation, clarity, and especially depth are simply terrific. I have an older French release of this film that Pathe produced in France some years ago and I can confirm that in terms of overall depth and fluidity on a large screen the difference in quality is absolutely staggering. Also, the film has been regraded, but the current color palette does not differ significantly from that of the old master and is very convincing. On the old master highlights are blown out all over the place and create the impression that whites are dramatically subdued on the new master, but this isn't the case. There is simply a slightly different range of nuances that are balanced better and reveal entirely new ranges of details. There are no traces of digital anomalies. Image stability is excellent. (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 Virgin Suicides Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has been fully remastered, but its basic characteristics are very similar to those of the lossless track from the French release that I have. Clarity, depth, and balance are excellent and as a result the film's rich soundtrack easily shines in all the right places. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report.

The Virgin Suicides Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Revisiting "The Virgin Suicides" - presented here is a brand new video program in which Sofia Coppola, cinematographer Ed Lachman, and actors Kirsten Dunst and Josh Hartnett recall their work on The Virgin Suicides. Additionally, there are very interesting observations about the visual style and tone of the film as well as the manner in which it captures the flavor of Jeffrey Eugenides' excellent novel; the director's willingness to receive input from other people; and the very important role that the music has for the film's intended ambience. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• Jeffrey Eugenides - in this new video interview, writer Jeffrey Eugenides recalls how years ago he was contacted by Sofia Coppola and discusses her interest in his novel, her initial plan and research for the film, the vibes of the novel and the film, the similarities between the characters from the novel and the ones played by the actors in the film, the production process and some of the locations that were chosen for the film, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (16 min).

• Strange Magic - in this new program, writer Tavi Gevinson addresses some of the main themes in The Virgin Suicides and references some of her writings from a fanzine she made about the film in 2012. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (14 min).

• Making "The Virgin Suicides" - presented here is an archival program with footage that was shot by Sofia Coppola's mother, Eleanor, during the production of The Virgin Suicides. In addition to the raw footage, there are also numerous clips from statements and interviews with James Woods, Jeffrey Eugenides, Kathleen Turner, Scott Glenn, and Josh Hartnett, amogst others. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Lick the Star - this short was shot by Sofia Coppola on 16mm film in 1988. shortly before she started working on The Virgin Suicides. It focuses on the unusual triumphs and failures teenagers experience while growing up. In English, not subtitled. B&W. (14 min).

• Playground Love - presented here is the music video for Air's song "Playground Love", which is included in the original soundtrack that the duo created for The Virgin Suicides. The video was directed by Sofia Coppola and her brother, Roman. (4 min).

• Trailers - original vintage trailers for The Virgin Suicides. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).
  
  1. Trailer One produced by Paramount Classics.
  2. Trailer Two produced by Paramount Classics.
  

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by novelist Megan Abbott, as well as technical credits.

The Virgin Suicides Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Virgin Suicides has been a somewhat polarizing film since its premiere in 1999, but I actually believe that to this day it remains Sofia Coppola's best work. There are a lot of really great things that happen in it in a very organic way while actually being part of something rather surreal, and I find this very attractive. It is a very well crafted directorial debut. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster of the film which was supervised by cinematographer Ed Lachman and approved by Coppola. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.