True Stories Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

True Stories Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 1, 2018

David Byrne's "True Stories" (1986) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new documentary about the film's production history; new program about designer Tibor Kalman; deleted scenes; and a lot more. Also included with this release are the film's entire soundtrack, placed on a separate CD, and an illustrated booklet featuring new writings on the film and archival material. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Party time

David Byrne’s True Stories does not take you on a conventional journey like other films do. This film gets into your head and after it disables your mind’s ability to question things temporarily plugs it into its manufactured reality. Then it begins unloading all kinds of exotic visuals that you can’t fully rationalize -- you just absorb them as best as you can.

The place where your experience will begin is Virgil, Texas, an imaginary town that is gearing up to celebrate its 150th anniversary. Here Byrne assumes the role of a professional guide and begins highlighting a lot that he believes you should not miss. There is a very good chance that you will feel like visiting a giant museum and marveling things of elusive significance, only Byrne will be pointing out to you new malls, industrial sites, suburbs, gas stations and churches.

Then slowly you will start meeting many of the people that supposedly make Virgil unique. Byrne will try to get you to care about Louis Fyne (John Goodman), an eccentric middle-aged bachelor who has had a bad luck with the single women of Virgil but can feel that this is the year when he finally discovers his dream bride. Byrne will also welcome you into the home of the world’s laziest woman (Swoosie Kurtz), introduce you to quite possibly the world’s biggest liar (Jo Harvey Allen), and bring you to the rocking church of the area’s superstar preacher (John Ingle).

As you visit different parts of Virgil you will hear a lot of loose chatter and jokes, but it will be the temperamental singing and dancing that eventually make you see the fun in this colorful town from a slightly different angle. This should be the moment when you also begin doubting Byrne’s sincerity and wonder if he is there to educate or trick you. Suddenly, it may dawn on you that Virgil is too colorful, too exotic, and too un-Texan to be part of Texas.

Your ability to question the logic behind what your eyes have seen will be restored as the final credits begin to roll. More than likely your first instinctive reaction will be to rearrange the images that you remember in a way that gives a proper structure to your experience with the film. Then much to your surprise you should discover that you are already having a difficult time recalling what Byrne had told you was worthy of your attention, and at some point later on frustration will become a permanent part of your experience with his film.

So now that you have a pretty good idea how your first experience with True Stories is likely to turn out, here are a couple of quick tips to help you improve it:

First, avoid old reviews that attempt to deconstruct the film and explain what Byrne wanted you to get from it. You will have a very unique experience with it and if you condition yourself to expect exactly what another viewer has gotten out of it you are setting yourself up for a major disappointment. Second, it might be Byrne’s film but once he welcomes you to Virgil you decide what to focus on; be an explorer, not a follower, and there is a good chance that you would avoid the frustration that is mentioned above. And finally, immerse yourself in it and go with the flow, just as you would while dreaming an exotic dream. You may not enjoy all of it, but it would still be a fun experience rather than a long endurance test.

*Criterion's new Blu-ray release also features a CD with 23 songs, containing the film's complete soundtrack, compiled here for the first time ever.

True Stories 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, True Stories arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with the release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, small dirt, grain, and noise management. The new 5.1 surround soundtrack was created from 35mm mono DME and 35mm 3-track LCR M&E magnetic tracks by the Criterion Collection and approved by David Byrne.

Transfer supervisors: David Byrne, Lee Kline, Ed Lachman.
Colorist: Joe Gawler/Harbor Picture Company, New York.
4K scanning: Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank, CA."

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K remaster that was supervised by director David Byrne and cinematographer Ed Lachman. Not surprisingly, the entire film looks fresh, clean, and appropriately lush and vivid. Obviously because of the unique stylization there are numerous unique contrasts and nuances and as a result the overall dynamic range of the visuals can shift quite dramatically, but it is actually very easy to tell that the fluctuations are part of the original cinematography. (Basically, the entire film has a very pronounced surrealistic edge, so color tonalities are expanded in pretty substantial ways). There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments, or other annoying digital tinkering that would cause visual anomalies. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film has been carefully cleaned up and there are no traces of age-related imperfections. (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).

True Stories 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 subttiles are provided for the main feature.

The audio mix was supervised by David Byrne and given its rather impressive dynamic range I believe it is fair to assume that the film now sounds as its creator intended. Clarity, depth, and especially stability are terrific. Also, if there ever were any traces of background or other age-related anomalies, it is impossible to tell now.

True Stories Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - a short archival introduction to the film by David Byrne. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080i).

• The Making of True Stories - this brand new documentary explores the production history of True Stores, from its conception to the shooting process in Texas to its editing. Included in it are new interviews with David Byrne, fashion designer Adelle Lutz, writer Stephen Tobolowsky, production associate Christina Patoski, and producer Karen Murphy, amongst others. The documentary was created by Criterion in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (64 min, 1080p).

• Tibor Kalman - graphic design artist Tibor Kalman worked with David Byrne on the opening montage and poster deign for True Stories. This new documentary, produced by Criterion in 2018, focuses on his life and work. Included in it are new interviews with writer and illustrator Maria Kalman and David Byrne. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Real Life - presented here is a short documentary that filmmakers Pamela Yates and Newton Thomas Sigel created during the shooting of True Stories. The documentary features plenty of raw material from Texas communities and clips from interviews with Texans that answered various questions about the 'proper' appearance and vibe of Virgil. In English, not subtitled. (32 min, 1080i).

• Deleted Scenes - in English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Cute woman monologue
  2. UFO guy
  3. Hunters
  4. Genealogy
  5. Heart attack
  6. Kidnapping skit
  7. Funeral

• No Time to Look Back - in this new documentary, filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross, apparently huge fans of True Stories, return to the original locations where David Byrne shot his film. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for True Stories. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Soundtrack - CD with 23 songs, containing the film's complete soundtrack, compiled here for the first time.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Rebecca Bengal, along with new pieces by journalist and author Joe Nick Patoski and Byrne, a 1986 piece by actor Spalding Gray on the film's production, some of the tabloid stories that inspired the film, and a selection of David Byrne's preproduction photography and writing about the film's visual motifs.

True Stories Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The only way in which one can legitimately describe David Byrne's film True Stories is if one said that it makes perfect sense only while it lasts. Beyond this any other summation of the film is already mischaracterizing a lot and ignoring plenty. Why? Because the film does not tell a conventional story, it targets the mind for a unique experience, and in a way it is actually up to the viewer to make the most of it. Other more recent films that play with the mind and then temporarily plug it into their manufactured realities like True Stories does are Pleasantville and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, so perhaps they could give one a rough idea what type of entertainment to expect from it. Criterion's Blu-ray release is sourced from an excellent new 4K restoration that was supervised and approved by the creators of True Stories, and in addition to various informative bonus features has the film's entire soundtrack placed on a separate CD. RECOMMENDED.