Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Tucker: The Man and His Dream Blu-ray Movie Review

One from the heart.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 28, 2018

As some readers of my reviews may know, especially if they frequent the music related reviews I write for the site, I have a musical career in addition to my reviewing assignments, and some of the most fun gigs I play are at regional vintage car shows, many of which tend to be held at the rather ubiquitous tribal casinos that dot the Pacific Northwest. I have posted on various social media platforms about being in “Nerd-vana” at these shows (along with copious and quite possibly annoying photos of various vintage automobiles), since I am something of an old car nut, but in thinking about it as I got ready to write this review, I don't think I've ever seen a Tucker at one of these shows. Cords, Chrysler Airflows, Studebakers (both "old school" and Avantis), DeSotos, and any number of other now defunct brands have at least occasionally been spotted by yours truly, but a Tucker has thus far been elusive, something that's perhaps "statistically" understandable given the fact that, as the brief text card at the end of Tucker states, only 50 of the cars were ever manufactured. As Francis Ford Coppola discusses in both the commentary and a brief video introduction included on this Blu-ray as supplements, the story of Preston Thomas Tucker had fascinated him since he was a very young boy and his father actually invested in the then nascent Tucker Corporation, paying $5,000 for stock and putting another $5,000 down for one of the first Tucker Torpedos. Coppola's father of course lost all of that money in the demise of the Tucker brand, but he perhaps sparked something greater in his son, who continued to nurture the idea that some sort of media enterprise could be built out of the Tucker tale. Coppola actually had the idea of musicalizing the story, and the video introduction contains a really cool picture of none other than Leonard Bernstein, Adolph Green and Betty Comden meeting with Coppola to begin work on such a project (there's also a brief view of the unfinished libretto). Coppola, much like Tucker himself in fact, had to deal with the exigencies of the "business" side of things with regard to financially troubled American Zoetrope, and so that project never totally got off the ground, but with a little help from Coppola bestie George Lucas, Tucker: The Man and His Dream was finally financed and came out in 1988. While the film was well received by critics, it failed to really connect with audiences, which is a shame, since it's one of Coppola's most heartfelt and stylish productions.

This is one of those Blu-ray releases where it may actually be helpful to begin the viewing experience with one of the supplements rather than the main feature. Without the context of the included 1948 promo piece Tucker: The Man and the Car, it may not be immediately apparent that Coppola has more on his mind than “just another” biographical film. While the opening of Tucker: The Man and His Dream actually more or less apes the long ago featurette in both style and content, for those who pay attention, the entire film actually plays like a slightly skewed promotional effort. What’s so fascinating and ultimately commendable about Coppola’s approach, though, is that he counters the typical (?) American hucksterism and bravado as exemplified by Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges) with a rather potent undertone of sadness and what might be seen as the flip side of the American Dream. And in fact it’s probably salient that Coppola changes that “The Car” from the subtitle of the 1948 featurette to the more fraught with meaning “His Dream” for his own film, though as the film makes clear, "dreaming" may ultimately not be enough to realize a desired goal.

Preston Tucker is a dreamer, and Tucker: The Man and His Dream has a certain Capraesque quality to it as a result, with an anachronistic “everyman” going up against the Powers That Be, in this case both governmental types and the so-called Big Three carmakers of Detroit. Tucker is at least surrounded by loving family, including wife Vera (Joan Allen) and son Junior (Christian Slater), as well as designer Alex Tremulis (Elias Koteas) and financier Abe Karatz (Martin Landau, Academy Award nominated for this performance). Still, despite all the support, there’s a quixotic aspect to Tucker’s quest to build “the car of tomorrow”, and there are a number of darker elements under the sunnier surface of this story that definitely give things a melancholic tone.

The Capraesque quality is probably most evident in a court case that Tucker is forced to undergo, one which in venerable Capra fashion Tucker himself takes on defense duties for (in a manner of speaking, anyway). And while Coppola’s take seems to suggest that the “little guy” ends up winning, again there’s the subtle undertow of reality not aligning with dreams in that very aforementioned final text card, one which documents the fact that the Tucker Torpedo never really went into mass production, with at the time of the film’s release only 46 of the vehicles still road worthy.

Tucker: The Man and His Dream Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Tucker: The Man and His Dream is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Press materials are touting this as a "new 4K restoration", and for what I think is the first time in my reviewing career (at least that I remember), this release comes a so-called "Digital 4K UHD" code for redemption, without a concurrent 4K UHD disc release. Tucker: The Man and His Dream is one of Coppola's most whimsical creations (he repeatedly refers to it as a "contraption" in both the commentary and the brief video introduction included on this Blu-ray as supplements), and this new transfer offers a really sumptuous accounting of Coppola's stylistic conceits. With legendary cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, Coppola has crafted a fairy tale of sorts that repeatedly offers "Grimm"-er subtextual material, and the film's visual blandishments tend to work as a kind of counterpoint to some of the actual content. As can be seen in some of the screenshots accompanying this review, certain sequences in the film are virtually dripping in a kind of honeyed amber color, with others skewed more toward cool blue tones, but detail levels remain commendably high throughout all of the grading choices. Fine detail is often exceptional, offering beautifully precise looks that the often complex patterns on the vintage outfits. The fine grain field resolves without any issues whatsoever, and the entire transfer has a really enjoyably organic appearance. While those of us who actually prefer physical media to streaming and/or digital versions may need to keep dreaming ourselves for a 4K UHD disc release, this Blu-ray version is rather lush and well detailed throughout, and my hunch is the film's fans (of which I consider myself one) will be well pleased with the look of this transfer.

Tucker: The Man and His Dream Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Tucker: The Man and His Dream features a nicely immersive Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track, one which derives considerable surround activity from such sequences as the racetrack scene where a Tucker is put through its paces, or the often propulsive underscore by pop tunesmith Joe Jackson. The film's sound design may not be quite as stylized as the visual component, but there are consistently smart placement of effects in the side and rear channels, with dialogue always well prioritized and presented cleanly and clearly.

Tucker: The Man and His Dream Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Francis Ford Coppola


• Francis Ford Coppola Introduction (1080p; 3:39) is a really sweet piece with the film legend discussing his long history with this project. Mr. Coppola does this in front of a vintage Tucker, and there are some brief looks at the car and its interior.


• Deleted Scene (Sc. 142 Stove Sequence) (1080i; 4:11) is sourced from some fairly shoddy looking videotape (replete with tracking problems), and features an optional commentary by Francis Ford Coppola.


• Under the Hood: Making Tucker (1080i; 10:02) is culled from some archival material shot in 1988, according to some brief text at the head of this piece, which includes comments from George Lucas.


• Tucker: The Man and the Car 1948 Promotional Film (1080i; 14:54) is a wonderfully fun promotional piece and one which obviously provided Coppola some inspiration for his film. There's some almost comically bad focus pulling throughout this piece, as well as some recurrent signs of age related wear and tear. This also features an optional commentary by Francis Ford Coppola.

Tucker: The Man and His Dream Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Can a man who never totally realizes his dream be considered a failure? That's one of the potentially troubling issues underlying the seemingly often cheery Tucker: The Man and His Dream, and there are of course refractions of this idea in the very career of Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope. This is a film that is one of Coppola's most arresting accomplishments in both style and content, and this new Blu-ray offers it looking and sounding great. Highly recommended.