7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
College graduate Molly, trying to bankroll her own business, works as a high-priced New York City escort. As a lesbian, she's able to keep her emotional distance from the clients, who range from cynically exploitative to desperately needy. But her open ambition to rise above her current station rubs many of her coworkers the wrong way, especially the combative, street-smart Dawn and the escort service's disdainful madam, Lucy.
Starring: Ellen McElduff, Amanda Goodwin, Richard Leacock, Louise SmithDrama | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
English: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There's a well known saying about prostitution being the "world's oldest profession", but as Working Girls makes abundantly clear, it may not be a "career" for everyone (not to state the obvious). This appealing if kind of slightly odd hybrid tends to take an almost documentarian approach to this touchy (in more ways than one) subject, though it is in fact (largely?) a work of fiction, one which rose, appropriately phoenix like (a deliberately chosen word, as those who have seen the film will understand), from the "ashes" of writer and director Lizzie Borden's previous film, Born in Flames. That proto- feminist outing was deliberately provocative in how it, much like this film, mixed a quasi-verité stylistic approach with a story that is probably much more "out there" than this particular narrative, though plot elements involving a government trying to subjugate women might strike some as almost frighteningly relevant. There's subjugation of a different sort at play in Working Girls, and in fact if there's a quibble to be had with this often bracing piece, it's that Borden may not completely commit to documenting (no pun intended) the emotional toil of what it means to basically be a piece of meat at your job.
Working Girls is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. Criterion's insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:
Working Girls is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 [sic]. This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an Arriscan film scanner from the 16 mm A/B original camera negative and restored by the Criterion Collection and the UCLA Film & Television Archive in conjunction with Sundance Institute. 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, and small dirt.The verbiage further lists Lizzie Borden as the supervisor of the transfer. This is a really beautifully organic looking presentation, though the 16 mm source has some inherent limitations at times in fine detail levels, especially in some of the midrange framings. That said, close-ups regularly provide abundant detail levels in everything from facial pores and the like to things like the deep ribbing on the bright blue sweater that Molly wears for much of the story. The palette is mostly well suffused, as evidenced by that very sweater's hue, but there's just the hint of coolness in some selected scenes, where densities don't seem to be as well defined, though those are the exception rather than the rule. There is some very minor age related wear and tear which has made it through the restoration gauntlet, though it's the sort of thing only the most eagle eyed will probably notice. Grain is understandably gritty looking, especially in some of the darker moments, but resolves without any issues.
The monaural soundtrack was remastered from the original magnetic tracks using Avid's Pro Tools and iZotope RX.
Working Girls features an LPCM Mono track which more than adequately supports a pretty "talkie" enterprise, one which doesn't really try to exploit any sound design wonderment. Some passing cues offer solid fidelity, and some of the ambient environmental sounds of the urban environment register well enough, but the bulk of the film is dialogue driven, and everything is presented cleanly and clearly without any issues whatsoever. Optional English subtitles are available.
There are a number of actual documentaries about the vagaries of prostitution, some of them rather bracing deconstructions of what "sex industry" work is like in a number of foreign lands. Those may give an ultimately more "realistic" account of this particular "career", but Working Girls often registers extremely well in its exploration of the sometimes "hidden" lives of these women. Technical merits are solid, and the supplements very well done. Recommended.
2011
Il Conformista | 4K Restoration
1970
2014
1970
1988
Import
1991
Le souffle au coeur
1971
Le livre d'image
2018
Ahlat Ağacı
2018
Film d'amore e d'anarchia, ovvero 'stamattina alle 10 in via dei Fiori nella nota casa di tolleranza...'
1973
ライク・サムワン・イン・ラブ / Raiku samuwan in rabu
2012
1975
トパーズ / Topâzu
1992
1982
2003
1980
Arrow Academy
1949
2012
Warner Archive Collection
1931
1981