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The Last Circus
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Magnolia Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (23rd December 2011). |
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The Film
 I’d be willing to wager that, unless you’re a freaky film aficionado, odds are you haven’t seen something as original, bold & bizarre as “The Last Circus” (2010) in quite some time. I was immediately taken aback looking at the film’s cover art and synopsis when it arrived in my mailbox – and the treasures that awaited me on the disc inside proved to be even more insane than my mind imagined. I’ve been aware of Spain’s generous directorial exports for some time now – Nacho Cerdà, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, J.A. Bayona – these are a few of the names making waves in the genre community. My one and only encounter with one of Álex de la Iglesia’s films, however, was not a positive experience. Earlier this year I reviewed his English-language film, “The Oxford Murders” (2008), and barely made it through with my eyes open. That film limped along, weighted down by a dreadfully boring plot (math? Zzzzzz) that showcased very little of what made this film so much more enjoyable. I’d been aware that de la Iglesia was an accomplished director, but having never seen his acclaimed films my only knowledge of his cinematic presence was a middling murder mystery. I had a strong suspicion that “The Last Circus” was going to be vastly different. The cover art on the Blu-ray alone should be enough to entice curious viewers into at least flipping it over for a quick spin on the synopsis - a clown in pockmarked white face, holding two machine guns, draped in bullets…a second clown with a twisted visage coated in greasepaint… and one of the most gorgeous women I’ve had the pleasure of spending 100 minutes with. Javier (Carlos Areces) never had a childhood. In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, his father, a funny clown (Santiago Segura), was forced into a military group and made to fight. (Imagine, if you will, a large man dressed as a clown with long blonde hair… wielding a machete and slicing down enemies like a horror movie slasher.) Though he survived the battle, his father was ultimately killed during an escape attempt from the prison he was sentenced to, leaving Javier to fend for himself. Flash forward to the early 70's, and Javier is a stoic, quiet young man hoping to make it in the circus. His routine, that of the sad clown, represents his lack of a positive childhood, and he becomes the sidekick to Sergio (Antonio de la Torre), a violent & alcoholic funny clown who holds power over the circus troupe through fear. He also enjoys abusing (physically & sexually) his girlfriend, Natalia (Carolina Bang), a trapeze artist who is afraid to leave him due to his unpredictable nature. Javier quickly becomes infatuated with Natalia, and when Sergio abuses her one night Javier flies into a rage and mutilates his face with - of all things - a trumpet. Unfortunately, Natalia doesn’t respond well to Javier’s sadistic display of love, so he leaves the group and literally transforms himself into a deranged circus clown replete with machine guns and a permanent greasepaint visage. He sets out to win Natalia back, but Sergio has finally recovered enough to face Javier and fight for her love, setting up one helluva crazy battle. The interplay between Javier and Sergio is fascinating because both men are so different despite having a shared interest in entertaining children dressed up as a clown. At first, Javier is the one we sympathize with because he’s so childlike and fragile, with Sergio being the brute who uses violence and terror to keep his friends around. As the film progresses, we begin to realize that it is actually Javier who is capable of extraordinary brutality and sheer madness, whereas Sergio becomes something of a tragic figure after he’s beaten mercilessly with the aforementioned trumpet. Javier wants to do good – he wants to be loved by people & children alike – but all he’s ever known his entire life has been violence. He grew up in the midst of a war, his father was a prisoner who was mistreated and worked like a slave before finally being killed in a horrific way. To him, the only way to make things right is to resort to extreme measures, a personal belief he takes to full effect after losing Natalia when his macho moment goes awry and she freaks out because of his behavior. That sends him right off the deep end, culminating in a finale that finds both clowns – now disfigured & grotesque – fighting for Natalia’s love atop a 500-foot tall cross. Can I devote an entire paragraph to Carolina Bang? If I had it my way, the review would simply be one of her many glamour shots. I know it would sell ME on the film. I don’t often see new actresses that bowl me right over with their astounding good looks, but Bang just happens to be one of those gals. She’s got a killer smile and amazing eyes; sorta reminds me of a Spanish Elizabeth Banks perhaps? She wears at least half a dozen wigs throughout the film, allowing you to soak her beauty in with many different looks. Runway length legs and a rack that won’t quit don’t help keep you any more focused on the film when she’s gracing the screen. Oh yea and she’s a pretty good actress to boot… I have to talk up the importance of de la Iglesia’s mis-en-scene, because the film features some of the most striking, gorgeous frames I’ve seen all year. He crams an absurd amount of detail in many shots, giving the picture a background life that many directors wouldn’t think to employ. In particular, the scenes at the circus grounds are brimming with detail. This is where I felt the film excelled where it otherwise could have easily failed. As curiously interesting as the story is, at its core it’s simply another love story that has been done countless times. The visuals are what help to differentiate it immensely, from de la Iglesia’s use of vibrant, primary colors for makeup and costumes that catch the eye to the day-to-day operations of the circus that are constantly in motion during many scenes. This is a film that can easily command your attention simply by how it looks, and that’s pretty important when you’re making a foreign film that needs to enjoy a life outside your native country.
Video
I’m quickly realizing that Magnolia is a company that knows how to treat a film on Blu-ray, seeing as how all of their releases I’ve viewed have mostly had spectacular transfers. The 50 GB disc sports a 2.39:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image for “The Last Circus” that falls right in line with the rest of their titles. The film was shot digitally, so that’s certainly going to give it a clear advantage on home video. The picture is remarkably clear, with all the intricate details of the film on full display for viewers to soak in. The color palette is full of steely blues and warm browns throughout the opening, but the introduction of the circus – and its performers – brings with it a slew of radiant colors that pop with astounding vibrancy; it’s a veritable kaleidoscope of color. Small details that would be lost within a lesser resolution – details of performers’ costumes, border lines of the clowns’ makeup – are displayed prominently. The black levels are appropriately rich, though sometimes the image is lost to the shadows. Nothing to the point of losing sight of what’s occurring, but at times things can be slightly obfuscated. I think what’s really important to note here is that Carolina Bang looks incredible in high definition, and it would be a crime against film to view her in any less resolution.
Audio
There are two main lossless options from which viewers can choose – a Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track mixed at 48kHz/24-bit… or the English dub equivalent. I, of course, chose the original language track since I’m only fond of bastardizing Godzilla movies, kung-fu films and Italian giallo pictures; everything else should be heard in its native tongue. This is a very active & dynamic track, with activity bursting from all 5.1 speakers right from the get-go. The film’s opening scenes of battle are a total aural assault, with machine gun fire peppering the track as mortar rounds explode with ferocity from the LFE. Once we move into the 70's, and the circus, the track comes to life with all the sounds of the three-ring show. You get the feeling you’re actually in the performer’s camp, with the echo of animals and entertainers emanating from the rear speakers while our main characters interact. Dialogue was kept at a consistent level despite the fact that there are many scenes where chaos is occurring around two characters speaking with each other. Of course, unless you’re a Spanish speaker it won’t matter a whole lot since you’ll be “reading” the film anyway. Subtitles are included in English and English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
It’s light, but at least we’re getting something here. Commentaries are always difficult for foreign films, so that’s out of the mix. We do get a couple of featurettes and a few theatrical trailers - although it’s too bad everything is in standard definition save for one trailer. It should be considered a criminal offense to not include a feature-length documentary on Carolina Bang. “Making of The Last Circus” (480p) is a featurette that runs for 14 minutes and 44 seconds. This is a fairly typical piece with the customary interviews from the film’s cast & crew. On the plus side, anything that provides me with more imagery of Carolina Bang can only be considered a good thing. “Behind the Scenes segments” (480p) featurette runs for 7 minutes and 28 seconds. This piece provides a glimpse at the shooting of some scenes from the film. The footage is presented without any narration. “Visual Effects” (480p) is a featurette that runs for 10 minutes and 9 seconds. The team responsible for creating the numerous digital FX shots showcases how they came up with the designs and executed them for the film. It’s easy to forget how much work it takes to make something on a computer for a feature film. The film’s U.S. theatrical trailer (1080p) runs for 2 minutes and 4 seconds. The international theatrical trailer (480p) runs for 1 minute and 44 seconds. The international teaser trailer (480p) runs for 41 seconds. The disc opens with bonus trailers (1080p) for the following Magnolia releases: - “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” runs for 2 minutes and 33 seconds. - “Point Blank” runs for 2 minutes and 6 seconds. - “Main Street” runs for 1 minute and 47 seconds. - “HDNet promo” runs for 1 minute and 2 seconds. The disc is also equipped with a bookmarks feature to mark your favorite scenes (i.e. anytime Carolina Bang is on screen). There is also BD-Live functionality, although there is no content specific to the film available.
Packaging
The single disc comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keep case. The cover art does a reasonable job of conveying the bizarre insanity viewers are in store for.
Overall
It’s weird; it’s deranged; it’s… a love story? “The Last Circus” is many things, and that’s a big part of why I liked it so much. Director Álex de la Iglesia does a complete 180 from his last picture and delivers one of the most unique films I’ve had the pleasure of watching in some time. I won’t say that it’s perfection on a disc, but I can easily see this slowly gaining a strong cult following as people become hip to its existence. Even if you don’t find the story of particular interest, the visuals provided will keep you entranced.
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