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The Cider House Rules
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Lions Gate Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Ethan Stevenson (23rd December 2011). |
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The Film
 Jay: Miramax? I thought they only made classy films like “The Piano” and “The Crying Game.” Brodie: Yeah, well once they made “She’s All That” everything went to hell. I fully realize that a quote from “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001) is a strange way to start a review of “The Cider House Rules”, but bear with me for a minute. Or at least a few paragraphs, please (I promise to get to my point eventually). One of the best things to happen in the road warrior-esque wasteland of home video distribution in recent months was Disney’s selling off of the Miramax catalog. The house of mouse was… sluggish (to say the least)… in bringing the many films produced under Bob and Harvey Weinstein at indie movie powerhouse Miramax, like they are with a lot of their non-animated catalog in all honesty, to blu-ray. And that dawdling pace caused a certain amount of distress for a lot of Blu-ray loving film fans because, as Jay pointed out, the Miramax banner did produce a lot of great films, and held a higher-than-average amount of Oscar-nominated titles in its stable. (At least mostly.) Films that definitely deserve proper presentation on home video, which, until recently most didn’t have (a number of the late 90's films released early on in the DVD lifecycle are saddled with awful non-anamorphic transfers on singe-layer (or dual-sided) DVD-5's). Although it’s regrettable that a certain percentage of the Miramax catalog went to a bargain-bin king allergic to quality control called Echo Bridge, a majority of the “good” titles went to Lionsgate and it’s been, I think, a terrific partnership. In the nine or so months Lionsgate has had their hands on the 125-or-so Miramax titles they now control, they’ve released nearly 50 Blu-rays, including re-issues of the whopping 24 discs Disney put out during the first four years of the Blu-ray format. And what’s truly wonderful is, right off the bat, Lionsgate is delivering the good stuff. A majority of their recent wave of titles have been academy award winners, like (and this is how you make the irrelevant perfectly relevant, dear readers), “The Cider House Rules”. Nominated for seven Academy Awards in 2000, “The Cider House Rules” was directed by Lasse Hallström with a screenplay by celebrated American author John Irving, based on his novel of the same name. Set primarily in the 1940's, the film tells the story of Homer (Tobey Maguire), an orphan twice returned by his prospective adoptive parents in his earliest days to the St. Cloud orphanage in Maine. Unable to find a suitable home for the boy, Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine, with a stunning, almost creepily perfect New England accent), the kindly general practitioner at the orphanage, takes Homer under his wing and teaches him the tricks—both the light and the dark sides—of his trade. Although unlicensed, Homer eventually proves to be a skilled physician, often stepping in for Larch, who is frequently incapacitated in his increasingly old age due to his crippling addition to huffing ether. A large portion of the plot is centered on the controversial topic of abortion, which Larch performs for young women in need of his services. Although performed in a safe and practical manner, nevertheless, the abortions are an area of much contention between the elder and his young apprentice because, in 1940's New England, they're still very much illegal. Soon, the wealthy Wally (Paul Rudd) and his girlfriend Candy (Charlize Theron) come knocking, befriending Homer. After Candy has an abortion at the hands of Larch, the couple leave but not before asking Homer to come with them, and work on Wally’s family farm. Deciding that he needs to experience life away from the pressures of the orphanage—and reaching an age where it’s a little strange for him to be at St. Cloud’s any more anyway—he agrees, leaving “home” and the man he once considered a father behind. The young people bond, with Wally, an enlisted man, eventually called off to fight in the Second World War, leaving Candy and Homer to fall in love. Homer gets a job picking apples with a crew of black migrant workers—the lecherous Arthur (Delroy Lindo) and his abused daughter Rose (Erykah Badu), among them—who work for Wally’s family seasonally. All along the way, in his journey of self discovery, Homer learns about life and some of the harsher realities of the world outside of St. Cloud. “The Cider House Rules” is a good film, if not a truly great one. It has pacing issues and an at-times awkwardly shifting tone, no doubt a side effect of condensing a lengthy novel into a two-hour film (in the supplements, Irving discusses problems with the adaptation process at length). But, generally, the film is well made. The direction from Hallström is sound, the period production design by David Gropman is sumptuous, and Oliver Stapleton’s widescreen cinematography is often breathtaking, perfectly capturing the splendor and brilliance of a New England autumn and all its changing colors. The acting is superb, with several of the cast turning in some of their best work. As stated, Caine is a revelation, rightfully earning his Oscar. Maguire, Theron and Rudd all turn in some great early dramatic work too. Again, it’s decidedly not a masterpiece. But the themes—especially the part about breaking away from home and one's need to find their own identity in during early post-adolescence—are universal and well handled. And at such a low price point ($14.99 SRP and frequently under $10), there’s little reason why “The Cider House Rules” shouldn’t end up in your collection at some point.
Video
There’s also little question that the sources in the Miramax archives are often a bit dated and, originally intended for down-conversation to DVD, perhaps not pristine, looking a little aged under the less forgiving eye of 1080p. But, Lionsgate has worked wonders with most of these Miramax titles that they’re now distributing and—a little edge enhancement aside—“The Cider House Rules” looks pretty good. A minor case of telecine wobble during the opening credits and the occasional speck of dirt notwithstanding, the 2.40:1 widescreen AVC MPEG-4 1080p 24/fps high def transfer supports Oliver Stapleton’s gorgeous autumnal cinematography quite well. Contrast, colors and skin tones are natural. Although intentionally soft in spots as to suggest a vintage quality, the image has good detail and a fine layer of film grain inherent to the Super35-sourced photography. Could “The Cider House Rules” look better with a fresh new scan of the film elements? Yes. But it certainly doesn’t look “bad” in any non-hyperbolic sense of the word on Blu-ray. The pictures many positives make the mild ringing from edge enhancement easy to overlook.
Audio
Although lacking a dedicated LFE channel, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 soundtrack is generally agreeable. The dialog-driven film features crisp, clear speech mostly from the front of the soundstage. The mix is also nicely atmospheric at times, with a gentle use of ambient effects populating the rears (especially during the St. Cloud scenes). Rachel Portman’s Oscar-nominated score is a subtly beautiful work; the piano and string melodies are warmer and brighter in lossless, having an even greater richness to their sound. Optional subtitles are available in English and Spanish.
Extras
“The Cider House Rules” has a set of slightly above average special features. The extras are fairly typical of a film originally released in the earlier days of DVD. All of the significant content from the 10 year old “Miramax Collector’s Series” DVD has been ported over to Blu-ray (in standard definition), including an audio commentary, making of featurette, deleted scenes and theatrical trailer. A few TV spots didn’t make the move to HD, but that’s hardly a notable loss. For the record, Lionsgate has authored the disc with optional bookmarks and the resume playback function. The audio commentary with writer John Irving, director Lasse Hallström and producer Richard N. Gladstein is a good one, if decidedly low key. A majority of the track features Irving and Hallström—recorded together—talking about the book, the many iterations of the screenplay Irving wrote as he attempted to refine his adaptation, the film’s lengthy thirteen-year production cycle, the casting and a host of other topics. Gladstein is the odd man out, with his comments brief and edited in after the fact. Gaps are few and far between, and all three men offer a decent amount of insight into the making of the film. Thankfully, no one spends time describing what’s on screen. Instead, they offer anecdotes about shooting “The Cider House Rules” and discuss production details. If you haven’t heard this track before, be sure to give it a listen on Blu-ray. “‘The Cider House Rules’: The Making of an American Classic” (1.33:1 480i, 22 minutes 9 seconds) is a making of featurette from Miramax Television. If I’m not mistaken, this originally aired on HBO in 1999. It was also included on the DVD release. Hallström, Irving, Michael Caine, a majority of the cast and crew and even Stephen King (of all people!) talk about the production of the film, with their interviews cut between behind-the-scenes footage and plentiful film clips. A little dated and superficial, this piece is nonetheless worth a watch. It’s a shame that a more recent retrospective wasn’t commissioned. The film is over a decade old now; it won several awards and is even dubbed an “American classic” in this very featurette. It deserves more than a twenty-minute EPK, no? The deleted scenes reel (1.33:1 480i, 8 minutes 48 seconds) includes several small, rather insignificant, moments trimmed from the final film. Although all of the material was wisely cut, a few extended bits at St. Clouds, and an additional beat of Homer’s bonding with the migrant men of the cider house are interesting enough. The theatrical trailer (1.33:1 480i, 2 minutes 31 seconds) is surprisingly dated. The trailer looks and sounds far older than the 12-year-old film it’s supposed to be selling. Was that intentional (a little nostalgia perhaps)? The disc also includes a number of bonus trailers that play before the main menu: - “Buitiful” (2.40:1 1080p, 2 minutes 7 seconds). - “Rabbit Hole” (1.85:1 1080p, 2 minutes 8 seconds). - “Winters Bone” (1.78:1 1080p, 2 minutes 32 seconds). - “Precious” (1.85:1 1080p, 2 minutes 6 seconds). - "EPIX HD" promo (1080i, 1 minute 57 seconds).
Packaging
“The Cider House Rules” comes to Blu-ray from Lionsgate Home Entertainment, distributing the film for Miramax. The dual layered BD-50 release is locked to Region A and is housed in an eco-elite keep case.
Overall
It’s perhaps not great—very debatably a so-called American classic. But “The Cider House Rules” is certainly very good. The film was rightfully nominated for seven Academy Awards in 2000, including two eventual wins for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor (Caine really is amazing here). The direction is sound; the performances from essentially all are perfect. The Lionsgate/Miramax Blu-ray offers up a decent, if slightly dated, supplemental package and satisfactory A/V. I’m glad to finally have this title in 1080p. Recommended.
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