|
|
|
The Guardian
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (7th February 2016). |
|
The Film
 There is a certain sense of excitement when a director who helmed one of the greatest pictures in a genre decides to return for another round. This may have been what some horror fans were feeling when it was announced director William Friedkin, who helmed one of horror’s greatest achievements in “The Exorcist” (1973), was set to go back behind the camera for “The Guardian” (1990). Any elation was quickly scuttled, however, once the final, heavily compromised product hit the big screen. The movie was adapted from author Dan Greeburg’s novel “The Nanny”, and was first written up as a project for Sam Raimi. When he (wisely and thankfully) left to tackle “Darkman” (1990), Friedkin stepped in and had the script so extensively reworked it gave writer Stephen Volk a nervous breakdown. This is the movie that should have been “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” (1992); instead, Universal demanded there be some supernatural gobbledygook because of Friedkin’s name, resulting in what is easily one of the worst pictures in a storied career. After some title card nonsense regarding druids and trees, the film opens with the kidnapping and ritual sacrifice of a newborn, as perpetrated by the nanny charged with watching the child. Cut to three months later and power couple Phil (Dwier Brown) and Kate (Carey Lowell) have just welcomed a new son into the world. After an exhaustive round of interviews for a nanny position, the candidates have been whittled down to two: a young girl named Arlene (Theresa Randle) and a British woman named Camilla (Jenny Seagrove)… but Arlene just got killed in a freak bicycle accident so Camilla it is! She’s got great references and experience, though she’s also overtly sensual and there’s an air of mystery surrounding her. Her potential power is glimpsed further when a completely out-of-left-field rape attempt – in the middle of the day, with her and the baby playing in the park – turns bad for her three aggressors when they’re beaten up… by a tree. Strangeness continues while Camilla is around. The couple’s neighbor, Ned (Brad Hall), who takes a liking to Camilla, follows her like a stalker late one night and catches her dendrophilia-esque actions with a tree. There’s a joke about wood somewhere in there, too. Ned scrambles back home to warn Phil & Kate, which he does in a rambling, “just say it you idiot!” sort of message before being savaged by a pack of wolves. Phil hears the message the next morning and takes Ned’s warning to heart by first checking out Camilla’s references. Surprise! They’re all fake. During a family confrontation with Camilla the baby becomes ill, enough so that he’s admitted to the hospital. When Camilla returns once again to claim the baby, it leads to a three-way battle between Phil, Kate and the Druid Tree Thing that is Camilla’s true form. Man, oh, man, is this a boring film. Post-“Exorcist”, Friedkin’s career never recovered once he had a major misstep with “Sorcerer” (1977, a film that is finally getting the recognition it deserves); he never garnered as much acclaim as he did for his first two features. Point being he is a great director but very uneven. Secondly, he has admitted not to being a big fan of horror pictures. He never was a “horror director” despite his one blockbuster hit making him a household name. The potential was certainly there for a return to form, but everything about “The Guardian” made it the wrong project. Set aside the disjointed script and haphazard writing and what’s left is a horror film devoid of even the most remote of scares. The effectiveness of the horror here is inversely proportional to that of “The Exorcist”, registering somewhere around zero. If any credit can be given – and it is a minor amount – it goes to the special effects team. The massive tree under which Camilla writhes and grinds looks convincingly alive and teeming with energy. The dozens of childlike faces molded into the bark give it an eerie life quality, too. Camilla’s makeup during the climax, when she’s sort of like a half-human/half-tree thing, is admirable for being something that hasn’t been glimpsed in many other films. In some ways it’s quite beautiful while also being repulsive. But other than that, this is one for the compost heap.
Video
“The Guardian” is a product of the 90's, and this 1.85:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer looks it. Skin tones appear slightly warm, while otherwise colors are mostly natural. The color palette hews toward bluer tones. Film grain is moderate in appearance. Contrast could be tightened up, especially when the action moves to nightfall.
Audio
There’s a decent amount of power behind the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo track. Sound effects are robust during the opening sequence, as well as throughout the film. Dialogue comes through clear and decently balanced, though it also sounds like much of the film was looped, giving it a slightly higher register than effects and music. A few of the more dramatic moments feature a good sense of direction. Subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired.
Extras
Although not a collector’s edition, this release is packed with several interview featurettes and a couple of promotional materials. Unfortunately, no commentary track with director William Friedkin was included, though one can be found on an international DVD release. “A Happy Coincidence – An Interview with Actor Dwier Brown” interview featurette (1080p) runs for 21 minutes and 56 seconds. Brown covers expected ground here, discussing his career, working with Friedkin (for the second time) and coming back to loop some of his dialogue. “From Strasberg to “The Guardian” – An Interview with Actor Gary Swanson” interview featurette (1080p) runs for 10 minutes and 10 seconds. Just as with Brown, the usual bases are covered. “A Mother’s Journey – An Interview with Actress Natalija Nogulich” interview featurette (1080p) runs for 11 minutes and 33 seconds. The same goes here, too. “Scoring “The Guardian” – An Interview with Composer Jack Hues” interview featurette (1080p) runs for 6 minutes and 40 seconds. He tried to do something different and mostly succeeded, even if it isn’t memorable. “Tree Woman: The Effects of “The Guardian” – An Interview with Make-Up Effects Artist Matthew Mungle” interview featurette (1080p) runs for 13 minutes and 7 seconds. Mungle talks about the process of coming up with concepts to realize Friedkin’s vision, which was not always an easy task. “Return to the Genre – An Interview with Director/Co-Writer William Friedkin” interview featurette (1080i) runs for 17 minutes and 25 seconds. This legacy interview features Friedkin talking about his intentions with the picture and what influenced him to tell such a tale in the first place. “The Nanny – An Interview with Actress Jenny Seagrove” interview featurette (1080i) runs for 13 minutes and 19 seconds. Another legacy piece, Seagrove provides a career overview before delving into her time on this film. “Don’t Go Into the Woods – An Interview with Co-Writer Stephen Volk” interview featurette (1080i) runs for 21 minutes. Volk, always a fan of horror, talks about his tumultuous time working on this script. A stills gallery (1080p) runs for 1 minute and 19 seconds. The film’s theatrical trailer (1080p) runs for 1 minute and 34 seconds.
Packaging
The single disc comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keep case.
Overall
Some studio head should have cut this tree down and salted the earth before it was given the chance to grow. Watching an actual tree grow might be more entertaining than giving this disc a whirl.
|
|||||
|