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Crash
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - Australia - Umbrella Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (20th February 2022). |
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The Film
 "Crash" (1996) James Ballard (played by James Spader) and his wife Catherine (played by Deborah Kara Unger) have an unorthodox sexual relationship by being open to outside relations to heighten their arousal for each other. One evening James is involved in a head on collision resulting in serious injury towards the other car's passenger Dr. Helen Remington (played by Holly Hunter) and killing her husband who was driving. Following recovery, the two form an unlikely bond as not only victims of an accident, but sexually aroused by the trauma. They encounter Vaughn (played by Elias Koteas), a car crash enthusiast who introduces them to a world of sexual desires that goes far beyond the standard fetish and into dangerous territory for the subjects and those around them. Novelist J.G. Ballard published "Crash" in 1973. Featuring characters that were sexually charged through the acts of car crashes, the novel was under immediate controversy, being called perverse and repulsive. Due to the story's sexual nature and unsettling characters, the book was long thought to be unfilmable in conventional standards. Filmmaker David Cronenberg took on the challenge more than two decades later, resulting in the equally if not more controversial film adaptation with "Crash", an explicitly challenging work that like the original novel, widely divided audiences and critics with its disturbing subject matter. While working on the adaptation of "Naked Lunch", Cronenberg expressed to producer Jeremy Thomas about adapting Ballard's "Crash" as a feature. He wasn't exactly sure why, but the director who was known for his love of cars and motorcycles looked for a challenge, and there it was. The idea of melding automobiles and sexuality was not at all new to cinema. 1983's "Christine" had an implicit look at a young man that was psychologically overtaken by his car, seeing it as an object of desire and more than just machinery. Even Cronenberg's fairly average and staightforward "Fast Company" from 1979 had some fetishistic view of cars and racing in a not-so-subtle way. Cars have had a long history of being machines with connection to sexuality. From being big and bulky, sleek and smooth, fast and energetic, manufacturers from all over the world for years have looked at making their newest products have an attractive appeal for the drivers and passengers in a variety of ways. The sexier the car, the sexier the driver would feel, giving a sense of power and aura sensed also by the passengers and onlookers. But "Crash" takes the bond and turns it literally inside out with its themes in a dangerous way. The idea of injury and sexual arousal is not at all a strange concept. S&M, bondage, domination are fairly common fetishes. Using hot melting candle wax, skin slapping, whipping, hair pulling, gagging, the list can go on from minor examples towards the more extreme. In addition, the use of objects incorporated into sex such as the aforementioned candles, to ice cubes, dildos, plugs, clamps, and others are also part of the norm with sexual play. But then there are the more extreme examples. Sexual asphysiation by cutting off or limiting breathing is an absolute dangerous method in order to achieve a more intense climax. There are some people who are aroused with mutilation, using cutting tools like knives or razors. But what is the most dangerous sexual fetish in the world? Those mentioned have been in existence since the history of man, but the subject in "Crash" is truly something only possible in the last hundred years though the invention of the automobile. The characters in "Crash" have a sexual desire that is fed through the act of car accidents. Disturbing and dangerous with the effect of seriously injuring, maiming, paralyzing, or even killing the subjects, the characters as seen in the film have all gone through traumatic injuries both physically and psychologically through the experience of near death. The character of James Ballard (named after the author himself) already has a sexual urge that is unfulfilled before his first car accident. It's during his recovery period in the hospital that he starts seeing things differently, with the strange sexual fascination with Helen who was in the other car. Neither of them are quite sure as they are both frightened and yet heightened at the same time, as seen in the after recovery scene in which they drive together and have a near accident on the road. Vaughn, who meets them for the first time at the hospital, knows what they have gone through, and sees them as people likely to share his fascination with car crashes and sexual awakening. He also has a large amount of scars all across his body signifying that he as also been in a number of wrecks, some of which were planned demonstrations, as seen with his re-enactment of the fatal James Dean car crash and plans of re-enacting the Jayne Mansfield crash eventually, all with the help of his crash enthusiast acquaintances. He introduces James and Helen into this dangerous fetish world where heightened metal destruction leading to bodily injuries could take them to a higher sexual state of mind, and there in turn reaches further as James invites his wife Catherine into the darkness as well. "Crash" is not the typical sex film, which has a lot of sex but is not a film that makes the audience stimulated in the sexual actions. There are a large number of sex scenes that are not set up as sex scenes, but in cases are used for character development and dialogue rather than arousal for onlookers. There are some sex scenes that are downright disturbing as well. The subjects are bruised, battered, scarred explicitly. The scene between James and the crippled Gabriella (played by Rosanna Arquette is an unusually disturbing one, as he tears her stocking to reveal a large vertical scar in her leg that resembles a vagina (similar to that of the vagina-stomach in Cronenber's "Videodrome") as he has sex with her leg rather than her actual vagina. With leg braces, crutches, bandages, and other things that may seem unsightly for some are arousing to the characters, and are a step away from the social conventions. Cronenberg has never been shy from bodily horror, from "Rabid" to "The Fly" to "Dead Ringers", each work has had elements of human extremes that were visceral as well as psychologically disturbing. Horrific scenes were made, but "Crash" ultimately is not a horror film at all. The acts and surroundings may be disturbing but the nature is that the characters are sexually liberated in their own minds. There is no supression like the twin brothers in "Dead Ringers" or the need of always wanting more that what is given in "Videodrome". In a bizarre way there is more love being shown in "Crash" compared to most other Cronenberg films. But that didn't stop people wanting to ban the film altogether. When it first screened at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival in May, there were numerous walkouts from screenings and a number of negative reviews. But at the same time there were a number of critics that praised the film for its daring nature, and was given a Special Jury Prize for it's uniqueness. Although Francis Ford Coppola who was the jury president that year supposedly was not a supporter of the film and did not hand out the particular award to Cronenberg in person. The Daily Mail in the UK called for the film to be banned due to its subject matter, but the campaign led nowhere as the BBFC did not find grounds for anything in particular that was objectionable, In addition, there were some positive responses from disabled people who saw some of the characters portrayed as liberating and empowering, rather than incapable and limited as they were often portrayed in most films. In Ireland, there was a call to censor the bed scene with Spader and Unger not for the nudity but for the dialogue in which Catherine gives thoughts to James about him having sex with Vaughn. In addition, there were audiences that were disturbed by the gay sex scene with Spader and Koteas' characters, which most people don't realize is the first scene in the entire film that two characters kiss each other on the lips. From conservatives disturbed by the sexual and violent content to critics who felt the morally depraved characters and absurd plot, "Crash" had an uphill battle of controversy that wasn't particularly new to Ballard, Cronenberg, or Thomas with their past works, leading to some delays in general theatrical release, as well as trouble with marketing a film with extreme content. In the United States the film was rated NC-17 without cuts, therefore limiting the marketability as most publications and broadcast television refused to promote a film with the rating. Even though divisive, "Crash" went on to become a financial success and mutiple awards winner, grossing $23 million against a $9 million budget and receiving six Genie Awards in Canada. "Crash", both the novel and the film have continued to gain critical appreciation over the years and become a cult favorite in the home video market. The themes of the fusing of man and machine in fetishistic ways can be found in other cinematic works from "Tetsuo: The Iron Man" (1989) which predates the film adaptation, to "Titane" (2021), the controversial and divisively praised Cannes winning film from last year. There are audiences that will be disturbingly turned off by the content in "Crash". Few if any will find it enjoyable on an arousing level like the characters within the film. Some may even find it meditative and empowering. Cronenberg did not set out to construct moral judgment for the characters or the viewers, and in essence made his most challenging and frustratingly enjoyable films in his already incredible filmography. In 2020 a 4K restoration was completed by German company Turbine Medien for revival screenings and home video releases. Already released on Blu-ray and 4K UltraHD formats in a number of countries, Umbrella Entertainment in Australia has finally released their own Blu-ray with the new transfer as reviewed here. Note this is a region ALL Blu-ray
Video
Umbrella Entertainment presents the film in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio in 1080p AVC MPEG-4. The film was given a 4K restoration by German company Turbine Medien from the 35mm original negative, supervised by cinematographer Peter Suschitzky and approved by director David Cronenberg. The transfer of this Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray comes from the 4K restoration. The film has a fairly cold look for many sequences, with greys and light blues being highlights and very little in terms of bright colors. Colors have been well balanced, with excellent detail in hues. Sharpness is always excellent, as well as stability. Damage such as speckles and scratches have been cleaned, leaving basically no trace of imperfections, while also keeping a good grain structure for a filmic look throughout. It may not have a superb wow factor of showing off a restored film, but it certainly is authentic looking and a great job by Turbine on the restoration and Umbrella on the transfer to Blu-ray. This is the fully uncut version with a runtime of 99:49.
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo There are lossless 5.1 and stereo audio options available. The original audio was newly remixed to 5.1 with the original sound elements. Composer Howard Shore specifically composed the music score for a surround environment, and the newly remastered mix does an excellent job spreading the music cues to the surrounding channels naturally. Dialogue is always centered and clear, with effects being spread and never overbearing. No new sound effects were added to the new mix. The stereo track seems to be a downmix of the 5.1 track, which is fine but not as effective in the subtleties of the surround mix. There are optional English HoH subtitles in a white font for the main feature.
Extras
David Cronenberg Introduction (2:08) A new introduction by Cronenberg shot on his smartphone in vertical mode while inside his Tesla. Cronenberg recalls the very negative reception the film had when it first came out and tells viewers of an interesting way the film could be watched in the twenty-first century. The clip has been embedded below. in 1080p 30fps AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "The Cronenberg Challenge" 2020 interview with director of photography Peter Suschitzky (20:02) In this interview with Suschitzky, the cinematographer talks about his early career with films varied as "It Happened Here", "Privilege", and "The Empire Strikes Back", as well as recalling his first meeting with Cronenberg and the making of "Crash". He admits not being a horror fan but fascinated with Cronenberg and his working method, which is quite interesting. Also discussed are some behind the scenes anecdotes and the critical reception of the film. Note this interview was produced by Turbine Medien for their UHD and Blu-ray release. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "Mechanical Animals" 2020 interview with executive producer Jeremy Thomas (17:04) The producer talks about his working relationship with Cronenberg since "Naked Lunch" onward, the shooting in Toronto, the reaction at the Cannes premiere and more. He only has kind words and high praise for Cronenberg, which is very much expected. Note this interview was produced by Turbine Medien for their UHD and Blu-ray release. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "The Shore Thing" 2020 interview with composer Howard Shore (23:22) The composer actually knew Cronenberg when he was a teen, as they both lived and grew up in Toronto, but it wasn't until "The Brood" that the two started working together, which has lasted for sixteen collaborations by including the upcoming "Crimes of the Future" remake. Shore talks about the process of composing for Cronenberg's films by receiving the script very early, as well as details for the soundtrack for "Crash" as he shows vintage notes for the score, his influence from pioneering electronic composers, and much more. Note this interview was produced by Turbine Medien for their UHD and Blu-ray release. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles "License to Drive" 2020 interview with casting director Deirdre Bowen (27:12) Deirdre Bowen discusses her early days working at CBC television as a casting assistant, her working relationship with Cronenberg starting with "Videodrome", and more. She not only talks about the casting process and the individual actors for "Crash", but gives some great details about the casting of other Cronenberg films as well. Note this interview was produced by Turbine Medien for their UHD and Blu-ray release. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.78:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Original Electronic Press Kit (55:05) This is the full electronic press kit from 1996 in an unedited form. First there are nine different clips from the film with a runtime of about fifteen minutes altogether. This would be used for editing purposes. Interviews with the cast and crew come next, with Deborah Kara Unger, Elias Koteas, James Spader, Holly Hunter, David Cronenberg, and J.G. Ballard interviewed separately, with title cards before each answer to show what they would be talking about. Then there are about twelve minutes of B-roll footage, including the Jayne Mansfield crash scene and the making of the very first crash scene. Finally there is the US red band trailer. The press kit comes from an analog source but looks fairly good throughout. The sound on the other hand is a bit problematic. The scene clips are fine, but for most of the interviews and for the B-roll, the sound is basically skewed to the left speaker for an imbalanced audio setting. There is a point during Spader's interview that it gets correctly balanced, but then goes back to the left soon after the question is answered. in 1080p 30fps AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles Theatrical Trailer (1:31) The original Canadian trailer from Alliance is presented here, remastered like the main feature. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.66:1, in English Dolby Digital 2.0 without subtitles The film has had some great releases on Blu-ray as well as 4K Ultra HD in recent times due to the restoration. Turbine Medien's UHD and Blu-ray, the French Carlotta UHD and Blu-ray, the UK Arrow UHD and Blu-ray, and the US Criterion Blu-ray all have some differing exclusives that are worthy of being checked out. The four 2020 interviews on the Umbrella release are also found on the German, French, and UK releases. The introduction is exclusively on the Umbrella release. The EPK is offered in different forms on various releases, with the German, French, and UK releases offering the B-roll and interviews separately while the US has an edited form of the press kit as a featurette. The Umbrella release is the only one to feature everything together in one form including the film clips. Though the film clips are not particularly necessary, as they are just a few highlights from the film in a cropped and downscaled form. There are a number of noteworthy extras from other discs not included in this set, such as the excellent Criterion exclusive commentary recorded for their Laserdisc in 1997 (and available on their Blu-ray), the various short films, and some multiple lengthy Q&As. Also a curious omission is the 1971 BBC short "Crash!" featuring Ballard discussing the nature of cars and sex, based on a portion of his 1970 novel "The Atrocity Exhibition" and predating his 1973 novel of "Crash". Other noteworthy clips: "Crash!" 1971 BBC documentary short (Available on the UK Arrow UHD/Blu-ray) "Nightmare Angel" 1987 short film inspired by Ballard's "Crash" and "The Atrocity Exhibition" Nightmare Angel from Zoe Beloff on Vimeo. "Crash" press conference at Cannes 1996 (Available on the Criterion Blu-ray) "The Guardian Interview" Q&A with director David Cronenberg and author J.G. Ballard from a 1996 London Film Festival screening (Available on the Criterion Blu-ray) Sky Movie Channel (UK) vintage featurette with clips and exclusive interviews with Cronenberg, Spader and Unger Critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on their show debating "Crash". The 2019 Toronto International Film Festival screening of "Crash" with a Q&A with Viggo Mortensen and surprise guest David Cronenberg. (Available on German, French, and UK UHD/Blu-ray releases) Critic Mark Kermode's high praised BFI Player introduction David Cronenber Virtual Exhibition interview with producer Jeremy Thomas from the Toronto International Film Festival Depeche Mode's music video of "Only When I Lose Myself" (1998), with similar themes of sex and car wrecks. Arrow Video's 4K restoration trailer
Packaging
This is spine #14 in Umbrella Entertainment's "Beyond Genres" series, which comes with a uniform black outlined slipcover with new exclusive artwork. The inlay has a copy of the new artwork, as well as some film stills. There are no reproductions of the theatrical artwork for the packaging. In addition, the slipcase states region B only but the disc is in fact region ALL.
Overall
"Crash" may repulse some with its disturbing content, but there is a lot to take in with the challenging aspects with one of Cronenberg's most audatious and thought-provoking films. The Umbrella Entertainment Blu-ray has a great transfer and a very good selection of new vintage extras making this highly recommended.
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