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Back to Joe-Pourri
Joe-Pourri Archive |
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For Joe Dallesandro fans, the recent release to DVD of five films directed by Paul Morrissey is cause for celebration. For several years now the only American release on video and DVD of The Trilogy was a pictorially flawed set from Image back in 1998 that included particularly grainy and sometimes even muddy transfers. Meanwhile, in Europe, The Trilogy has been afforded prestigious boxed sets loaded with extras, solid transfers of the films, and picturesque illustrations and booklets. American fans have been salivating for the equivalent. And even though we haven't been served up as delectable a dish as one can find abroad, the appearance of these five films at very affordable prices is a significant step in the right direction. In contrast with any previous U.S. incarnation, including the boxed video set from Mystic Fire back in 1987, the Trilogy has never looked better for the home market.
And now, the particulars:
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The film transfer is bright and the sound clarity excellent. Extras include a lengthy cut scene between Joe and Geraldine that begins with him getting his haircut and ends with him asking where the baby is; in between, she talks him into posing nude for her...of course. It's the longest of the rediscovered footage Morrissey came across while preparing extras for the European DVD sets.
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One can also watch the scene with an accompanying commentary by Morrissey, the same one as on the European DVDs. A 3:06 Stills Gallery is a particularly nice feature for great shots of Joe, including some rare but quite beautiful stuff from the filmmakers' celebrated trip through Germany. Morrissey provides addiitional "new" commentary over the stills and makes sure to declare that this "was a movie I made entirely by myself." The navigation menu attempts to be cute with "backslide" (for back), "main thing" (for main menu), "move ahead" and "play 'em all." No inserts in the handsome box, just the disk. |
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Featuring the most startling improvement in terms of overall image quality, a veritable night and day difference from the prior DVD release, Trash is no longer lost in a sea of grain or strafed with scratches, though it's worth mentioning that those hairs occasionally appearing in the corner of the frame have been there since day one. |
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That isn't to say everything's perfect. The color balance is decidedly on the orange side. The sound has always been troublesome for this film, but seems a bit cleaner this time around. Unfortunately, none of the films in this series come with the option for subtitling. The Extras include two additional scenes: the first begins with silent footage of Joe sweeping up the place when Holly and Johnny walk in, then proceeds to give us a little additional dialogue exchange between the two guys while they're waiting for Holly to return with the drugs. The second is an alternate take of the entire Michael Sklar welfare agent finale, with both Joe and Holly managing some priceless extra dialogue. Both scenes are also available with accompanying commentary by Morrissey, the same as on the European DVD extras. A 3:27 Stills Gallery has lots of great shots of Joe and his co-stars, over which Morrissey tends to be less than insightful in his extemporaneous remarks. This time the menu navigation includes "dig some more." Again, no inserts in the handsome box, just the disk. |
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Boasting the highest production values of The Trilogy, Heat has looked pretty good over the years, but this is the crispest transfer yet offered here in the U.S. Extras include three outtakes: The first is a conversation between Andrea and Sylvia Miles in the daughter's motel room, with girlfriend Bonnie on the sidelines. |
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The second has Joe on the phone struggling to make more industry connections. The third is a lengthy and sometimes quite funny variation on the scene in which Pat Ast gives Joe a back rub and Andrea bursts into the room. As with the other films in this release, the scenes are also available with accompanying commentary by Morrissey, the same as on the European DVD extras. A 3:19 Stills Gallery has lots to recommend, though by this time the commentary by Morrissey is proving a challenge. No disrespect to him, because commentaries can be (and often are) very awkward assignments, but there are hazards when filmmakers talk too much about their own work. A peculiar feature of the navigation menu is a "preview" option in which a sample of the designated scene is shown. Also on this disk you'll find three Paul Morrissey short films, About Face (1964), All Aboard the Dreamland Choo-Choo (1965), and Like Sleep (1964). All the shorts are silent, but come with Morrissey commentaries that cannot be audio optioned out; to watch them as one should, you'll have to mute your set. Unfortunately, Choo-Choo (one of Joe's personal favorites) is also inexplicably cut to less than half of its original running time and appears here without mention of that fact. As anticipated, no inserts in the handsome box, just the disk. |
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Those who completely missed the Director-Approved version from the Criterion Collection (out-of-print), may be pleased to know that Image has licensed the Morrissey, Yacowar, and Kier commentaries originally recorded for the 1996 laserdisc and resurrected them here. |
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The widescreen print looks quite good, too, and has also been processed for enhanced 16:9 TVs. A 23:42 Stills Gallery features a sumptuous array of black-and-white and color photos professionally shot during the production, though Morrissey provides an unfocused and tedious commentary while "looking" at the same images. The director could have used some direction here (see Drac below). A 4:12 screen test of Srdjan Zelenovic alongside Maria Smith (Geraldine's sister) is a mildly interesting addition even if the audio is now lost. |
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Here again Image has included the Morrissey, Yacowar, and Kier commentaries from the out-of-print Criterion Director-Approved version. As with Frank, the widescreen print looks good and has also been processed for enhanced 16:9 TVs. |
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A 24:49 Stills Gallery is a treasure trove of production photos, and this time Morrissey's commentary avoids an image-by-image rehash and instead provides focused and informative background history on how his twin monster flicks evolved, what it was like to work in Italy at Cinecitta and in 35mm for the first time, and how Udo Kier (not his first choice) got the part of the Count. A 4:11 screen test, again with missing audio, has Srdjan Zelenovic playing a young and very tall Drac opposite both Smith sisters. As much as Udo was sensational in the finished film, this sample of what might have been suggests an enticing alternative. |
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