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(Region 1)
Twentieth Century Fox presents Zardoz on DVD The
review Knowing I couldn't possibly wait any longer (wasn't eternity enough?), Twentieth Century Fox was kind enough to provide Zardoz Online with a test disc in advance of the DVD's March 27th 2001 release at retail, along with a couple of the menu screens for your viewing pleasure. Since the disc comes with no artwork on its surface or the final packaging, I can't comment on what the entire presentation is like, but I can review the heart of the disc, so here we go: "It
is the only path and passage into the Vortex"
As seen above, the predominantly blue menus are based
around a very cool collage of images from the film, which are merged
with a stylistic backround. The typefaces chosen for the design are
very pleasing to my eye. Navigation is simple and straightforward, with
no awkward transitions between screens.Though perhaps not as elaborate
as I would have preferred, I really like the theme used for the disc.
The chapter selection screens feature static images
from the film marking each of the 24 chapters available. The photographs
and chapter names chosen are great, with my only disappontment being
the one for "The Truth", which gives away the major spoiler
to the film. Hopefully Zardoz virgins will simply press play rather
than navigating through these screens first. "Show me the whole image!" Fox went back a created a new, anamorphic transfer, and did a lot of digital restoration to the image. The result is a presentation that features vibrant color, accurate rendition of the film grain and hardly any print defects like scratches and so forth. Although it may not be entirely perfect, it is remarkably better than I had expected, with any significant amount of defects limited to a few isolated shots. The image is also clearer and sharper than I've ever seen it before, which brings out a lot of the subtle details in the film, though the sharpness is not due to excess edge enhancement, It looks like we are watching a very clean print on film. Geoffrey Unsworth's stunning cinematography is well preserved here, and we finally get the full scope of his images, as this edition is finally presented in its full 2.35:1 aspect ratio, without missing side information. Score! "Zardoz says..." We have two audio choices available, an English 3.0 (L/C/R) mix and a mono French track. The English track sounds very good, with a clarity that had me noticing things I'd never heard in my countless viewings of the film. The french track is in pretty rough shape, though I never thought I'd hear Zardoz in French at all! Subtitles are available in English and Spanish, and although not perfect, do allow the viewer to catch dialogue that has been pretty hard to discern on past releases. "I this your God's house?" Here is where Fox has really done a service for the fans, and listened to what we asked for. "What does Zardoz say?" First and foremost is the commentary track by director John Boorman, which going into this process, is something I thought I'd never get to hear. Although there are periods where he lays back and leaves us with the film for a while, there were a very large number of things I learned about the film while listening to it. He covers many of the technical aspects of the special effects (this was made long before CGI), and discusses cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth's use of fog filters and smoke to achieve the look of several sequences in the film. We also get some cameo tidbits and info on the cast. Boorman also discusses some of his editing choices, and gives us an up-to-date impression of his work. His comments are often quite humourous, as he is well aware of the film's mixed reception, and he also covers the actor's impressions of their scenes, including Charlotte Rampling's views on being "raped" by Sean Connery. A well rounded track, though be warned (lest you end as I) do not listen to this track if you've never seen the film before, as it does contain spoilers. "I like you, you sly old monster." Next we have the film's very bizarre theatrical trailer. Presented in anamorphic 1.85:1 this runs for a about 2 minutes. It's very cool to have this finally, as it has never been available on home video before. If you thought the film was weird, just wait until you see the trailer! "This is a key image."
We also get a collection of three stills galleries. The first covers some rarely seen concept art, a behind the scenes shot and some production photos. The second is a collection of foreign lobby cards and publicity stills. The third are ad bits from the film's pressbook. Although these collections are not overwhelming in the number of images they contain, they do present things here that have rarely been seen before outside collector's circles, and will now be available to everyone. "Beyond 1984, Beyond 2001..." Also included is the complete radio campaign for the film's 1974 release, which consists of 6 radio spots ranging from 10 to 60 seconds, and which feature the Twilight Zone's Rod Serling as the announcer. "I want to see more of its memories." Additional trailers for other Fox DVDs include Alien Nation, Aliens, Enemy Mine, Independence Day, and The Abyss are also available in the Fox Flix section of the disc.
"It's wrong!" With all the previous home video releases of this film,
I have never been happy with the cover designs. I can understand the
marketing dilema facing the studio–just how do you present a film
like Zardoz at retail? The old, spoiler laden covers on the Key video
release didn't say anything about the film, and the more recent two
shot of Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling was pretty cookie cutter
for a design. While I would have hoped for something that had a little
more to do with the film, it is what is inside that counts, so I'll
resign myself to the fact that not everything could have been perfect
about this disc. "The Truth." And in the end, Fox created Zardoz, a disc fans of the film should be estatic to own. For those of us waiting for years to see this film in a decent home video presentation, the wait is now over. The transfer is gorgeous, and the extras really enhance the disc. John Boorman's commentary adds an insight into the film that few would ever have had, and having the trailer and radio spots available, plus some of the concept art and poster art known only to hard core collectors is an added bonus. Although nowhere near as bad as the old Zardoz packaging, I really miss the inclusion of both the film's highly recognisable logo and any sign of the film's most memorable character, the stone head. Get ready for Zardoz on DVD on March 27, 2001. Eternity is over! Zardoz has spoken!! For a side to side comparison of the feature sets for the R1 and R2 DVDs, click here. Review ©2001 by Jeff Ulmer. All
rights reserved. Buy Zardoz through this link to Amazon.com and help support this site.
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