Monday, May 5, 2014

Wild At Heart (Blu-ray Review) - Twilight Time


USA/1990
Directed By: David Lynch
Written By: David Lynch
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern Willem Dafoe
Color/127 Minutes/R
Region A
Release Date:
Limited to 3,000

The Film
Sailor and Lula are lovers who take off across the country to find a place for a better life together. Sailor will do anything for his woman and has landed in prison more than once because of it. Lula will wait for Sailor forever, against the psychotic outbursts from her mother trying to forbid it. Sailor and Lula's mother have crossed paths before and Lula's mother won't forget it. Sailor and Lula's journey down American highways and streets is more like something out of a Lynchian version of Homer's The Odyssey than any romantic escapade. These lovers are most certainly star-crossed and it seems like the whole world is out to get them until Lula gives birth to their son while Sailor is spending another stint in prison. Sailor learns a tough lesson and figures out he has to be there for his lover and his son.

WILD AT HEART is probably David Lynch's most widely accessible film but that isn't to say it anything but a David Lynch film. Based on a novel by Barry Gifford, Lynch has taken the story and turned it into one of his surrealist excursions through a twisted version of reality in an almost cartoonish sense. From Sailor's snake skin jacket that is a symbol of his individuality and his belief in personal freedom, to the heavy metal concert that turns into a 50s R&B performance from Sailor to Eddy Peru as a whole there is a bit of a bizzaro aspect to the world WILD AT HEART exists in. WILD AT HEART isn't Lynch's best film, as the secondary characters seem to come and go a bit too much and none of them pan out to be quite as important as they may seem but this film is an engaging experience spent with a pair of lovers who live a pretty fucking crazy life.

The Audio & Video
Twilight Time releases this limited edition of WILD AT HEART on Blu-ray with a pretty good looking transfer. The HD master used for this disc is a bit dated and the transfer is held back because of it. However the vivid color palette does look good, with vibrant reds that pop and strong detail levels that almost have you seeing the stink creeping from Eddy Peru's mouth. Dirt and speckling present rather frequently but it never becomes a distraction.  As far as the audio goes, you get a DTS-HD track no matter which mix you choose, and it sounds good with no background noise to speak of. The dialogue and soundtrack mix compliment each other very well.

The Extras
All features from the previous Special Edition DVD have been ported over and include:

- Isolated Music and Effects Track (Blu-ray exclusive)
-"Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of WILD AT HEART"
-Original 1990 Making-of EPK
-"Dell's Lunch Counter" (extended interviews)
-"Specific Spontaneity": Focus On David Lynch
-David Lynch On The DVD
-TV Spots
-Original Theatrical Trailer

The Bottom Line
I fully endorse the purchase of this disc whether you're a David Lynch fan or just a general fan of good movies. You should jump on it now because the 3,000 units won't last long.

WILD AT HEART is available HERE

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