I know this comes out today, but I probably won't get it for another week or so. Anyone care to comment and fuel my excitement???

OMG...thank you for reminding me. I have to go read some reviews of the DVD quality if there are some out there...as for the film, it's one of the best I've seen this past decade. A total stunner, Haynes with this film took on the legacy of Kubrick and made a masterpiece. Julianne Moore was superb, too.

I haven't seen the film for a number of years but found it incredibly interesting. I was waiting for a good price on it since I doubt I'll watch it more than once or twice but I'd like to have it in my collection just the same.

DeepDiscountDVD has it for $22 shipped, the best price I've seen.

Stunning film with a great performance from Julianne Moore. Haven't seen it in a while, but I think it does fall off a bit towards the end.

The DVD does not come out till 8/21 and there are no reviews yet, but I do plan to review it.

[blush]

Where the hell did I get 8/14 from?

To the review wantee: Finally watched the [Safe] DVD a couple of days ago and I must say that while the image (1.85:1, 16x9) and the sound (2.0 mono, although the cover art claims Dolby Surround) are mediocre, the commentary track (featuring director Todd Haynes, star Julianne Moore, and producer/indie advocate Christine Vachon) is excellent.

Will try to review in full before it streets.

Cheers!
Bill C
filmfreakcentral.net

Mmm--hmm! That sells it...

I'm not sure if it's bad form to respond to your own request, but here's my take:

Safe is a rich, complex film that loses none of its power after numerous viewings. I can guarantee that you've never seen another film like it, and it is definitely worth owning. Kubrick fans in particular owe it to themselves to see Safe, as the comparisons are valid, from the technical aspects (long shots that dwarf the characters, extended takes, impeccable set design) to tone (high irony, terror in everyday life) to message (complex, understated).

Similar to Kubrick films, Safe is widely misunderstood because many take it at face value. If you've read reviews (or have seen the film) and think it is merely a critique of pollution or a plea for environmental concern, you've missed a great deal of the point.

In Safe, a suburban housewife named Carol discovers she is being poisoned by the everyday chemicals present in modern life. Instead of simply harping on the horror of this, the film suggets that people can organize their lives around illness. An illness can become a "way of being" for people who lack purpose or direction, and it may be that Carol's illness is manufactured for this end. The question is never definitively answered, which (for me) makes the film more interesting.

People respond well to the first half of Safe, because it seems obvious what the problem is. But in the second half the easy answers start to fall away, and the film becomes more complicated. The final scene is one of the most chilling ever put to celluloid.

The image on the DVD is a little soft, but on the commentary director Todd Haynes complains that digital transfers of films make the image too bright, and mentions that the transfer engineers for Safe were concerned about his decisions during the process. Apparently Haynes wanted a "soft" look for the film. Another factor to consider is that Safe was made for less than $1 million, which is incredible considering the quality of the set design, acting, and camera work (you will not believe that this wasn't a major studio budget). Some of the image softness may be from the negative. It's just a relief that it's available in widescreen so that the incredible shot compositions can be fully appreciated.

The commentary with Haynes, Moore and producer Christine Vachon is lively and informative. They detail the trials and tribulations of making the film - no money, California earthquakes, incompetent crew members. Most of the interiors were shot at the houses of Haynes' relatives (including the restaurant scene!) to save money. Again, you would never know from seeing the film what a shoestring it was made on. Other interesting factoids: Moore lost 10 pounds during shooting to simulate Carol's wasting away, and Wes Craven called Safe the scariest movie of the year.

The insert includes an extremely well-written and thoughtful essay by Haynes. Here's a great quote: "I agree with Fassbinder who said, 'revolution doesn't belong on the cinema screen, but outside, in the world.' To provide an audience with a solution - to give them the revolution - is to deprive them of the necessity of creating their own." I wish more filmmakers believed the same!

One odd thing about the DVD - any time written words appear in the film (e.g. a flyer on a bulletin board) the words reappear subtitled at the bottom of the screen. Anyone else experience this?

Anyway, it's a fantastic film. Definitely worth having.

Sounds possibly like some sort of technical goof...what kind of player do you have, ehonauer?

I'm passing up 2 other discs today to pick up this one...

My copy SAFE is on the way along with The Wicker Man SE! talk about two scary movies! Woooooooooooooo! wooooooooooo! Wooooooooooooo!

here's a review from DVDjournal

cheers, Tony Block

http://www.dvdjournal.com/reviews/s/safe.shtml

Got me copy. I have the subtitle thing happening too...at only 2 points in the first hour, that's it. So it must be deliberate, because it happense whether or not subtitles are selected. Hmmmm....weird. Anyway, what a great film, and the commentary so far is pretty cool...a lot livelier/lighter than I would have thought. I recommend it. The image contrast between the full-frame trailer and the feature is pretty damn striking...this is a DARK, CONTRASTY, GRAINY looking movie.

Tony Block - Thanks for posting the DVDJournal review, it was very good. I think as years go by more and more people will realize how truly amazing this film is. An American classic. By the way, I received my copy of Safe along with the Wicker Man LE on Monday!

Jepthah - It seems that the subtitle problem is a manufacturing error. I'm going to post on the DVDTalk board to get some opinions on how to report it. The widescreen is fantastic - anybody want to buy a worn VHS copy of Safe? I think I would've been happier with a crisper transfer (this is a clinical movie, after all), but as you can probably tell I'm delighted to have this at all...

While I am fairly certain it was not theatrically shown this way (with subtitles at these 2 points), how can we be sure that it is a mfr. error and not something Haynes wanted? I noticed that in the scene with the flyer the tiny size of the text on the flyer below the large letters, so this may have been deliberate to make sure people could read the on-screen words. I personally do not care for these forced subs in any case. Have you heard differently about the problem? Where?

Luckily I live in the L.A. area (or unluckily, going by this film ) so I may be able to better get an answer directly from CHTV. I have not yet visited their website to look for a contact address.

I seriously doubt this. The subtitles do not appear on the VHS version. However, weirder things have happened...

I've been poking around on the CTHE website and haven't found any contact information.

I'm getting it soon.

The DVDjournal review addresess this in the review.

"While it's great to finally see Safe, (it) bizarrely, occasionally briefly turns on its English subtitles during shots of printed materials (but this could be the result of either a disc error or just the settings of our review hardware)."


I'm smelling a recall!

cheers, Tony Block

Yeah, I saw that. I sent an email to Sony and the CHTE webmaster with links to the review.

and another review from DVDauthority!


http://www.dvdauthority.com/safe.htm