Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
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Synopsis
It is 1971, and journalist Raoul Duke barrels toward Las Vegas—accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his slightly unhinged Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo—to cover a motorcycle race. What should be a cut-and-dried journalistic assignment quickly descends into a feverish psychedelic odyssey. Director Terry Gilliam and an all-star cast headlined by Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro show no mercy in bringing Hunter S. Thompson’s excoriating dissection of the American way of life to the screen, creating a film both hilarious and savage.
Picture 8/10
Criterion ports their popular DVD edition of the cult favourite Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas over to Blu-ray, presenting the film in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this dual-layer disc. The transfer is presented in 1080p/24hz.
Revisiting their DVD I have to say I was probably a little too generous with it originally. Looking at it now the transfer does look a little smudgier than I initially thought and presents many noticeable artifacts. The new Blu-ray offers a significant improvement over Criterion’s DVD with a much smoother and cleaner image. The previous compression artifacts are now all gone and long shots look much sharper, if still a bit soft around the edges. Close-ups are sharp and fine details are clear. Film grain is noticeable and remains natural.
Colours also look much better here. The film is loaded with neon lights and a variety of bright colours of many shades, which are used during some of the more hallucinatory sequences, and they’re rendered beautifully, namely the reds, which look incredible. Blacks are deep and remain inky without losing any details.
The print is generally clean though I did notice the same vertical line that appears during Duke’s final “freak-out” of the film on the original DVD (I assume the same source was used.) Other than that I can’t say I noticed anything else.
Universal released the film on HD-DVD and Blu-ray though haven’t seen them so I can’t compare. But the image here is strong and far better than the original DVD’s presentation.
Audio 7/10
Criterion includes two lossless DTS-HD MA tracks: a 2.0 surround track, similar to what was presented in theaters, along with a remastered 5.1 surround track.
Many should be pleased that Criterion has corrected one issue originally found in the DVD’s 5.1 tracks (it presented both Dolby Digital and DTS tracks.) Bizarrely Criterion’s 5.1 mix was missing audio in some scenes, with the most noticeable instance occurring during chapter 10 where Dr. Gonzo is freaking out in the bathtub. In a later part of the scene, where Duke is sitting outside of the bathroom, Gonzo’s background screams were missing in the 5.1 tracks but were present in the 2.0 track. Why this happened I can’t say but I think many will be pleased to know that this has been corrected.
Unfortunately overall quality hasn’t been improved upon much. In the commentary Gilliam addresses the fact he’s not very good with the sound and I suspect this may have to do with the track’s obvious problems.
While the film does make great use of the surrounds and the bass, specifically during the hallucinatory scenes (the late adrenochrome “freak out” possibly best displays this aspect) dialogue is still incredibly flat. This actually makes it hard to hear sometimes, especially since a lot of lines are mumbled by the two main characters. Music sounds good, sound effects are sharp, and the surrounds present some great splits and natural movements. But again the dialogue still comes off weak and really doesn’t have much in the way of fidelity. If it wasn’t for that fact the track would actually be quite impressive.
As to which one you should go with it will come down to preference. They both sound good but the 5.1 track offers some more creative uses with the surrounds and bass is also stronger.
Extras 10/10
Criterion’s 2-disc DVD for the film was one of their more aggressive editions, covering every aspect of the film and its source novel and author. Criterion has now ported all of that great material over to this Blu-rays single disc.
First up are three audio commentaries, the first being one by director Terry Gilliam. And like all the other commentaries I've heard from Gilliam it's an energetic, funny and insightful commentary that never misses a beat. Gilliam has a lot to talk about, going from production to the themes, the cast, anecdotes and its acceptance (or lack there-of) in some circles. It's a funny, rather informative and entertaining track.
The second commentary by Depp, Del Toro and producer Laila Nabulsi is another excellent track. Depp offers the best bits as he talks a lot about studying to play Thompson, which of course called for basically living with him, while Del Toro talks a lot about his ways of getting into the role (gaining weight) and Naibulsi talks about the hard time she had getting this movie made (which took over a decade). Del Toro doesn’t appear as much unfortunately, but the other two carry it rather nicely. Nabulsi also talks about other interesting choices for actors she had considered to be in the roles over the years, including (but not limited to) Jack Nicholson, John Malkovich, John Cusack, Dan Aykroyd/John Belushi and so on.
I think the most interesting track on here, though, is the audio commentary by author Hunter S. Thompson. This is actually a group effort with Thompson the center of attention. Joining with him is Nabulsi, the commentary editor Michael W. Wiese, and Hunter’s assistant. Basically the three try to keep Hunter on topic. He claims his role during production was to keep the f---ers in line and makes some rather rude comments about Gilliam, though it’s hard to know whether he should be taken seriously. He obviously likes the film overall and does throw praise, though isn’t afraid to be honest about what he doesn’t like about it. He has all sorts of anecdotes about getting the movie made, having Depp hang around and study him (which creeped him out naturally,) reflects on the time period and writing the story, expresses his (not so fond) opinions of Tim Leary, as well as his thoughts of his old friend Oscar Acosta. He veers off at times, but he covers everything he can. It’s an excellent track, and quite funny (he speaks his mind) but it is chaotic with the phone even ringing, which Thompson answers. Also, be prepared for a lot of F bombs, some derogatory comments, screaming, and Thompson snorting God knows what every once in a while followed by a squeal. Probably one of the more ?interesting? commentaries I’ve ever heard.
The remaining supplements are then divided into two sections: “The Film” and “The Source” with the former covering aspects of the film and its production, and the latter covering Thompson and the novel. Stepping into “The Film” first we start with 3 deleted scenes with an optional commentary by Gilliam. The scenes themselves, involving an extended bit in the tent during the bike race, another involving a conversation between our two heroes and an officer from the convention, and another which looks like an extension to the end, were rightfully cut, more for pacing reasons, but they’re interesting to see here on their own. Gilliam talks about the sequences and why they were eventually cut.
Following this are Storyboards, a section which opens another pop-out menu listing about 7 different sequences. The presentation is a simple one, presenting each storyboard individually and using your remote to scan through.
The original DVD included Production Designs in that section but here you'll now find them completely separate. The drawings and paintings layout the sets and some of the imagery. Both the storyboards and production design gallery are interesting to look through, showing Gilliam’s thought process, but these types of features are pretty common.
Stills Gallery presents a large collection of production photos from various scenes in the film. The presentation differs slightly here as the DVD presented three different sections called "The Trip", "Las Vegas" and "The Great Magnet" where the Blu-ray just presents them in a large gallery without dividers/chapters.
Depp-Thompson Correspondence presents the correspondence between the actor and author, which Johnny Depp reads on camera. Lasting about 14 minutes, this presents an interesting and quite funny extra, as we get glimpses into their relationship between pre-production and the actual release at Cannes. Depp's presentation of the material is fine, though it would have almost been more suiting if he did it in character.
Hunter Goes to Hollywood presents a ten-and-a-half minute segment from a documentary by Wayne Ewing on Hunter S. Thompson called Breakfast with Hunter. This segment has Hunter visiting the set of Gilliam’s film and shows Hunter hanging with cast and crew members, watching the shooting of a sequence, and shows the filming of his cameo in the film. Not only does it offer some great footage of the author but serves as pretty much the only feature on the disc that shows behind-scenes-footage. The feature is presented in 1.33:1.
”Not the Screenplay” is a section devoted to yet another Gilliam scandal, which involved the screenplay credit. Due to a WGA rule Alex Cox and his co-screenwriter, who originally worked on the film but left because of creative differences, were to get sole credit because of the screenplay they wrote, despite Gilliam and screenwriter Tony Grisoni rewriting the whole thing. This section includes an audio conversation between Gilliam, Grisoni, and Laila Nabulsi, which plays over a still presenting Steadman’s artwork (the DVD presented an image of Gilliam burning his WGA card.) Laila gets more into the problems with Cox (who made Thompson angry) and eventually getting Gilliam while the others talk more about their way of adapting the material and then the actual battle of getting their names on the writing credits. Running 17-mintues it's a great discussion and a great look into the bureaucratic nature of Hollywood. Also included in this section is a 1-minute intro for the movie Gilliam had made while the issues with the WGA were happening, called "Dress Pattern", which is a black and white video (in 5.1 surround, no less) stating that amazingly enough there is no screenwriter associated with the film you are about to watch. Gilliam also provides an audio commentary you can access on the alternate track stating the purpose behind the video. Great stuff!
A Study in Marketing presents the theatrical trailer and 7 TV Spots. Universal had no idea how to promote the movie, which was being released during the summer, the same week as Godzilla. Gilliam provides a commentary over the trailer explaining the marketing problems and then his vision of what the trailer should be. A nice addition. This concludes the “Film” section and we next move on to “The Source”.
Up first is "Oscar Zeta Acosta: Dr. Gonzo", which is a look at the man that inspired Dr. Gonzo (Del Toro's character). The section includes a biography of the man included with photos (naturally called “Biographical Photo Essay” which you navigate through using your remote), and it also presents a 30-minute video of him reading an excerpt from his book "The Revolt of the Cockroach People". While the bio was a nice addition providing context on someone I wasn't too familiar with, the inclusion of the video was the icing on the cake. While I don't think it allowed me to get to know the man more it worked great in seeing how closely I think Del Toro captured him. There is also an audio recording of Thompson reading a piece he wrote about Acosta, where he basically praises the man, running about 7-minutes.
Ralph Steadman Art Gallery presents Steadman's art based around the story. It includes art from the actual article, book covers and even possible posters for the film. I’ve always loved Steadman’s work and having a collection of his artwork here, whether for the article, book, or film version was a nice feature.
"Breakdown on Paradise Boulevard" presents an excerpt from an audio CD released in 1996 for "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" with Jim Jarmusch as Duke, Maury Chaykin as Dr. Gonzo and Harry Dean Stanton as the narrator. It presents a scene from the book not in the movie involving the two at a taco stand. A rather cool little feature that I guess is the next best thing to actually including excerpts from the book and it’s shame not more of this was included.
And finally you get a 50-minute documentary called Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood. Made in 1978 it follows Thompson and Steadman as they travel from Colorado to Hollywood (while going through Las Vegas) and focuses mainly on Thompson as the filmmakers obviously try to get a better idea about the man (and it was great seeing a younger Thompson in action.) It’s unfortunately stale in parts, but Thompson livens it up. There’s discussion about the book and ideas on the film. Bill Murray shows up briefly, but I think the best part is the last section where Hunter discusses his ideas for what he wants to happen with his remains after his death (and his wish was fulfilled in August of 2005, a few months after his death) and has Steadman design a monument. Great documentary, primarily for the footage of the man and it may be the best feature on here after the surreal commentary by Thompson.
And that concludes the extras on the discs. Included with the release is a booklet presenting an essay on the film by J. Hoberman (pretty much the only critic that praised the film on its release.) There’s also an essay by Thompson that reflects back to the novel and writing it, and then it closes with "Rules for Reading Gonzo Journalism." A nice final touch to the set.
One thing to note is that for this Blu-ray the packaging has been changed. The DVD presented a standard double-width Armaray with Steadman’s artwork and then a clear plastic sleeve that went over it presenting the text (images can be seen here.) The Blu-ray has abandoned that design.
Overall we get a great collection of supplements and one of Criterion’s most comprehensive editions.It would have been interesting if they could have gotten into previous scripts of the film, including Cox’s, or even managed to get Alex Cox to share his side of the story over his original participation (though I guess it’s doubtful that this would have happened as Cox has expressed a certain disdain towards the film and still insists his script is what was used, along with the fact it sounds like both Nabulsi and Gilliam never want to deal with Cox again. As a side note, you can find Cox’s script online.) Still, with what is given to us here, fans of Thompson and/or the film will most surely leave quite happy. An excellent compilation of materials.
Closing
The audio is still weak but I’m happy Criterion corrected the 5.1 mix here. They also offer a far stronger image than what was present on the DVD and include all of the supplements from that stacked edition. Fans of the film will certainly want to pick it up.
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