133 The Vanishing

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The Vanishing



A young man begins an obsessive search for his girlfriend after she mysteriously disappears during their sunny vacation getaway. His three-year investigation draws the attention of her abductor, a seemingly mild-mannered professor who, in truth, harbors a diabolically clinical and calculating mind. When the kidnapper contacts the man and promises to reveal his lover’s fate, The Vanishing unfolds with intense precision, culminating in a genuinely chilling finale that has unnerved audiences around the world.

Special Features

- New widescreen digital transfer, enhanced for 16x9 televisions
- Original theatrical trailer
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer edition

Criterionforum.org user rating averages

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[Martha]

I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's a very slow building thriller, that really pays off in the end. They do a good job at developing the villain, and I found myself really hating him. He's presented as a family man who deals with a mid-life crisis in the most extreme way possible. By the end of the film the audience, and the protagonist knows what's coming but the careful building of plot and character holds your through every last second.

A great film that rewards patience.

As I think I mentioned on the old board, this movie scared me to the depths of my soul. I saw it on a big screen in college, and I honestly have never been more horrified by a film's conclusion in my life. I mean, I don't really see horror movies, so Halloween or something might be way more disturbing. But I doubt it.

There are few CC releases I will never buy-- Armageddon and Chasing Amy because they're horrible, horrible movies, and The Vanishing, because I will not live in the same house as that dvd.

[Galen Young]

Great film, it has a very nice haunting quality that creeps up on you.
Everytime I go on a road trip with my wife and we stop for gas and she goes to the bathroom -- I think of that film every time! Looking over my shoulder...

[exte]

*SPOILER WARNING* Maybe I haven't seen enough films, but for me, this was the first film I ever came across where the truly horrible, evil character was given a scene or two where the audience literally sympathizes with him and his troubles. I couldn't believe I found myself laughing at the scene where he gets smacked around by some woman's husband who obviously finds him suspicious. In fact, if I’m not mistaken, there’s even a little bit of upbeat music, as if it really is a tedious job to lure people to their own death. This compounded the hell out of the feelings of dread, shock and repulsion I already had. It really is the only movie that compares with my experience of watching Silence of the Lambs as a little kid, completely disturbed by the all too realistic horrors that were going on, and I'm now 24 years old. They're both true psychological horrors in a way that The Exorcist never will be for me.

[manicsounds]

Just watch the original version (this Criterion disc) before you venture out to the Hollywood remake version (which was also directed by Sulzier). As always, the original is much better.

[oldsheperd]

I reall y enjoyed the way his the villain's preparation is captured almost like a documentary. Very dry and straightforward. Almost mundane.

[cdnchris]

I love the original (just plain creepy and very involving, and the ending did give me nightmares) and I actually do like parts of the remake (maybe I'm the only one, but I thought Bridges did a good job), though the ending is awful. My understanding is Sulzier actually prefers the remake. Is this true?

[manicsounds]

My understanding is Sulzier actually prefers the remake. Is this true?

That is absolutely true. Have no idea why....

[cdnchris]

My understanding is Sulzier actually prefers the remake. Is this true?

That is absolutely true. Have no idea why....

Criterion should re-release this as a double-disc, director approved addition with both versions (especially now since they have the Fox thing going), with the director explaining EXACTLY why he thinks this. I'd buy it. Though maybe I am the only one.

[dvdane]

My understanding is Sulzier actually prefers the remake. Is this true?

That is absolutely true. Have no idea why....

Would you mind telling where Sluizer said he prefered the remake?

As I understand it Sluizer prefers his original, but to some degree doesn't mind about the remake.

In an article about the mindless remakes of Hollywood (Empire, July 93), Sluizer is quoted complaining about how Hollywood capitalizes on his film: They paid me $500,000 for the rights, and now they can do anything with it. While he objects to Hollywood changing the entire style and mood of his film, he isn't bothered with the happy ending, because (1) it fits the commercial tone of the film (2) he always intended the murder to get caught in the original, even shot an ending where the murderer gets caught, but chose not to use it, as it didn't fit with the atmosphere of the film.

Sluizer continues, that Hollywood remakes are nothing but contradictions. They originally bought his film because it was scary, but when they remade it, they removed everything that was scary and patched on a happy ending.

[lord_clyde]

(maybe I'm the only one, but I thought Bridges did a good job)

I thought he was great, too. However, the rest of the movie was shit, but he was great.

[Magic Hate Ball]

I just finished watching this. Like with Short Cuts, I felt the vaguely jazzy/electronic soundtrack somewhat dates it (only Cronenberg flicks can do retro electro well), although it does fit the "80's Europe" vibe, but other than that it was very good. My skin is crawling.

I kept thinking during the credits, "The worst thing you could do to someone...the worst thing you could do to someone...

[nuked]

Definitely The Vanishing. Is there any chance they'll include Dark Blood as an extra feature, or is it too irrelevant?

[cdnchris]

It would be interesting if they could get Sluizer's involvement and maybe even include the remake, which, despite the bad call on the ending, I didn't think was all that bad (and if I'm remembering correctly, is the version he actually prefers.)

[nuked]

It would be interesting if they could get Sluizer's involvement and maybe even include the remake, which, despite the bad call on the ending, I didn't think was all that bad (and if I'm remembering correctly, is the version he actually prefers.)

Sluizer absolutely despises his American remake. He was forced to make the ending

SpoilerShow

a happy one,

it wasn't his call at all.

[mfunk9786]

There's an HD transfer of the original that's been being aired on some more fringe HD movie channels (I can't recall the name of the channel I saw it on - some sort of 'Monster Movie' themed channel) that looks absolutely excellent and puts the old Criterion DVD release to shame. So I have very high hopes for this one. At least we know that if there aren't new bonus features, it'll only have a $29.99 MSRP!

[cdnchris]

Sluizer absolutely despises his American remake. He was forced to make the ending

SpoilerShow

a happy one,

it wasn't his call at all.

Thanks! I was trying to find where I read that he preferred the remake, but I may have been misremembering, or maybe I read something where he preferred certain aspects. I still had trouble believing he was okay with the ending. I haven't seen the remake in a very long time, but I recall it still being pretty good... up until the ending.

[Roger Ryan]

I've heard Sluizer is not in good health and his attempt to finish DARK BLOOD in some kind of fashion a few years back was motivated by the belief that he only had a little time left. Hopefully, he's still able to contribute to a new reissue of his classic.

I really didn't care for the remake at all - not only was the ending changed, but the tone was one of bombast instead of the more subtle insidiousness of the original. My recollection is that Sluizer took the job to break into Hollywood filmmaking so he could do projects like DARK BLOOD...which then destroyed his Hollywood career when River Phoenix died before shooting was complete.

[MichaelB]

Thanks! I was trying to find where I read that he preferred the remake, but I may have been misremembering, or maybe I read something where he preferred certain aspects. I still had trouble believing he was okay with the ending. I haven't seen the remake in a very long time, but I recall it still being pretty good... up until the ending.

He particularly despises the remake because he took on the job in the first place because he'd seen so many outstanding European films get fucked up by others and was determined that this wouldn't happen to The Vanishing... only to find that he was also forced to fuck up his own film! To say that he wasn't okay with the ending is a fairly major understatement, but Hollywood doesn't believe in films d'auteur. As he found out the hard way, far too late.

[manicsounds]

Awesome. Will be very happy to retire the old DVD, and also get the remake if possible. I haven't seen the remake since I was a kid, possibly the first movie I recall with Jeff Bridges in it.

Again, I remember reading somewhere that Sulzier preferred the 1993 movie, I should have linked it. I thought it was imdb or wikipedia, but the info was not there, or deleted.

[Sloper]

SpoilerShow

The 'we don't drink coffee anymore' line at the end of the remake was especially painful. The original was my favourite film for a while when I was about 13, and it was just agony to see it being murdered by its own creator, inch by inch. I agree that the remake was problematic throughout, not just at the end, and that it strangled all the subtlety and ambiguity (particularly in the central relationship between the kidnapper and the nominal hero) that made the original so profoundly scary.

[colinr0380]

You know, more than the atrociously misguided remake, the Sluizer film in this same vein that would benefit from a re-evaluation (though its not near the masterpiece-level of the original Vanishing) would be his 1996 serial killer film Crimetime, which similarly gets into dualities between the killer and the 'hero', brought together by a media search.

[BobdH]

I've heard Sluizer is not in good health and his attempt to finish DARK BLOOD in some kind of fashion a few years back was motivated by the belief that he only had a little time left. Hopefully, he's still able to contribute to a new reissue of his classic.

Actually, he did complete ' Dark Blood' in 2012 and even screened it at the Dutch Film Festival over here in the Netherlands.

"Jaren later kon Sluizer het door de verzekering in bezit genomen materiaal redden van vernietiging. Door middel van crowdfunding en creatieve oplossingen in de montagekamer, heeft Sluizer zijn film met de veelbelovende jonge acteur toch nog kunnen afronden."

source

Translation:

"Years later, Sluizer was able to obtain the material that was confiscated by the insurance company and save it from destruction. By means of crowd funding and creative solutions in the editing room, Sluizer was finally able to complete his film with the promising young actor".

[Roger Ryan]

Right, I didn't mean Sluizer's attempt to finish DARK BLOOD was not successful, only that I believe he was motivated to complete a version of the film due to health concerns. A fairly recent story on the completion of the film goes into more detail. A relevant passage from the article: "(Sluizer) didn't look at (the raw footage) for years until, recovering from the aneurysm, he thought that editing the material together would be one last thing he could do." Apparently, Sluizer was told he would only live another six months back in 2007. Although he is confined to a wheelchair, he sounds like he still has some spark left. Criterion pairing THE VANISHING with DARK BLOOD would be a treat even though the two aren't really related.

[criterionsnob]

Lionsgate is doing a VOD release of Dark Blood, so adding it as a bonus feature to the Criterion release of The Vanishing seems unlikely.