562 Blow Out

[Fortisquince]

Blow Out



In the enthralling Blow Out, brilliantly crafted by Brian De Palma, John Travolta gives one of his greatest performances, as a film sound-effects man who believes he has accidentally recorded a political assassination. To uncover the truth, he enlists the help of a possible eyewitness to the crime (Nancy Allen), who may be in danger herself. With its jolting stylistic flourishes, intricate plot, profoundly felt characterizations, and gritty evocation of early-1980s Philadelphia, Blow Out is an American paranoia thriller unlike any other, as well as a devilish reflection on moviemaking.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• 4K UHD and Blu-ray: New 4K digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack; DVD: Restored digital transfer
• In the 4K UHD edition: One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• Interview with director Brian De Palma, conducted by filmmaker Noah Baumbach
• Interview with actor Nancy Allen
• Murder à la Mod, a 1967 feature by De Palma
• Interview with cameraman Garrett Brown on the Steadicam shots featured in the film within Blow Out
• On-set photographs by Louis Goldman
• Trailer
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic Michael Sragow and, for the Blu-ray and 4K UHD editions, Pauline Kael's original New Yorker review of the film

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[Napoleon]

Blow Out!

Wow!

Not Blow Out is it? I'd love it if it was.

Edit. Beaten to it!

[jedgeco]

Blow Out!

All I have to say is that this would be fucking awesome. Get a commentary from Quentin Tarantino and I'll pay double the price.

[Tom Hagen]

No, you guys have it exactly right; it has to be Blow Out -- Travolta is recording owls at the beginning of the film.

It would be better if it was the Antonioni or Coppola film entering the collection, but well, there you have it.

[mteller]

No, you guys have it exactly right; it has to be Blow Out -- Travolta is recording owls at the beginning of the film.

Aahhhh that's right. I had this image in my head of an owl from a movie but I couldn't place it.

[Napoleon]

Yes Tom, those are both better films. But Blow Out is the one that I find myself watching bi-annually. Though I am a sucker for this period of De Palma.

So still a big winner for me.

[mfunk9786]

Anyone else put off by the fact that the owl isn't shaded in blue, though?

[Fortisquince]

Anyone else put off by the fact that the owl isn't shaded in blue, though?

Crap! You might have a point. I hope this won't be an issue.

[aox]

Pardon my e-abrasiveness: I haven't seen this film, but my understanding from people I trust is that it is complete shit and simply a Blow-Up/The Conversation derivative. I look forward to viewing it.

[ezmbmh]

I haven't seen this film, but my understanding from people I trust is that it is complete shit and simply a Blow-Up/The Conversation derivative. I look forward to viewing it.

yep, my feelings too

[Fortisquince]

Oh, it's definitely derivative of both of those films, but it's a lot more fun than them too.

[Peacock]

Criterion have said in the past on Facebook that just because it's not shaded blue, doesn't mean it won't be HD. The only ones which are blue are upgrades from their own catalogue.

[YND]

I love THE CONVERSATION and like BLOW-UP pretty well... but I adore BLOW OUT. Easily my favorite DePalma and (for my money) the best of the 70s paranoid thrillers. Saw it at a De Palma retrospective a few years ago and it was tremendous -- played the audience like a piano. Can't wait!

[eerik]

Criterion has been releasing more Blu-rays than DVDs in the last months anyway so there is no reason to worry.

[swo17]

For the last five months of announcements, all mainline releases have been on both formats.

[jedgeco]

Oh, it's definitely derivative of both of those films, but it's a lot more fun than them too.

More fun -- the first 5 minutes are among the funniest ever put on film -- but at the same time, the ending is devastating.

But those who have a predisposition against De Palma probably aren't going to change their minds.

[Peacock]

For the last five months of announcements, all mainline releases have been on both formats.

I'm presuming Ne Change Rien will break that pattern..

[tojoed]

It's a great film, far superior to "Blow Up" and "The Conversation", and it's nothing like either film anyway. Really great news, if it is indeed "Blow Out", the best American film of the eighties by a long chalk.

[Tribe]

Pardon my e-abrasiveness: I haven't seen this film, but my understanding from people I trust is that it is complete shit and simply a Blow-Up/The Conversation derivative. I look forward to viewing it.

It's entertaining on a Friday night if you're drunk and have nothing much else to do...which isn't a terrible thing, mind you. But I'd hesitate to ever talk about it as being in the same league Blow-Up and The Conversation.

[oldsheperd]

It's a great film, far superior to "Blow Up" and "The Conversation", and it's nothing like either film anyway. Really great news, if it is indeed "Blow Out", the best American film of the eighties by a long chalk.

Whoa! Whoa! Now granted I've never seen Blow Out, but better than the Conversation and Blow Up? I don't think so but to each his own I guess.

[fdm]

I'll shoot for the middle ground here and say it's similar in nature to the other two, but not quite there. There's those two classics, then there's Blow Out, which I like well enough, but it's not a classic.

(If Blow Out is a classic, then so is Body Double. When is that one coming to the collection?)

[Cinephrenic]

Am I the only one not excited by this announcement? I just don't see how it fits into the collection.

[fdm]

Am I the only one not excited by this announcement? I just don't see how it fits into the collection.

I came up with Sisters is already in the collection. Another De Palma title. Excited, no, not really. I'd prefer more obscure, hard to come by, titles myself. (And I seem to recall another De Palma title that seems to be out of print: Dressed To Kill? You suppose?)

[Cinephrenic]

Most of De Palma's films (expecially the early ones) are direct influences from Hitchcock. He hardly puts anything genuine onto his pallette. He is somewhat overrated. Sorry guys.

[ByMarkClark.com]

It's a great film, far superior to "Blow Up" and "The Conversation", and it's nothing like either film anyway. Really great news, if it is indeed "Blow Out", the best American film of the eighties by a long chalk.

Ah, I can't agree with ANY of the opinions expressed above. BLOW OUT is a fun little thriller, but nowhere near BLOW UP or THE CONVERSATION. BLOW OUT isn't even the best film of 1981, let alone of the decade. But it's at least as good as SISTERS, which is already in the CC, so I suppose it's "worthy" enough.

BODY DOUBLE is absolute crap. And the less said about RAISING CAIN the better. (Although I gotta admit, I'd love to see PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE in the Collection!)