Reuniting the “Pretty In Pink” tandem of Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy might’ve sounded like a good idea on paper, but FRESH HORSES (103 mins., 1988, PG-13; Alliance) was quickly dismissed as a misfire and died a fast death at the autumn ’88 box-office. That being said, this is an atmospheric and extremely well-crafted drama that reunites several key personnel behind “Hoosiers,” including director David Anspaugh and cinematographer Fred Murphy, who make this a curiously memorable view.

McCarthy plays a Cincinnati college student engaged to a beautiful, wealthy WASP. Ben Stiller plays his carefree friend, who drags him out into the middle of the Midwestern countryside for a final single fling. Naturally, she comes in the form of “Jewel,” a girl from the wrong side of the tracks played by Ringwald. Their meeting soon develops into a full-blown romance, with McCarthy torn between the future laid out in front of him by his parents and fiancee, and a more unpredictable course that Ringwald’s character represents.

Filmed on location in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, “Fresh Horses” has a really odd lure about it. Sure, this is a youth soaper with one especially miscast lead, yet with Anspaugh and Murphy making good use of the location shooting, the picture still works, mostly due to its evocation of time and place – not to mention its superb set of craftsmen behind the scenes.

David Foster and Patrick Williams’ lovely score, Paul Sylbert’s production design, Murphy’s cinematography, and Anspaugh’s sensitive direction result in an underrated film that had two strikes against it in re-teaming Ringwald and McCarthy in parts far removed from their popular roles in “Pretty in Pink.” The youth audience that had already started to move away from John Hughes’ teen pictures (along with Hughes himself for that matter) rejected the casting right off, with Ringwald being the major problem: trying to convey a weary free-spirit just seemed beyond the grasp of the actress, as she ineffectively strove to abandon her “girl next door” heroines from the Hughes era.

That alone had to have provided most of the reason for the movie’s poor reception from critics and audiences, but the passage of time has made it less of an issue now. By contrast, McCarthy and his low-key earnestness fills his part with conviction and Larry Ketron’s script (adapted from his play) is simultaneously compelling and a bit melodramatic. All told, if you’re in the mood for a polished ‘80s soap opera, “Fresh Horses” works (also be on the lookout for Viggo Mortensen in one of his earliest roles).

“Fresh Horses” has seen few home video revivals over the years, making this Alliance release worthwhile. This Sony catalog master (1.85, 2.0 DTS MA) is excellent in terms of its overall appearance, color and encoding, with the stereo sound carrying the soft tones of Foster and Williams’ soundtrack, which was a replacement for a surprisingly similar score by David Mansfield that’s lovely in its own right (and was likely removed just to “change something” after test screenings I’d imagine). Curiously, the song Foster wrote for the end credits remains changed here in favor of a score suite, which has been the case since the movie’s first VHS/laserdisc edition.

Also new from Alliance this month in their “Retro VHS” Blu-Ray slipcovered editions is PAST MIDNIGHT (100 mins., 1991, R; Alliance), a film whose most notable credit now isn’t listed on the packaging anywhere – yet this was, in fact, Quentin Tarantino’s first film credit, with the filmmaker having rewritten Frank Norwood’s script and gotten an Associate Producer credit in the process.

However, you may be hard pressed to detect much Tarantino in this mostly mundane Cinetel Films production which features Rutger Hauer as a man released after spending over a decade in prison for the murder of his pregnant wife, and Natasha Richardson as his social worker who falls for him – while now realizing the real killer may still be out there, somewhere.

Paul Giamatti and Clancy Brown chip in appearances also in the Jan Eliasberg-helmed “Past Midnight,” which likewise adds some interest, but it’s a shame this mostly pedestrian thriller doesn’t provide more entertainment value on the whole.

Alliance’s Blu-Ray includes another solid Sony-licensed (1.78, 2.0 DTS MA) transfer with a decent stereo soundtrack sporting a Steve Bartek score.

NEXT TIME: Kick off the new Season of the Aisle Seat with our first post-Labor Day edition! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers!