Dark City coming to UHD

[Monterey Jack]

Yes! Only hope that the (superior) theatrical cut is included...



Arguably the last sighting of the healthy, voluptuous Jenny.

[AndyDursin]

What I want is how I experienced the movie walking in 2 minutes late, which was the theatrical cut minus the totally added, unnecessary "let's explain it all right now" opening, and which I was horrified to watch when I saw it again on DVD. Completely ruins how that movie is supposed to work.

[Monterey Jack]

What I want is how I experienced the movie walking in 2 minutes late, which was the theatrical cut minus the totally added, unnecessary "let's explain it all right now" opening, and which I was horrified to watch when I saw it again on DVD. Completely ruins how that movie is supposed to work.

When I showed the movie to my nephew about seven years back, I told him I would be muting the volume for that opening bit of narration, and that after the movie, I'd play it again un-muted so he'd know just how much it ruins the intentional what-the-hell-is-going-on mystery at the movie's core. I know that the director's cut omits it, but it also adds extraneous scenes that were wisely trimmed and Pulls A Lucas on the special effects, none of which I approved of. I just hope that the 4K release will offer both cuts, and not do the thing Kino (if they're the ones releasing it) is fond of of only releasing the DC in 4K, and the theatrical on standard Blu (or vice-versa).

[AndyDursin]

Did they announce who's putting it out? If it's Warner it's not Kino. Might be Shout. Hopefully it's Arrow because you know they'd do it right.

And I agree the theatrical cut is the best way to go, just muting the opening. I remember seeing it with my mom and literally when we opened the doors to the theater in North Attleboro Rufus Sewell's character woke up in the tub (or whatever it was). It played perfectly as a mystery that way.

[Paul MacLean]

What I want is how I experienced the movie walking in 2 minutes late, which was the theatrical cut minus the totally added, unnecessary "let's explain it all right now" opening, and which I was horrified to watch when I saw it again on DVD. Completely ruins how that movie is supposed to work.

When I showed the movie to my nephew about seven years back, I told him I would be muting the volume for that opening bit of narration, and that after the movie, I'd play it again un-muted so he'd know just how much it ruins the intentional what-the-hell-is-going-on mystery at the movie's core. .

I only ever saw this movie in the cinema.

They actually did that on the home video release???

[AndyDursin]

The theatrical cut always had that opening -- a few lines of dialogue at the start that ruined the mystery and explained everything that happened. Did you walk in late too?!?!

[Monterey Jack]

Look how much better this plays without the narration:



In comparison:

[Paul MacLean]

The theatrical cut always had that opening -- a few lines of dialogue at the start that ruined the mystery and explained everything that happened. Did you walk in late too?!?!

Sorry, I thought you guys were saying that the home video opening spilled the beans about the city being an "island" floating in space.

[Monterey Jack]

Sorry, I thought you guys were saying that the home video opening spilled the beans about the city being an "island" floating in space.

That's literally the ONLY thing about the plot the opening narration didn't give away!

[AndyDursin]

I haven't seen it in a while but doesn't Sutherland describe the strangers (or whatever they were called) and "tuning". He basically gives everything away, in what was clearly a studio-mandated "it'll be better if we tell everyone upfront what's going on" type of narration.

The movie works so well if you don't hear any of it and just start the movie cold with Sewell waking up.

[Monterey Jack]

I haven't seen it in a while but doesn't Sutherland describe the strangers (or whatever they were called) and "tuning". He basically gives everything away, in what was clearly a studio-mandated "it'll be better if we tell everyone upfront what's going on" type of narration.

It does! Literally the only thing it doesn't give away is that the titular "city" is actually floating in space, but it gives away every other plot revelation, ruining the intended dreamlike weirdness that the movie was supposed to generate. Just take that opening narration out, and the movie is exponentially better.

[Monterey Jack]

It's officially Arrow, and will contain both cuts on separate 4K platters. Sweet collection of extras, too.



https://www.arrowvideo.com/4k/dark-city ... 25069.html

[AndyDursin]

Can't wait to revisit this one.

[AndyDursin]

Watched the UHD yesterday and this movie holds up great. Presaging not only THE MATRIX but also the abundance of comic book/super hero movies, which this holds just a teeeeeny bit of resemblance to (as Sutherland is basically "making" a hero to save the captive humans from the Strangers).

Arrow's disc does far better with HDR evoking textures in the darkness than any standard def transfer or even the older Blu-Ray. I did watch the Director's Cut over -- I'm so happy the first time I saw this in theaters I was running late and missed the studio-mandated introduction which spoiled the entire plot ahead of time.

The documentary is pretty good, Rufus Sewell talking about spending time in total darkness then running around Perth 'with Keifer' causing trouble. They mentioned JC was very nervous and still trying to "find her way" in terms of her career but was easy to work with. Movie tested poorly seemingly through every iteration and the studio was trying to make it easier for people "to get it" and speed the pace up. These days you probably wouldn't poll teens in malls the way they used to back then.

They also don't mention Trevor Jones and his score at all (probably one of the movie's weaker elements, it could've used something memorable and less bombastic).

[Monterey Jack]

Watched this morning. The transfer is truly exemplary, bringing out details I could never quite make out in the murkiness of the original DVD (or the DNR-slathered Blu-Ray). The movie itself holds up beautifully, the pell-mell pacing of the theatrical cut easily trumping the director's cut (the only benefit of which being the omission of the hand-holding opening narration...if Arrow had offered a version of the theatrical cut that allowed you to turn off Kiefer Sutherland's voice-over, it'd truly be the "ultimate" cut of the film). It's a remarkable mixture of sci-fi and film noir tropes, engrossing and exciting. Also, sadly, the last sighting of "Prime Jen", right before Connelly had her breast reduction and started starving herself to death. It's a long fall from this...



...to this.



There's no better illustration of what Hollywood does to certain actresses than the reduction of Connelly's enticing, baby-fat voluptuousness to the anorexic crone she's become post-90s. And the hell of it is, if you point it out on social media or on message boards, you get shouted down for "sexism" and/or "body-shaming". It's not just prurient interest in what she looked like when she was younger...she's looked downright unhealthy for over twenty years, and you'd have to be blind not to see it.