BY DARREN ALLISON
It
was age and (bad) timing that prevented me from catching Badlands on its
original theatrical release. I finally caught up with it many years later when
it was shown as part of the BBC’s popular film season ‘Moviedrome’. Introduced
by film director Alex Cox, the yearly summer season consisted of a selection of
cult, exploitation, oddities and forgotten film gems. The inclusion of Badlands
certainly made an impact which would stay with me long after the final credits had
rolled.
Set
in 1959, Badlands is based (loosely) on the real-life murder spree of Charles
Starkweather and his girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate. It was written and directed
by Terrence Malick and marked his feature film debut. Often considered as a
recluse, perhaps because of his refusal to take part in interviews, Malick’s
film work has always divided opinion. Malick began working on the screenplay
for Badlands in 1970 at the age of 27 and raised half of the budget himself in
order to get the film into production.
A
great deal of Badlands is told from the perspective of the impressionable 15-year-old
Holly Sargis (Sissy Spacek). Holly is a shy, teenage girl living in the South
Dakota town of Fort Dupree. She lives with her sign painter father (Warren
Oates), although their relationship has been somewhat tested since her mother
died of pneumonia. Holly meets the 25-year-old Kit Carruthers (Martin Sheen), a
garbage collector with a troubled past and who quietly relishes in his often
remarked resemblance to actor James Dean. Kit uses his charismatic charms on Holly,
and she begins to fall in love with him. Holly's initial voice over reveals her
innocence and her adventure with Kit as a romantic fairy-tale. But the
fairy-tale soon turns sour with the gradual unfolding of Kit's increasing
antisocial and violent behaviour.
Badlands
works on just about every level. The film was picked up by Warner Bros after
making an impact at the 1973 New York Film Festival, although previewing the
film on a double bill with the Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles (1973) didn’t
really do the film any favours. Thankfully, the film finally found its own
wings and established a credible and respected life of its own. It works as a
great companion piece with Arthur Penn’s Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Both are
excellent examples of the American biographical crime film. It’sperhaps no
surprise then that Malick began his career as a protégé of Arthur Penn, who is thanked
in the closing credits.
The
Warner Bros. special edition release of Badlands looks exceptionally clean and
clear with vivid but natural colours. The dividing line between sandy textured
prairies and the vibrant blue skies of Montana are greatly enriched and
improved, adding new life to the superb cinematography of Takashi Fujimoto.
Audio is also clear throughout with effects such as gunshots providing plenty
of additional punch. It’s also great to see the original red Saul Bass-designed
Warner communication company logo restored to the film’s opening. It not only
sets the tone, but does everything to keep the film in the correct timeline.
In
reference to bonus material, this is something of a mixed bag. Whist Warner’s
packaging suggests a featurette, which is in the style of the original (and
very good) Blue Underground documentary ‘Absence of Malick’ (24.00), it also
suggests cast and crew member interviews and the trailer. Firstly I think it
should be made clear, that the Blu-ray disc only contains the making of
documentary. There are no additional cast and crew interviews and in fact,
there is no sign of the trailer. I reverted to the DVD edition in the same
package, where again, there is no sign of any additional cast and crew member
interviews, but there is a trailer (of course in standard definition). Why the
trailer does not appear on the Blu-ray, I have no idea. So in order to see the
trailer one would have to switch to the DVD in order to view it, which is
neither a good policy nor practical.
The Premium Collection packaging is again very
attractive with its outer slipcase using the film poster, the download token
and the four art cards consisting of original film artwork and three scenes
from the movie. It’s all very nice, but I remain seriously confused at how
Warner Bros have produced and authorised the content within this edition. The
film, however, remains a classic of the genre and it has never looked better.
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