I only saw 'Highlander' once when it played—and died—in theaters 10 years ago, and I have to admit that I hated it with a passion. It gave me a headache, it confused me, it made me laugh at all the wrong places.
Hell be to all film critics who panned it, 'Highlander' nevertheless established a devoted following and prompted two sequels and a TV series. And I must admit that when I begrudgingly watched the film again on video a few years later, I absorbed the film more, and actually enjoyed it. It helps that the two sequels were both completely wretched.
The only way most of the 'Highlander' cultists have ever been able to see the film is on video, in a grainy, murky, poorly-cropped version that does injustice to director Russell Mulcahy’s adrenaline-charged visual panache. Many critics blasted the film because of Mulcahy’s rock video style (I mean, if you can’t tell within 5 minutes that Mulcahy cut his teeth on MTV videos, get yourself a new hobby). This hyperkinetic approach is now de rigueur for action adventures, and the film, once a ticket to a throbbing migraine, seems comparatively static by today’s faster quick-cut standards.
This new laserdisc celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the film, and it’s a glorious package. The film has been digitally remastered and letterboxed (this Super 35 film was projected at 2.35:1 in theaters; it’s presented at 1.85:1 here) and the framing is fantastic. The colors are vibrant, the brightness and contrast levels are deep and satisfying. Some scenes exhibit an appreciable amount of grain, but this disc’s image is a vast improvement over all previous tape and disc editions. My only curiosity comes during the closing credits: though the film is presented at 1.85:1, the credits are squeezed into the frame, as if from an anamorphic 2.35:1 print.
The entire package has been THX-certified (and I love that new THX intro!).
The sound has been remixed for Dolby Digital AC-3 and it is earth-shattering. I’ve been hearing many complaints lately about poor sound and audio problems (no bass; shifting dialogue from left to right to center; an overall "flat" quality to the music) and all I can suggest is that there may be a few defective discs floating around out there. Aside from a slightly fluctuating dialogue level (the dialogue is too soft at times so I needed to pump up the center-channel volume to hear better), my copy demonstrates one of the most aggressive surround mixes in my laserdisc library, with thundering bass and crisp, detailed high-end effects. The directional/separation effects are enveloping and really heighten the excitement. This disc sounds great.
The film itself is presented on one disc, in CLV. It is the so-called "Director’s Cut" which is six minutes longer than the version that played in U.S. theaters and has been on video since 1986. After HBO video announced that they’d acquired video distribution rights to 'Highlander' (the film was released domestically by 20th Century Fox), they sent screener cassettes to video retailers—this screener cassette was, in fact, this extended "Director’s Cut," so this version has "legally" been circulating underground for 10 years. This cut restores entire scenes and expands others—some of the excisions were made because of violent content, others were made because studio hacks deemed some flashbacks too confusing for American audiences; we so dumb anyway.
The main supplementaries include an insightful running audio commentary by director Mulcahy and producers Willaim Panzer and Peter Davis, and the film’s theatrical trailer. There are hundreds of behind the scenes photographs, and pictures of deleted scenes (these scenes were destroyed by the studio years ago). A complete text of the screenplay is included for page-by-page perusal, as are studio documents detailing the production and publicity, and copies of critical reviews. The bulk of the supplementary material is tedious, interactive still-step stuff, and I wish there was more actual video material (The second trailer? The Queen music video? A making-of featurette from an electronic press kit? On-camera interviews? TV spots? Trailers for the admittedly-inferior sequels?). A chapter devoted to a 3-D computer-graphic representation of the "Katana" sword is, quite frankly, a waste of valuable disc space. Side 3 of the second platter contains the extras, all in CAV.
The triple-gatefold jacket is gorgeous, with a glossy representation of McLeod’s sword and the film’s title embossed in gold. Since the triple-gatefold would easily house 3 platters, I wonder if this special edition was originally conceived as an all-CAV, 3 disc set. The film would certainly beg for a CAV pressing, so fans could dissect the elaborate visual effects.
Vital statistics: Republic Entertainment; 2 discs, 3 sides; CLV/CAV; Widescreen (1.85:1); THX; Dolby Stereo Surround; Dolby Digital AC-3; Chapter stops; Closed captioned; $69.95
S. Damien Segal.
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