Fans of Ethan and Joel Coen's peculiar brand of filmmaking were no doubt thrilled when Fox Video announced a new letterboxed transfer of the Coen's best known work, 'Raising Arizona'. If you are among those, you should be well pleased with this new widescreen disc from Fox.
The new matted transfer of 'Raising Arizona' is quite good, better even than I expected from Fox who has been turning out some of the best transfers of late. Colors are strong and accurate with barely a hint of noise. The image is consistently sharp and clear with excellent detail. Contrast and brightness are excellent, giving the image a very natural appearance. The matted ratio is about 1.85:1 and improves the look of the film more than one might expect. Director Joel Coen's highly stylized compositions look even more striking in the proper widescreen proportions.
The Dolby Stereo soundtrack has neither the energy nor the impact of most modern actioners but the sound is clear and undistorted. There are few directional effects and limited use of the surround channel but dialog is natural sounding and easily understood.
The film runs 94 minutes and the disc contains 22 chapters. The side break is very well placed. No trailer or other extras are included. List price is $39.95.
It is probably useless to try to describe a film like 'Raising Arizona'. To call it a romance or a comedy would not convey a tenth of what it is. Some will "get it", and some will not. I prefer to use the leading character, H.I. McDonnough's description. "It ain't Ozzie and Harriet."
This review is copyright, and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the author.
