David Fincher’s 'Seven' is a dark masterpiece of white-knuckle tension and unrelenting psychological terror. On the surface, it’s a routine cops-and-killer story, about a serial killer obsessed with the seven deadly sins and two cops hot on his trail. The serial killer chooses his victims according to their perceived vices, and the grotesque hook of the screenplay is that he dispenses each victim in a manner that reflects their trespasses.
Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt are both perfect as the jaded retiree-to-be and his younger, gung-ho replacement. Set in a nameless urban metropolis, 'Seven' recalls the style and atmosphere of such trend-setting classics as 'Metropolis', 'Blade Runner' and 'Brazil'. David Fincher’s music video background is clearly evident, but it’s the perfect marriage with this dark, nihilistic material.
A companion piece to the serial-killer thriller 'The Silence of the Lambs', 'Seven' is a movie that most viewers either really loved or really hated. I’ve never heard someone say they thought it was "just good" (for the record, I feel it was the very best film of 1995).
There are 2 laserdisc editions available. There’s a movie-only version from New Line Home Video ($49.95) and a deluxe Criterion Collection Edition ($124.95) that’s packed with lots of supplementaries. Both versions are mastered for Dolby AC-3 and both are letterboxed for the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 ('Seven' was filmed in Super 35, thus the masking hides vertical information at the top and bottom of what would be the full-frame image on videocassette, while restoring an appreciable amount of picture information to the sides).
David Fincher personally supervised the transfer to laserdisc (both the New Line and Criterion versions are mastered from the same print of the film), and the print utilized what’s called a "silver retention" process: through a special development process, more silver adheres to the dark parts of the film and less sticks to the light parts. The result is that the blacks and shadows are darker and the brights and whites are lighter. Fincher wanted to achieve a look on laserdisc whereby the darkest shadows in the film would match and thereby "spill over" to the black borders of the letterboxing. With your monitor adjusted properly, both discs of 'Seven' offer a better picture than most viewers saw in theaters.
The audio on both versions is identical, with a carefully-manipulated sound design. There are times when characters whisper and the viewer must lean forward to listen; other times an abrupt burst of gunfire or a jarring intrusion of background music knocks you out of your seat—this is the shocking effect Fincher was looking for, so it’s best not to touch your volume control once the movie begins.
The New Line Version is a 2-disc program. Sides 1 and 2 are in CLV (the side break between 1 and 2 is perfect). Side 3 is in CAV (the platter break between sides 2 and 3 is a bit abrupt and interrupts the deliberate momentum of the final act. More on this later, when I mention the Criterion side breaks).
Lovers of this terrific movie, wannabe filmmakers who wish to study Fincher’s signature style and craft, and laser buffs who crave another flawless demonstration disc will want to invest in the more expensive deluxe edition from Criterion. It’s an all-CAV, 4-disc, 7-sided program, housed in a bold, black box.
Given the time constraints of CAV, the side and platter breaks are remarkable. The platter break between sides 2 and 3 is identical to the New Line side break. Only the final platter break during the film (between sides 4 and 5) is awkward, because it completes a visual cue without the introductory audio cue that leads to the following scene. Side 4 ends with a shot of Morgan Freeman. The ominous music that begins at this moment is muted, the platter breaks, and the first 2 seconds of side 5 begin with this music fading in over a black screen, and then the new scene begins. While this is a bit odd, it’s the only way to have properly accommodated the platter break without "cutting" the music. Compared to New Line’s platter break (which occurs a few minutes later), the Criterion version is better-timed because the final confrontation survives completely intact, without interruptions.
Criterion has assembled a terrific supplementary section, too. On analog track 1, Brad Pitt hosts an insightful scene-specific audio commentary, which also features director David Fincher, Morgan Freeman, screenwriter Kevin Andrew Walker, production designer Arthur Max and makeup whiz Rob Bottin. There’s a segment of "dailies"—single-camera takes of entire scenes, some containing dialogue that was ultimately deleted from the final version of the film—and a look at the original opening sequence which survived all the way to the final test screenings. In it, Morgan Freeman’s character looks over the secluded country house he’s going to buy after he retires. An important gesture in this excised scene is revisited and alluded to repeatedly throughout the film (it has to do with a piece of flower wallpaper) and other deleted moments are included in the supplementary section.
For comic relief, you can watch a series of outtakes, as Brad Pitt repeatedly flubs a line while Morgan Freeman maintains a straight face. There’s the chilling theatrical trailer; eight TV spots; a still-frame collection of dozens of poster concepts; an alternate, tamer version of the psychedelic opening-credits sequence; and a behind-the-scenes "making-of" featurette.
Rob Bottin also narrates a fascinating segment that focuses on the grotesque make-up effects, with footage of his creations that never made it into the final version of the film. And there’s a chapter of storyboards, including the storyboards for the film’s alternate ending (which was never actually filmed, but is described in detail. For more please see note at the end of this review).
For a touch of the morbid, the Criterion version also has a still-frame chapter of the graphic crime scene photographs Rob Bottin took for use in the film, and an up-close, step-by-step examination of the killer’s diaries. Another fiendishly clever touch: the 4-page color insert containing chapter stop listings and production credits replicates several pages of the actual diaries.
VITAL STATISTICS: The Criterion Collection: 4 discs, 7 sides; CAV; Widescreen (2.35:1); Dolby Stereo Surround; AC-3; Chapter Stops; extensive supplementary section; $124.95. New Line Home Video (movie only): 2 discs, 3 sides;
CLV/CAV; Widescreen (2.35:1); Dolby Stereo Surround; AC-3; Chapter Stops; $49.95.
WARNING:
Please DO NOT read below this point if you haven’t seen the film, since I will be discussing the ending.
NOTE: Fearful of the film’s unremittingly bleak ending, New Line executives panicked and the result was a hastily-scripted so-called "happier" alternate ending. As detailed on storyboards, this "lighter" resolution had Somerset (Morgan Freeman) killing John Doe just before Mills (Brad Pitt) pulled his trigger. That way, John Doe’s plans have not been fulfilled—he’s "failed" because Somerset, not the vengeful Mills, has interceded and executed him. Brad Pitt was a supporter of the darker ending all along and Pitt used his clout to guarantee that the studio not alter the ending.
S. Damien Segal.
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