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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
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"Eating Raoul"
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Reviewed
by: |
Wayne
Klein |
| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Video: |
Widescreen
anamorphic 1.85:1 |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English,
French |
| Length |
83 minutes
|
| Rating |
R |
| Release Date |
4/13/04 |
| Studio |
Columbia-Tristar
Home Video |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
None |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
For other Columbia/Tristar
releases |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
None |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Paul Bartel,
Mary Woronov, Robert Beltran, Ed Begley, Jr., Buck Henry, Susan
Saiger |
| Written
By: |
Richard Blackburn
and Paul Bartel |
| Produced
By: |
Annie Kimmel |
| Directed
By: |
Paul Bartel
|
| Music:
|
Arlon Ober |
| The
Review: |
Comedy is always subjective. What
I find funny, you may not so I suppose it comes down to a
matter of taste. "Eating Raoul" provides enough tasty morsels
to make for an entertaining meal. Paul Bartel's dead pan black
comedy finally comes to DVD and, not surprisingly, retains
much of its comedic edge. ***
Paul Bland's (Bartel) obsession
ultimate becomes his undoing. He wants to own a country restaurant.
Nothing fancy just upscale and important enough to attract
high profile visitors and reviews. There's just one thing
standing in his way--lack of money. He and his wife Mary (Mary
Woronov) hit upon a great way to generate revenue--murder.
After one of their neighbors becomes a little too friendly
and Paul clocks him with a pan, they discover the way to their
dream--killing unsuspecting sex "perverts". They advertise
in "swinger's" magazines to gain prospective "clients" ***
There's a complication. Raoul (Robert
Beltran of "Star Trek Voyager") a thief and con man discovers
what's going on. He wants a piece of the action. He also wants
a piece of Mary as well. He agrees to dispose of the bodies
and, in return, Mary and Paul will give him a cut of the profits.
When Raoul proves to be less than a team player things take
a complicated turn for the worse. ---
|
| Image
and Sound: |
"Raoul" looks
pretty good considering the low budget nature of the original
film. What matters most, though, are the performances and they're
as sharp as ever. The picture quality looks pretty good overall
although there were a couple of shots (particularly during close
ups) that looked as if the anamorphic transfer wasn't done correctly.
The faces were a little too wide for the screen. It's possible
that's due to the lens Bartel chose to shoot the close ups with.
More than likely, it was part of the intent of Bartel and the
look of the film although, curiously, we don't see that effect
during long or medium shots. There's few of the analog artifacts
(I.e., garbage such as hair, dirty, etc.) and digital artifacts
I've come to expect with older films. Overall, the condition
of the print is really good which makes the picture quality
of the DVD even better than expected. Unfortunately, I don't
have a widescreen version to compare it to so will have to assume
that's the case as most of the other scenes look correct. ---
|
| The
Extras: |
Starving
for extras? You'll continue to be after this meal. It's full
of empty calories beyond the feature film. There's a handful
of Columbia -Tristar trailers for other recent film releases.
I'm surprised given the availability of Robert Beltran and Ed
Begley, Jr. Bartel, sadly, isn't with us any longer although
I don't doubt there would have been plenty of interviews from
which a commentary track might have been assembled. Also, why
no tribute to him? Bartel's unique deadpan sense of humor was
a rarity in Hollywood where just about ever director felt everything
needed to be spelled out for viewers. Bartel gained his experience
working for Roger Corman. Why not give us a glimpse of Bartel's
beginnings at Roger Corman's low budget film factory?. At the
very least, Columbia could have licensed the hilarious episode
of "Amazing Stories" that Bartel starred in (with Mary of course)
and directed back in the 80's. Sadly, the meager extras included
here will leave you hungry after 83 minutes. Then again, you
could always watch the movie again. It's also possible that
Bartel wouldn't have wanted to include any outtakes, etc. ---
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| Commentary:
|
Woronov could
have provided an interesting commentary if she had been asked.
Likewise Beltran or Begley probably had funny and interesting
stories about the making of this film. There are other cult
films ("The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai") that have come with
commentary tracks. "Eating Raoul" may be a cult film but it
certainly has enough of an audience following to make it worthwhile
to pursue. A droll commentary would have been the perfect after
dinner mint for this delightful meal of a movie. |
| Final
Words: |
"Eating Raoul"
isn't for everyone. The dead pan wit and black comedy of the
film recalls a time when an off beat comedy could be made without
the necessity of pandering to low IQ's. "Raoul" has more in
common with "Dr. Strangelove" than with "There's Something About
Mary". "Raoul" comes across as a romantic deadpan comedy. Really,
Paul's devotion to Mary even in its puritan "Leave it to Beaver"
style comes across as touching in a bizarre sort of way. "Raoul"
will always remain an acquired taste. While it would have been
better to include more stuff on the menu, the nicely done high
quality anamorphic transfer looks pretty good. "Eating Raoul"
provides less than a full meal in this stingy DVD release. It's
a pity as Columbia-Tristar would probably have done better to
license this out to a company like Anchor Bay as they would
have put the extra time and effort into the project. |
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