September

One of the most notable aspects of Twilight Time's limited edition of "September" on Blu-ray disc is the picture. If you compare it to earlier video releases of the film you notice right away how clean, textural and inviting the image is, but most of all it isn't orange.

Earlier duplicates, especially those that first came out on VHS, of Woody Allen's 1987 film seem never to have been color balanced. Since the entire movie is shot on a sound stage, under tungsten lighting, an orange cast on the negative is to be expected. But surely this is something that would have been fixed in the video transfer.

My first impression was that the coloration must be a conscious choice by award-winning, Italian-born cinematographer Carlo Di Palma, who became famous for his collaborations with Allen and Michelangelo Antonioni. But it seemed an aggressive choice for a film whose images are so composed and spare.

The picture in this release has naturally-colored warm tones offset by small cool strokes and shadowy gradations. In other words, this is how the film is meant to be seen. So why were previous releases orange?

One reason may be video distributors simply didn't care. The film went 20% over budget and made less than a half a million dollars at the box office, the lowest grossing film the director has ever made. The film surely garnered more on video than it ever did in the theater, but video audiences were missing out.

The whole film is incredibly subtle, foregoing flash and focusing on the acting with an eagle eye. Performance is incredibly important, as much of the action happens off screen - as incidents that take place before the movie starts; as sounds we hear while the camera is focused on something else; or even as suggested action, events that take place after the characters walk out of the frame and leave the room empty.

Allen's humor is at its most nuanced, as well. He never allows himself to hit a punchline too hard or overindulge in his characters' absurdities. He lets the ridiculous play out as it would in life, behind a veil of earnest intention.

Inspired by the plays of the master Russian realist Anton Chekhov ("Uncle Vanya," in particular), Allen spins a tale of unrequited love and restrained yearning. As the summer wanes to its close, Lane (Mia Farrow) convalesces at her summer home in Vermont after a failed suicide attempt. She has fallen in love with her guest house tenant Peter (Sam Waterston). He spends his time secretly seducing Lane's best friend Stephanie (Dianne Wiest), while the neighbor Howard (Denholm Elliott) does not attempt to hide his affection for Lane.

Add to this the theatrical narcissism of Lane's mother, Diane (Elaine Stritch), a faded starlet who pushes her daughter's buttons on every level, and Diane's fish-out-of-water physicist husband (Jack Warden), a man who spins around in his head while the people around him spin around in their hearts.

Ultimately, everyone is trapped in their own self-indulgence, and this is no better described than by a house that is filled with light but never offers a view to the outside world. We remain claustrophobically trapped in a building that (we can only assume) is surrounded by natural splendor.

Twilight Time's release of "September" is a rare treasure, presented as the film should be seen. And if you'd like to see the orange cast of the original video that I described, it has been preserved in the theatrical trailer, also on this Blu-ray disc.

"September"
Blu-ray
$29.95
www.twilighttimemovies.com/