Disc Reviews
Dark City 4K Review
A man wakes in a darkened motel room. He doesn’t know how he got there or who he is. He dresses, leaves and starts a journey of discovery through a very wet and darkened city to discover who he is, why he may be a wanted man, and who the pale faced darkly clad strangers are in pursuit of him. But he also has local detective (William Hurt) on the case, as well as his wife (Jennifer Connolly) and a very strange doctor (Kiefer Sutherland).
To spill any more beans would spoil the fun. This is like retrofitted science fiction when you see the surroundings. Alex Proyas 1996 dark science fiction noir is a typical tale of an underseen, missed, film on its theatrical run that very swiftly became a hit on the video market.
It would be wise for new viewers of this film to watch the director’s cut version first. Why? Well, cause the theatrical cut has a very “tell all” voice over from Sutherland’s character right at the start that pretty much gives some big surprise information away. This was studio enforced directions as they thought people would be confused, which is kind of the fucking point. So, do yourself a favour and start with the Director’s Cut. You will thank me for it.”
The film had a fairly low budget at the time, but Proyas and his team really milked every penny and it’s all on screen in every scene. The sets and lighting are as important a character as the people walking through them. It’s a credit to anyone who worked on the film that it looks so good and has such a rich quality to the feel of the world that has been created. Add to this that time and various decades from the 1900s have been interspersed throughout to give the city a hallucinatory timeless feel to it.
Into the early 2000s the film had earned its way onto a fairly decent American DVD set that saw well renowned American film critic Roger Ebert provide a very insightful commentary track over the film. Add to this on a second track the team of three writers Lem Dobbs, David S Goyer and Proyas, along with the DP Dariusz Wolski and production designer Patrick Tatopoulos (all highly regarded in their fields) which is just as inciteful. So, it has to be said right away that Dark City has the monopoly on some of the best Commentary extras given to a single film. For this edition you get new extra commentary tracks including a new one form the director Proyas.
You also get two very meaty documentaries- Memories of Shell Beach, a 2008 doc that serves as the first proper making of. And then there is a fresh hour doc put together by Arrow Video called Return to Dark City. Both of these are well worth investing time in. Arrow have also put together a couple of visual essays. It’s a must have set for fans of the film, but for cinephiles in general. There is a lot to learn about the business by looking into the background of this film. Dark City is a cult of cult films and remains jaw dropping and interesting almost 30 years later.
Steven Hurst
2-DISC 4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
• Brand new 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negatives approved by director of photography Dariusz Wolski
• 4K Ultra HD (2160p) Blu-ray presentations of both the Director’s Cut and Theatrical Cut of the film
• Original DTS-HD MA 5.1, stereo 2.0 and new Dolby Atmos audio options for both cuts of the film
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• 60-page perfect bound collectors book featuring new writing by author Richard Kadrey, and film critics Sabina Stent, Virat Nehru and Martyn Pedler
• Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
• Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
• Three postcard-sized reproduction art cards
• Postcard from Shell Beach
• Dr Schreber business card
DISC 1: DIRECTOR’S CUT
• Brand new audio commentary by director Alex Proyas
• Brand new audio commentary with Craig Anderson, Bruce Isaacs and Herschel Isaacs, co-hosts of the Film Versus Film podcast
• Archive audio commentary by director Alex Proyas
• Archive audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert
• Archive audio commentary by writers Lem Dobbs and David S. Goyer
• Archive introduction by Alex Proyas
• Return to Dark City, a new hour-long documentary featuring interviews with director Alex Proyas, producer Andrew Mason, production designers Patrick Tatopoulos and George Liddle, costume designer Liz Keough, storyboard artist Peter Pound, director of photography Darius Wolski, actor Rufus Sewell, hair & makeup artist Leslie Vanderwalt and VFX creative director Peter Doyle
• Rats in a Maze, a new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra West
• I’m as Much in the Dark as You Are, a new visual essay by film scholar Josh Nelson on film noir and identity in Dark City
DISC 2: THEATRICAL CUT
• Archive audio commentary by director Alex Proyas, writers Lem Dobbs & David S. Goyer, director of photography Dariusz Wolski and production designer Patrick Tatopoulos
• Archive audio commentary by film critic Roger Ebert
• Memories of Shell Beach, a 2008 featurette in which cast and crew look back at the making of the film from concept to reception
• Architecture of Dreams, a 2008 featurette presenting five perspectives on the themes and meanings of the film
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
Dark City is out on 4K Blu-Ray on June 23rd