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directed by Sofia Coppola
USA 1999
A dark comedy punctuated by moments of drama, The Virgin Suicides explores the emotional underpinnings of a family starting to come apart at the seams in 1970's Midwestern America. The Lisbons seem like an ordinary enough family; Father (James Woods) teaches math at a high school in Michigan, Mother (Kathleen Turner) has a strong religious faith, and they have five teenage daughters, ranging from 13-year-old Cecilia (Hannah Hall) to 17-year-old Therese (Leslie Hayman). However, the Lisbon family's sense of normalcy is shattered when Cecilia falls into a deep depression and attempts suicide. The family is shaken and Mother and Father seek the advice of psychiatrist Dr. Hornicker (Danny DeVito), who suggests the girls should be allowed to socialize more with boys. However, boys soon become a serious problem for Cecilia's sister Lux (Kirsten Dunst). Lux has attracted the eye of a high-school Romeo named Trip (Josh Hartnett), who assures Father of his good intentions. But Cecilia finally makes good on her decision to kill herself, throwing the Lisbons into a panic; and after attending a school dance, Trip seduces and then abandons Lux. The Lisbons pull their daughters out of school, as an emotionally frayed Mother keeps close watch over them. Meanwhile, Lux continues to attract the attentions of the local boys, and she responds with a series of clandestine sexual episodes with random partners as often as she can sneak out of the house. The debut feature from Sofia Coppola (whose father, Francis Ford Coppola, co-produced this film), The Virgin Suicides also features supporting performances from Scott Glenn and Giovanni Ribisi. The film was shown as part of the Directors Fortnight series as the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. With this debut feature, Sofia Coppola announced her singular vision, exploring the aesthetics of femininity while illuminating the interior lives of young women. An adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides’s popular first novel, The Virgin Suicides conjures the ineffable melancholy of teenage longing and ennui in its story of the suicides of the five Lisbon sisters, stifled by the rules of their overprotective religious parents—as told through the collective memory of a group of men who were boys at the time and still yearn to understand what happened. Evoking its 1970s suburban setting through ethereal cinematography by Ed Lachman and an atmospheric score by Air, the film secured a place for its director in the landscape of American independent cinema and has become a coming-of-age touchstone. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: May 19th, 1999 (Cannes Film Festival)
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Review: Criterion Collection - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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Distribution |
Criterion Collection - Spine #920 Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
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Runtime | 1:37:00.147 | |
Video |
Disc Size: 47,851,152,619 bytes Feature Size: 30,549,252,096 bytes Average Bitrate: 36.12 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Audio |
DTS-HD Master Audio English 3763 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3763 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) |
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Subtitles | English (SDH), none | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion Collection
Disc Size: 47,851,152,619 bytes Feature Size: 30,549,252,096 bytes Average Bitrate: 36.12 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
• Strange
Magic (13:13) Chapters 16 |
Comments |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. The Criterion is advertised as a "New 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Ed Lachman and approved by director Sofia Coppola". It is strikingly different from the two DVDs that we have compared captures of below. The new 1080P is much brighter, sharper and has golden hues. It looks luscious and rich - very beautiful. There is a Spanish Blu-ray HERE and a French one HERE, but we don't own it to compare. This new 4K restored image looks magnificent on my system - a welcome upgrade to the drab SD transfers. The film is presented in robust DTS-HD Master Audio in 5.1 surround (24-bit). There are separations but the film doesn't export many - with dialogue dominating. The score is credited to the French band 'Air' performing Ce Matin La but there is a variety of music in The Virgin Suicides including 70s era songs by Sloan, Todd Rundgren, The Hollies, Heart, Electric Light Orchestra, Styx, 10CC, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Carole King, The Bee Gees and others. There are optional SDH English subtitles are included on the Blu-ray disc.
Criterion have given us a few extras here, first up is
the all-new 2018 featurette "Revisiting The Virgin
Suicides." This program features interviews with
director Sofia Coppola, actors Kirsten Dunst and Josh
Hartnett, and cinematographer Ed Lachman. Next up is the
23- minute "Making of The Virgin Suicides." While
Sofia Coppola was directing her first feature, her
mother, the artist and filmmaker Eleanor Coppola, was
there documenting the production. That making-of video
is presented here featuring interviews with both Sofia
and Eleanor, actors Kirsten Dunst, Scott Glenn, Josh
Hartnett, Kathleen Turner, and James Woods; author
Jeffrey Eugenides; Francis Ford Coppola; and others from
the cast and crew. Criterion also give us, "Jeffrey
Eugenides," an interview with the author. The Virgin
Suicides was Jeffrey Eugenides's debut novel, and
interestingly enough, Sofia Coppola adapted it to the
screen for her debut feature. In this new interview,
Eugenides talks about his inspiration for the book,
being on set during the film's production, and what
Coppola brought to the story of the Lisbon sisters. "Strange
Magic" is another brand new program, featuring
writer and Rookie editor in chief Tavi Gevinson. For 13
minutes, Tavi explores The Virgin Suicides
through the lens of adolescence, suicide, and memory. It
features Gevinson's own writing and imagery from a
fanzine she made about Sofia Coppola's movie in 2012.
Criterion have also provided Sofia Coppola's 1998 short
film, "Lick the Star." The 14-minute film was
made the same year she began production on The Virgin
Suicides, and has similar themes, also featuring
high school students. Also here is the "Playground
Love" music video. Sofia Coppola commissioned Air to
score The Virgin Suicides. "Playground Love,"
one of the songs the band wrote for the film, was
directed by Coppola and her brother Roman Coppola. There
is also a trailer for the film and an essay by novelist
Megan Abbott. - Colin Zavitz |
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