Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

• 'Christ Kid, You're a Weirdo' - interview with Heer (23:48)

• Binaural Headphone audio-track ('Be Inside Bubby's Head)

• 20-page color booklet

Bitrate:

 

Product Description
Awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, BAD BOY BUBBY with its hard hitting content of deprivation, mental illness and incest, shocked its audiences to become one of the most daring and controversial cult films of the 1990s. Nicholas Hope gives an astonishing performance as Bubby, a demented man-child kept locked for his entire life in a squalid apartment by his depraved mother who uses him for sex. When Bubby who can only communicate by mimicking what others say and do, escapes into the outside world, he soon discovers young women, crime, rock'n'roll, and pizza. Will this naive 'mad bastard' be destroyed by the realities of our cruel world, or does a higher calling ultimately await him in the most unlikely place of all? Bad Boy Bubby is released UNCENSORED, UNCUT, THE DIRECTOR S VISION on 3rd August 2009 for the first time in the UK on Blu-ray in a 3-disc box set also containing a DVD version and Digital Copy

Synopsis
Australian director Rolf de Heer's bizarre parable of innocence and corruption, belief and redemption, paints a decidedly grim picture while allowing hints of optimistic humanism to filter through. Bubby (Nicholas Hope) is a 35-year-old manchild, confined his whole life by his domineering mother--who uses him for sex--to a two-room tenement apartment. She has convinced Bubby that the air outside is poisonous, donning a gas mask every time she leaves; all this changes when Bubby's father, a priest who has lost his religion, shows up. His presence both demonstrates the possibility of breathing the air outside, and inspires Bubby to an act of violence that upsets his enclosed world. Finding himself out on the street, the antisocial, nearly mute Bubby must now encounter society, and his adventures run the gamut from poignant and funny to grim and brutal. He is seduced by a Salvation Army worker, adopted by a rock band with whom he performs, imprisoned, raped, and saved again.

An incredibly unique and eccentric film, BAD BOY BUBBY inspired some controversy upon its release, with some judging its themes so dark as to be unethical. But this verdict belies the compassion and empathy latent in the treatment, which expands the piece to encompass both disillusionment with society, as well as hope for humanity. The film noir style presents a gritty, raw view of a corrupt world, presented through honest, innocent eyes.

 

 

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Audio :

Of the stronger, lossless, audio options - the DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 2043 kbps seems to be the most dynamic with a few mix separations although I also found on the Dolby TrueHD that dialogue was a bit scattered - meaning it was probably that way originally. There is also a 2.0 channel track but I only tested it in a couple of scenes and it was expectantly flat. The complaint I do have is the lack of subtitles - not for the intentionally incoherent parts of the film, but for the dialogue that sports an Aussie accent. It can move at a fast pace and all the specific words can be difficult to identify. My Momitsu has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

Extras :

I was expecting a bit more out of the commentary with director Heer and actor Hope. It had gaps and certainly wasn't on the professional level of a Tony Rayns with heavy explanations for the onscreen activity. There was some but I think the 23 minute interview 'Christ Kid, You're a Weirdo' fulfilled some of the film's interpretations better. I tried the Binaural Headphone audio-track ('Be Inside Bubby's Head') a few times but didn't get anything out of it. It just seemed that Bubby's dialogue was muffled. This is probably my own fault for not persevering but it may be because of the screener copy that I have - I'm not sure but it's not a supplement I would probably indulge in regardless. There is an original theatrical trailer and second disc DVD with the film and same extras - plus a 3rd disc Digital copy and 20-page color booklet with some text on the film's censorship issues.