Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Robert Altman
USA 1982

Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is one of the wonderful highlights of an under-appreciated chapter of director Robert Altman's career. Between the box office disappointment of Popeye (1980) and the explosive comeback of The Player (1992), Altman returned to lower-budgeted, independent filmmaking, often boldly experimenting with how theatre work could be inventively adapted for cinema and television. This period of Altman's oeuvre also includes such masterworks as Streamers (1983), Secret Honor (1984), and Tanner '88 (1988), but was initiated by Come Back, and this funny, touching film of the play by Ed Graczyk (who adapted it for the screen) is a triumph.

Altman's film also jump-started the serious acting career of Cher, nominated for a Golden Globe for her role as Sissy, one of the "Disciples of James Dean", an all-women fan club devoted to the late actor, meeting for a reunion at a crumbling Woolworth's in a small Texas town in 1975. Joined by group leader Mona (Sandy Dennis) and the glamorous, initially mysterious Joanne (Karen Black), the women recall their love for Dean, and the club that began twenty years earlier when the actor was in a nearby town filming Giant, and the fatal car accident that followed. Soon, as more memories of 1955 are recalled, secrets are revealed and old friendships are put to the test.

Reuniting Altman with his previous stars Dennis (That Cold Day in the Park) and Black (Nashville), and providing Kathy Bates with an early feature role, Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is a study of nostalgia's ability to distort the past, and another of the director's fascinating portraits of the friendships between women. It's also one of Altman's warmest and most entertaining movies. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Robert Altman's Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean for the first time ever in the UK in a Dual Format edition.

***

Robert Altman directed this low-budget film version of the play by Ed Graczyk, also directed by Altman on Broadway with the same cast. The film takes place in the small Texas town of McCarthy in 1975. Inside of a five-and-dime store, a reunion is planned for the members of a local 1950s James Dean fan club. An odd assortment of women arrive, revealing hidden secrets, as Altman flashes back, showing the women as young James Dean fans, and then jumps forward to present day to reveal the ravages of time and lost innocence. Among the women returning for the reunion is Mona (Sandy Dennis), a disturbed woman who, in the '50s, got a job as an extra on the Giant shoot and nine months later gave birth to a son, who she claims is James Dean's child. There is Sissy (Cher), a wisecracking waitress, and also Joanne (Karen Black), who holds a shocking secret that is revealed at the reunion. Besides the three main players, a collection of supporting characters maneuver around the periphery. They are Stella Mae (Kathy Bates), the wife of a rich petroleum executive; Edna Louise (Marta Heflin), a shy, withdrawn woman with numerous children; Juanita (Sudie Bond), the manager of the five-and-dime store; and Joe Qualley (Mark Patton), a young man who likes to dress up in women's clothing.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: October 21st, 1982

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Review: Masters of Cinema - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Also on Blu-ray in Region 'A' from Olive Films:
Distribution	Masters of Cinema - Spine #208 - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:49:54.045
Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 45,565,313,508 bytes Feature: 34,187,198,016 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.88 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit Audio Commentary: LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Masters of Cinema 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 45,565,313,508 bytes Feature: 34,187,198,016 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.88 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • New and exclusive feature-length audio commentary by Lee Gambin • Cutting Jimmy Dean [25:17 mins] New and exclusive interview with film editor Jason Rosenfield • Designing Jimmy Dean [11:16 mins] New and exclusive interview with art director David Gropman • Original Theatrical Trailer (02:05) • PLUS: a collector s booklet featuring new essays by film critic and writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Travis Crawford Review Blu-ray Release Date: July 22nd, 2019 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 8

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (July 2019): Eureka presents Robert Altman's "Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" from a newly updated version of the 2012 TFF funded restoration. The film is located on a dual-layered Blu-ray disc and features a maxed out bitrate. The film has a heavy, thick texture that only emphasizes the authentically modest clarity of the visuals. This was the chosen look of the film (it was, after all, shot on super 16 and then blown up to 35mm.) We may compare to the 2015 Olive Blu-ray but strongly suspect that this Altman film in 1080p looks similar. This transfer is simply a function of how the film and it's low budget roots.

Thankfully, Eureka have chosen to include the film in its original uncompressed linear PCM (24-bit). Given that the film is based on a play, it is a relief that this track features crisp, intelligible dialogue. The music includes Jo Ann Harris' Keep on Walking, The McGuire Sisters' Sincerely, It May Sound Silly, You'll Never Know Till Monday, Seems Like Old Times, If It's a Dream and Melody of Love among others. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'B' Blu-ray from Eureka's The Masters of Cinema.

There is a new commentary track with Lee Gambin. He talks about Altman's career, specifically in how he explored multiple genres and re-envisioned them. The film historian and author goes on to discuss how "Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" falls in line with Altman's trio of female-centric horror films; "That Cold Day in the Park" (with Sandy Denis keeping a man trapped in her house,) "Images" (repressed sexuality and neurosis), and "3 Women" (to which Gambin terms an identity horror film). From there he covers many topics such as the play on which the film was based, to the wonderful cast and crew. This is a very well-researched commentary track, full of fascinating tidbits and asides, typical of Gambin. Kudos to Masters of Cinema for letting him cover this film (he also produced the other extras here on the disc) as he has a clear fondness for "Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean" and everyone involved. Speaking of those other extras, we get a 25-minute interview with film editor Jason Rosenfield and an 11-minute talk with art director David Gropman. The film's trailer rounds out the disc. There is also a collector's booklet featuring new essays by film critic and writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Travis Crawford.

How can you go wrong with a Robert Altman adaptation of an outstanding play by Ed Graczyk, starring Sandy Denis, Cher, Karen Black, Kathy Bates, and Mark Patton. The film is a powerful adaptation, with Altman working his magic to emphasize some subtext while creating an uncomfortable sense of the uncanny, not unlike "3 Women". Lee Gambin's commentary is worth the purchase alone, and despite not looking too polished, I would be curious as to how much better this film could look (given its super 16mm roots). Absolutely recommended to Region 'B' fans that didn't get the commentary-less Region 'A' Olive Blu-ray from 2015.