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Directed by John Cameron Mitchell
USA 2001

 

With this trailblazing musical, writer-director-star John Cameron Mitchell and composer-lyricist Stephen Trask brought their signature creation from stage to screen for a movie as unclassifiable as its protagonist. Raised a boy in East Berlin, Hedwig (Mitchell) undergoes a traumatic personal transformation in order to emigrate to the U.S., where she reinvents herself as an “internationally ignored” but divinely talented rock diva, characterized by Mitchell as inhabiting a “beautiful gender of one.” The film tells Hedwig’s story through her music, an eclectic assortment of original punk anthems and power ballads by Trask, matching them with a freewheeling cinematic mosaic of music-video fantasies, animated interludes, and moments of bracing emotional realism. A hard-charging song cycle and a tender character study, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a tribute to the transcendent power of rock and roll.

***

Adapted from the hit off-Broadway musical of the same name, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the tale of an "internationally ignored" rock & roll singer who hails from Communist Berlin and who dreams of becoming an American sensation. Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell), born a boy named Hansel, is raised by a single mother (Alberta Watson) who wishes to see her son do better than his poverty-stricken family. 

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: January 19th, 2001 (Sundance Film Festival)

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

New Line - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 'A' / B' - Blu-ray

1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT

2) Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT

 

Box Cover

 

    

Also released by Criterion, in the UK, on Blu-ray - July 22nd, 2019

Distribution New Line - Region 1 - NTSC Criterion - Spine #982 - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:31:24         1:31:47.502  
Video

1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.5 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 49,593,507,883 bytes

Feature: 24,884,846,592 bytes

Video Bitrate: 29.94 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate DVD:

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

English (Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, DTS 5.1 surround, Stereo surround)
Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

DTS-HD Master Audio English 4120 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4120 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)

Commentary:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

Subtitles English, None English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
New Line

 

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.85:1



Edition Details:
 Filmmaker Commentary
 2 Deleted Scenes with Filmmaker Commentary (10:26 & 1:38)
 Documentary
 Song by Song access to the film
 Cast and Crew Filmographies
 Theatrical Trailer (2:26)

DVD Release Date: June 3, 2003
Snapper Case
Chapters 26

Release Information:
Studio:
Criterion

 

2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 37,471,315,571 bytes

Feature: 30,857,963,520 bytes

Video Bitrate: 31.93 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

Audio commentary from 2001 featuring Mitchell and DeMarco
New conversation among members of the cast and crew (56:13)
New conversation between composer and lyricist Stephen Trask and rock critic David Fricke about the soundtrack (29:13)
Documentary from 2003 tracing the development of the project (1:25:28)
Close look at the film’s Adam and Eve sequence (19:20)
New programs exploring Hedwig's creation, look, and legacy through its memorabilia (18:49)
• Two Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Mitchell and DeMarco (12:12)
Trailer (2:22)
PLUS: An essay by critic Stephanie Zacharek, and (on the Blu-ray) portraits of Hedwig by photog­rapher Mick Rock, illustrations by animator Emily Hubley, and excerpts from two texts that inspired the film: Plato’s Symposium and The Gospel of Thomas


Blu-ray Release Date:
June 25th, 2019
Transparent Blu-ray Case

Chapters 22

 

 

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (May 2019): Criterion have transferred Hedwig and the Angry Inch to  Blu-ray. in both Region 'A' and 'B'. It is described as a "New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director John Cameron Mitchell and cinematographer Frank G. DeMarco". Yes, it has some teal-leaning but it meshes much better with the color palette than we have seen from other tealish revisions. We se this teal/orange infusion (see article HERE) and it's hard to critique when it is a director-approved transfer. Anyway, I didn't find it egregious, excepting in a few scenes, and there is a huge improvement in primary colors over the SD. The new image is brighter with more hue richness and depth. It also shows more information in the frame.

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English language. There are separations and impacting depth. We have the music written and produced by Stephen Trask mixing genres including the performances by John Cameron Mitchell, Trask, Miriam Shor, Bob Mould etc. . We get the Hedwig versions of Tear Me Down, The Origin of Love plus Sugar Daddy, Angry Inch, Wicked Little Town, The Long Grift and other pieces. Criterion offers optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' / 'B' Blu-ray.

The Criterion Blu-ray has many supplements. Also found on the New Line DVD, Criterion duplicate the 2001 DVD featuring the Mitchell and DeMarco commentary plus the two deleted scenes (with optional commentary) and the 1.5 hour 2003 documentary, directed by Laura Nix, that covers the story of Hedwig, from its inception of the character through her first appearance New York City's SqueezeBox party, to the off-Broadway productions of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and, finally, the making of the film. It features actor-director John Cameron Mitchell, composer-lyricist Stephen Trask, hairstylist-makeup artist Mike Potter, costume designer Arianne Phillips, animator Emily Hubley, and many others associated with the project. Criterion add a new 56-minute program, produced by Criterion Collection in February 2019, bringing together many of key collaborators on Hedwig and the Angry Inch, including actor-director John Cameron Mitchell, director of photography Frank G. DeMarco, composer-lyricist Stephen Trask, hairstylist-makeup artist Mike Potter, animator Emily Hubley, actor Miriam Shor, and visual consultant Miguel Villalobos. In it, they explore the project's early days, the challenges of making the film, and the legacy of their creation. There is a new 1/2 hour conversation between composer and lyricist Stephen Trask and rock critic David Fricke about the soundtrack. Music critic David Fricke first wrote about Hedwig and the Angry Inch after seeing the off-Broadway production at New York's Jane Street Theatre in 1998. In this program, recorded by the Criterion Collection in February 2019, Fricke talks to composer-lyricist Stephen Trask about Trask's band Cheater, how the band influenced his work on Hedwig, his influences, and his approach to creating the soundtrack's many iconic songs. There is a 20-minute close look at the film’s Adam and Eve sequence produced by the Sundance Channel in 2001, this short documentary investigates the creation of Hedwig and the Angry Inch's 'Adam and Eve' sequence, from its work-shopping at the Sundance Institute's Directors Lab. There are three new programs exploring Hedwig's creation, look, and legacy through its memorabilia - the origins, production, and legacy of Hedwig and the Angry Inch can be told through the vast archives collectively held by members of the film's cast and crew. Here, actor-director John Cameron Mitchell, costume designer Arianne Phillips, and hairstyle and makeup artist Mike Potter guide viewers through ephemera that illuminates their processes and inspires their memories. There is also a trailer and the liner notes booklet has an essay by critic Stephanie Zacharek, and (on the Blu-ray) portraits of Hedwig by photog­rapher Mick Rock, illustrations by animator Emily Hubley, and excerpts from two texts that inspired the film: Plato’s Symposium and The Gospel of Thomas.

As far as transgender punk-rock films go - this is the penultimate. With an evolution spanning years after the off-Broadway show, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is an insanely delightful and unique blend of irreverence, mockumentary, powerful musical, Cabaret, burlesque, humor... and the human condition. It's hard to call it anything less than a masterpiece and despite any prejudicial preconceptions - YOU must see it. It's another film I am very happy to own in a Criterion Blu-ray edition. Don't over-think this decision - just buy it. 

Gary Tooze and Colin Zavitz


Menus / Extras

 

 

Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP

2) Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


More Criterion - Region 'A'/'B' - Blu-ray Captures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Box Cover

 

    

Also released by Criterion, in the UK, on Blu-ray - July 22nd, 2019

Distribution New Line - Region 1 - NTSC Criterion - Spine #982 - Region 'A' / 'B' - Blu-ray


 


 

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