Review by Gary Tooze

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• Trailer (2:26)
PLUS: A booklet featuring a 1990 piece about the film by Pedro Almodóvar, a conversation between critic Kent Jones and filmmaker Wes Anderson, and an interview with Almodóvar from 1989

2 DVD of the feature and extras

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Description: Pedro Almodóvar’s colorful and controversial tribute to the pleasures and perils of Stockholm syndrome, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! is a rambunctious dark comedy starring Antonio Banderas as an unbalanced but alluring ex-mental-patient and Victoria Abril as the B-movie and former porn star he takes prisoner in the hopes of convincing her to marry him. A highly unconventional romance that came on the spike heels of Almodóvar’s international sensation Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, this is a splashy, sexy central work in the career of one of the world’s most beloved and provocative auteurs, radiantly shot by the director’s great cinematographer, José Luis Alcaine.

 

 

The Film:

Excerpt from TimeOut located HERE

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

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! looks excellent on Blu-ray from Criterion. It is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate. Colors (notable reds and greens) are vibrant and rich. It eases toward saturation and contrast is strong.  I wouldn't say there is a lot of depth but we can guess that it is a solid representation of the film advertised as "a new 2K digital restoration, supervised by director Pedro Almodóvar and executive producer Agustín Almodóvar". It is in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and detail, in close-ups, is impressive showing a visible layer of grain texture. This Blu-ray has no discernable flaws and supplies a dynamic 1080P presentation that keeps your eyes glued to the screen.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is some aggression through the DTS-HD Master 5.1 track at 3581 kbps - in original Spanish. It handles the film's subtleties and dialogue with casual ease. There isn't a lot of separation but can be quite sneaky when exported. There is a surprising and impressive score by Ennio Morricone hints of playful sporadic depth. There is also the hit Resistiré performed by Antonio Banderas + Loles León as well as Dúo Dinámico. There are optional English subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A' disc.

Extras :

Criterion have produced, a new, 1/2 hour documentary on the making of the film, featuring interviews with Pedro Almodóvar; Agustín Almodóvar; actors Antonio Banderas, Victoria Abril, Loles León, and Rossy de Palma; production manager Esther García; and cinematographer José Luis Alcaine. They have also done a 2014 interview with Almodóvar collaborator and Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker who, in 15-minutes, reflects on his many years of working with the director. Included is a 26-minute conversation from 2003 between Pedro Almodóvar and Banderas and some brief footage from the film’s 1990 premiere party in Madrid with the cast singing the pop song, from the film, "Resistiré". lastly is a trailer and the package contains a liner notes booklet featuring a 1990 piece about the film by Pedro Almodóvar, a conversation between critic Kent Jones and filmmaker Wes Anderson, and an interview with Almodóvar from 1989 as well as 2 DVDs of the feature and extras.