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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
Directed by David Cronenberg
Canada 1996
For this icily erotic fusion of flesh and machine, David Cronenberg adapted J. G. Ballard’s future-shock novel of the 1970s into one of the most singular and provocative films of the 1990s. A traffic collision involving a disaffected commercial producer, James (James Spader), and an enigmatic doctor, Helen (Holly Hunter), brings them, along with James’s wife, Catherine (Deborah Kara Unger, in a sublimely detached performance), together in a crucible of blood and broken glass—and it’s not long before they are all initiated into a kinky, death-obsessed underworld of sadomasochistic car-crash fetishists for whom twisted metal and scar tissue are the ultimate turn-ons. Controversial from the moment it premiered at Cannes—where it won a Special Jury Prize “for originality, for daring, and for audacity”—Crash has since taken its place as a key text of late-twentieth-century cinema, a disturbingly seductive treatise on the relationships between humanity and technology, sex and violence, that is as unsettling as it is mesmerizing. *** Almost as pared down and purified as late Bresson, Cronenberg's Crash focuses on half a dozen individuals who aren't so much characters as separate versions, aspects, or stages of the same character; all are car-crash veterans and most have sex with most of the others. The first two we encounter, Catherine Ballard (Deborah Kara Unger) and James Ballard (James Spader), are a married couple who have a lot of casual sex with other partners, experiences that are then recounted during their sex with each other. James produces TV commercials, and Catherine spends a lot of her time around an airport (in the novel she works at one). But the film is interested only in their sex lives and their driving. Excerpts from Jonathan Rosenbaum's Review in the Chicago Reader HERE |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: May 17th, 1996 (Cannes Film Festival)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
New Line - Region 1 - NTSC
vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Turbine - Region FREE - 4K UHDBox Cover |
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Coming to 4K UHD from Arrow in the UK in December 2020: Bonus Captures: |
Bonus Captures: |
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Distribution |
New Line Region 1 - NTSC |
Criterion Spine #1059 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | Turbine - Region FREE - 4K Ultra HD |
Runtime | 1:40:24 | 1:40:02.454 | 1:39:49.400 |
Video |
1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1. 66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 48,226,227,220 bytesFeature: 28,941,772,800 bytesVideo Bitrate: 32.43 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
1.66:1 2160P
4K Ultra HD Disc Size: 61,773,949,323 bytes Feature: 61,184,077,248 bytes Video Bitrate: 69.52 Mbps Codec: HEVC Video
Included Blu-ray: 1. 66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 49,777,606,742 bytesFeature: 33,131,708,736 bytes Video Bitrate: 33.62 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Audio | English, French (Dolby Digital 2.0) |
DTS-HD Master Audio English 3976 kbps 5.1 / 48
kHz / 3976 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps |
DTS-HD Master Audio English 2090 kbps 5.1 / 48
kHz / 2090 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) DUBs:
DTS-HD Master Audio German 2243 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2243 kbps / 16-bit (DTS
Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) |
Subtitles | English, French, Spanish, None | English (SDH), None | English, German, None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: New Line Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 22 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1. 66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 48,226,227,220 bytesFeature: 28,941,772,800 bytesVideo Bitrate: 32.43 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • Audio commentary from 1997 featuring Cronenberg• Press conference from the 1996 Cannes Film Festival featuring Cronenberg; Suschitzky; author J. G. Ballard; producers Robert Lantos and Jeremy Thomas; and actors Rosanna Arquette, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, James Spader, and Deborah Kara Unger (37:39) • Q&A from 1996 with Cronenberg and Ballard at the National Film Theatre in London (1:41:42) • Behind-the-scenes footage and press interviews from 1996 (8:48) • Trailers (1:52 / 1:31) • PLUS: An essay by film critic Jessica Kiang
Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 13 |
Release Information: Studio: Turbine
1.66:1 2160P
4K Ultra HD Included Blu-ray: 1. 66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 49,777,606,742 bytesFeature: 33,131,708,736 bytes Video Bitrate: 33.62 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: Second disc Blu-ray with:• TIFF Talk with
Viggo Mortensen & David Cronenberg (52:15) • At the Suicide
of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World (3:58)
Black 4K UHD Case Chapters 18 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
ADDITION:
Turbine
4K UHD
(November 2020): This is one of those cases where are captures, in
attempting to replicate a
4K UHD
image for a standard computer monitor, cannot do justice appearance.
You'll have to trust my words more - I took extensive timing comparing the
BD and
4K UHD
on my system. GENERALLY speaking Colin concurs with my judgment
that the new
4K UHD
is darker (losing no detail!) but has more prominent colors (notable in
Holly Hunter's dressing gown in the hospital, her purple bra, James Spader's
deep royal blue bathrobe on the balcony, the orange taxis etc. Skin tones
warm (and cool in some spots) but the biggest attribute of the new 3840 X
2160 transferred image is heavy and consistent grain. Colors can lean -
someti8mes blue - sometimes golden yellow but they don't look fatally
unnatural in-motion. The bitrate is more than double that of either
Blu-ray
and 14X that of the 1998 SD transfer.
Technically this has HDR10 and it seems liberally applied. Yes, it looks
better than either
Blu-ray (the one included in the Turbine
package has an image that duplicates the Criterion - see 3 comparisons
below), imo - especially if you like grain textures which are rife in this
4K UHD presentation. Given the opportunity we will compare
to the upcoming Arrow
4K UHD.
Like Colin, I grew up in Toronto and am very familiar with the orange and
green taxis
It is likely that the monitor
you are seeing this review is not an
HDR-compatible
display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider
and notably granular range of color and light. Our
capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard
monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more
4K UHD titles in the
future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our
captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of
skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the
4K system at your home. But the
framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by
this simulation representation.
NOTE:
We have reviewed the following 4K
UHD packages to date:
Full Metal Jacket
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Psycho
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Birds(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Rear Window (software uniformly simulated HDR),
Vertigo
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Spartacus
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Jaws
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Invisible Man,
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Steven Spielberg's
War of the Worlds (software uniformly simulated HDR),
Lucio Fulci's 1979
Zombie
(software uniformly simulated HDR),,
2004's
Van Helsining
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Shallows
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Bridge on the River Kwai
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Deer Hunter
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Elephant Man
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
A Quiet Place
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Easy Rider
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Suspiria
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Pan's Labyrinth
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Wizard of Oz, (software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Shining,
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Batman Returns
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Don't Look Now
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Man Who Killed Killed and then The Bigfoot
(software uniformly simulated HDR),,
Bram Stoker's Dracula
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Lucy
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
They Live
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Shutter Island
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
The Matrix
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Alien
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
Toy Story
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
A Few Good Men
(software uniformly simulated HDR),
2001: A Space Odyssey (HDR caps udated),
Schindler's List
(simulated HDR), The
Neon Demon (No HDR), Dawn
of the Dead (No HDR), Saving
Private Ryan (simulated HDR and 'raw' captures), Suspiria (No
HDR), The
Texas Chain Saw Massacre (No HDR), The
Big Lebowski, and I
Am Legend (simulated and 'raw' HDR captures).
This audio is
not
The disc has no extras - only the film. But Turbine include a
second disc, Region 'B'
Blu-ray
that is stacked with supplements. It starts with an extensive TIFF Talk with
Viggo Mortensen & David Cronenberg running over 52-minutes. There are new
(?) interviews with DoP Peter Suschitzky, Producer Jeremy Thomas, composer
Howard Shore, Casting Director Deirdre Bowen running around 1.5-hours in
total. There is a dozen minutes of Behind the Scenes footage,
7-minutes of Cronenberg accepting a special award at Cannes Award
Ceremony for Crash, trailers, three short films by David Cronenberg:
The Nest, Camera and 'At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the
World in the Last Cinema in the World' which was part of the To Each
His Own Cinema anthology film. There are the same vintage interviews,
also on the Criterion, with Cronenberg, Ballard, Spader, Holly Hunter,
Deborah Unger, and Elias Coteas. Notably missing, and of extreme value, is
Criterion's audio commentary from 1997 featuring Cronenberg. Otherwise there
is a ton here to go through.
Well, to some we may have the 'law of diminishing returns'
for the new
4K UHD
package. Just to sell it - as well as a very rich and
grain-drenched image (which I find appropriately darker for the film's tone)
but you get a similar (if slightly inferior in the audio department)
Blu-ray
presentation, to the Criterion, included as a second disc! Plus there are
significant and great extras, if missing out on the invaluable Cronenberg
commentary. There is plenty of value here and if we can compare to the
upcoming Arrow - we will do so as soon as possible.
***
Crash makes the third title that Criterion is releasing on Blu-ray, that is already available in 4K UHD. The others being David Lynch's The Elephant Man and Bong Joon Ho's Parasite. Fans await their eventual adoption of that superior format.
NOTE: We have added 50 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray,
Criterion use a robust and demonstrative DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the
original English language. There are many effects - mostly cars - metals
bending, glass shattering, engines revving and the powerful effect of
the deep impact of the audio is highly notable in the carwash scene that
integrates with the score by
Howard Shore (The
Silence of the Lambs,
An Innocent Man,
Cronenberg's
Maps to the Stars,
Scanners and
The Brood, Tim Burton's
Ed Wood, Fincher's
The Game and
Se7en etc.)
The Criterion
Blu-ray
offer Cronenberg's 1997 LaserDisc
commentary. It isn't dated at all and he discusses locations I am fully
familiar with living in Toronto; The Don Valley Parkway highway, how he
felt his film expression was actually restrained in terms of what he
would have done with car crashes, the 'French reverse' shots, fearless
James Spader, the Beck Replica of the James Dean car, how the Rosanna
Arquette' Gabrielle character was the focus of much controversy -
notably in the UK where they wanted the film band and one critic said
that sexual relations with an invalid is disgusting. How the dialogue in
the film (sex scene Spader/ Unger) was objectionable to officials in
Ireland, although was taken almost directly from the book. Elias Koteas
as a young Robert De Niro, the coldness of Ballard's writing -
equivalency to lighting etc. It's excellent and great to have back again
since most LaserDisc players are disconnected and collecting dust. The
other highly relevant extra is the 'Q&A from 1996 with Cronenberg
and Ballard at the National Film Theatre in London' where so much is
covered including how the car wash scene took three days, Michael Powell's
Peeping Tom, Rosanna Arquette loving her role and all the gear,
sex with invalids, Korean banning and much more. It's very revealing and
runs 1 3/4 hours (longer than the film.) There is also a 40-minute
Press conference from the 1996 Cannes Film Festival featuring
Cronenberg; Suschitzky; author J. G. Ballard; producers Robert Lantos
and Jeremy Thomas; and actors Rosanna Arquette, Holly Hunter, Elias
Koteas, James Spader, and Deborah Kara Unger. Also keenly interesting.
There are 9-minutes of Press Kit behind-the-scenes footage and
press interviews from 1996, two trailers and a liner notes booklet with
an essay by film critic Jessica Kiang
David Cronenberg's Crash
is one of the most fascinating large-budget films ever made.
Some say it is akin to driving by a car accident... and slowing down. I
applaud the director's bravery and love all his films for their
uniqueness and bold, emotionally wrenching, expressions. My
ex-girlfriend was an editing intern on Crash. I loved revisiting
this in the image resolution of HD. The score is and effects are
especially effective in the lossless. It's such a curious film that it
is ultimately rewatchable over the years. I'm very happy with the Criterion Blu-ray
for both the 4K-restored, director approved a/v and the fabulous extras
including the invaluable commentary, Q+A and press conference. Our
highest recommendation! |
Menus / Extras
New Line - Region 1 - NTSC
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Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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Turbine - Region FREE - 4K Ultra HD
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY AND 4K UHD CAPTURES TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 / 3840 X 2160 RESOLUTION
1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray SECOND 3) Turbine - Region 'B' - Blu-ray THIRD 4) Turbine - Region FREE - 4K Ultra HD BOTTOM |
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1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray SECOND 3) Turbine - Region 'B' - Blu-ray THIRD 4) Turbine - Region FREE - 4K Ultra HD BOTTOM |
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1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray SECOND 3) Turbine - Region 'B' - Blu-ray THIRD 4) Turbine - Region FREE - 4K Ultra HD BOTTOM |
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1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE 3) Turbine - Region FREE - 4K Ultra HD BOTTOM |
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1) New Line - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE 3) Turbine - Region FREE - 4K Ultra HD BOTTOM |
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More full resolution (3840 X 2160) 4K Ultra HD Captures for Patreon Supporters HERE
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More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
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Box Cover |
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Coming to 4K UHD from Arrow in the UK in December 2020: Bonus Captures: |
Bonus Captures: |
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Distribution |
New Line Region 1 - NTSC |
Criterion Spine #1059 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | Turbine - Region FREE - 4K Ultra HD |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |