PIC of the Week – Slaughterhouse-Five
Article Series by Ray Schillaci
Arrow Video manages to surprise me now and then with obscure releases and fantastic artwork for their slipcovers. They are also known for their reversible sleeves that usually have the original artwork as well. Even though Arrows artwork misses the bullseye on this Blu PIC, Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, the original is pure nostalgic of the cult movies of the ’70s.
This is about as far from a mainstream film as one can get with the title character, Billy Pilgrim, unstuck in time and bouncing uncontrollably around his life. From being the captured by the Nazis during WWII as a young man, marrying into a rich family as a middle-aged man and dealing with his dysfunctional wife and son, all the while being abducted by aliens and transported to the planet Tralfamadore where he resides in a dome with a soft-core actress he had seen in a drive-in. I know, that sounds like a lot to swallow, but director George Roy Hill (The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) makes it a thoughtful and enjoyable ride.
The film opens with Pilgrim’s grown children concerned for his well being, looking throughout his house while a middle-aged Billy types a letter to an editor explaining that he has become “unstuck in time.” Suddenly, he is behind enemy lines with American troops as a prisoner of war and meeting up with several memorable characters including a raging Paul Lazarro, who is compiling a hit list of people, anybody that pisses him off.
The maniac sets his sights on Billy and the gentile former teacher Edgar Derby who befriends Billy and protects him from Lazarro. While tripping through the concentration camp and the bombing of Dresden, Billy relives his childhood and all of the memorable moments of his life that eventually shape the man he will become. Tragedy is mixed with comedy and Billy barely flinches being more of a spectator than actually living in the moments. We, on the other hand, laugh, gasp, and gaze on in awe to the life he is living through.
Director George Roy Hill and his screenwriter Stephen Geller (also known for the Charles Bronson mafia movie, The Valachi Papers) beautifully capture the essence of Vonnegut’s book. In fact, Vonnegut went out of his way to praise the film as a “flawless translation” of his novel. The film won the Jury prize at the 25th Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d’Or. The movie was also honored with both a Hugo and Saturn award.
Actor Michael Sacks as Billy Pilgrim was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Sacks, along with Ron Leibman as the crazed Lazarro and Valerie Perrine (Lenny, Superman, Superman II) as the giddy Montana Wildhack are absolute standouts. It’s surprising that Leibman was never considered for an Oscar. More surprising is that Sacks, who would go on starring with Goldie Hawn in Spielberg’s The Sugarland Express, would have a short lived career as an actor. He would continue acting through ’84 and then take a different career route working in investment banking and financial services and would go on to holding the positions of Executive Director and Global head of Bond technology for Morgan Stanley.
This Arrow Blu presentation is a new 4K restoration of the original 35mm camera negative. This is the sharpest I have ever seen this film. The clarity of this early ’70s film is uncanny. Yes, there is grain (after all this is a 70s film), and it works beautifully with the gritty war sequences. There is a tremendous amount of detail never seen before. Wide shots are downright beautiful, especially during the snow scenes. It may not be a perfect picture free of all specks, but it’s damn close.
The audio is an English mono LPCM. Okay, so it’s not something to show off with your sound system. But, dialogue is clear and effects and ambient sound is surprisingly effective. This film could have been easily converted to a surround track, but what they’ve done with what they had is quite commendable.
Arrow Video provides nearly an hour and a half of bonus material. What we get is far better and entertaining than what some major studios offer. A big thanks for the following…
• Audio Commentary by Film Historian Troy Howarth
• And So It Goes: An Appreciation of Slaughterhouse-Five with Kim Newman
• Pilgrim’s Progress: Playing Slaughterhouse-Five
• Only on Earth: Presenting Slaughterhouse-Five
• Unstuck in Time: Documenting Slaughterhouse-Five
• Eternally Connected: Composing Slaughterhouse-Five
• Theatrical Trailer
’70s cult buffs can thank Arrow and the heavens for such a fine presentation of this classic. Slaughterhouse-Five is a comedy/drama military/science-fiction film that once viewed will be remembered long after. Here is a one-of-a-kind film to add to cinephile libraries.
Lowest Price – $20.88 – Amazon
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