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Salvador: Special Edition
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Oliver Stone has directed a massive amount of films in his career, and many of them are still stand out in the minds of many filmgoers, such as "Nixon", "Wall Street" and "Platoon". "Salvador" is one of the few films that seems to have stayed under the radar, although it finally did get some recognition with awards nominations. James Woods, in one of his best roles, plays Richard Boyle, a photographer who's down-on-his-luck and finds himself looking to get out of society as he knew it and a journey into the unknown. Although with DJ pal Dr. Rock(James Belushi), the two set out for El Salvador.
The two find themselves in the middle of a civil war and the country is tearing itself appart. Chaos decends on the city, and Boyle finds himself trying to make sense of the random horrors that are happening around him. Finding an old girlfriend and getting an ally in an intense photojournalist(John Savage), Boyle sets out to document the horrors and try to get himself as well as his girlfriend and friend out alive.
I really don't see how any other actor could have played the Woods role. A character that has to keep talking his way out of possibly deadly situations, Woods usual intense, rapid way of dialogue creates open doors for the character to escape. On the other side of the "Fear and Loathing"-esque relationship, Belushi does a fine job, although reportedly, he and Woods really didn't get along with one another - we learn more about this in the commentary and documentary included on the DVD.
It's not the best feature that Stone has ever come up with, but it's excellent more often than not, with terrific performances and a raw look at its subject.
The DVD
VIDEO: I don't say this much about MGM's DVD releases, but they really have done a fine job with "Salvador". It's not a flawless image throughout, but I was impressed with the quality of the great majority of the studio's 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. Sharpness and detail are terrific - the bright exterior sequences have an impressive amount of depth to the image. This is a very "film-like" presentation and for a 1986 picture, I was impressed with how well-defined and consistent the image looked.
Yes, it's not without some problems. There are some minor print flaws in the image - a couple of slight marks and speckles come in occasionally, but I didn't really feel that this was that noticable or distracting. I didn't notice any pixelation, but a couple of light hints of edge enhancement appeared.
Colors looked strong and rich; the greens of the jungle areas looked natural and the gritty surroundings looked accurate. Flesh tones also appeared accurate, and black level was strong. Robert Richardson's wonderful cinematography is certainly done justice here.
SOUND: "Salvador" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 for this edition and although it's not bad, it's certainly still enjoyable. For a 15 year old picture, audio quality is generally very good, with a clear, crisp sound that doesn't quite have the smooth, warm quality of more recent films, but still remains enjoyable. Surround use is generally limited, although some of the action sequences have the surrounds more active with music and effects. Although not listed on the box, the original mono soundtrack is also included.
MENUS:: MGM has put together excellent menus for "Salvador", including a well-done animated main menu and gritty, film-themed sub-menus.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Oliver Stone. I think that of the hundreds of commentaries that I've listened to, Stone's tracks really stand out as some of the best that I've heard. Although his track for "Salvador" isn't one of the best of the director's many commentaries, it's a very informative one where the director chats in his soft-spoken but still intense manner about everything that went on during the very tough production, including the fights between Woods and Belushi and Woods trying to "out-Boyle" the real Richard Boyle. There are a few more spots of silence throughout this track than some of the other Stone commentaries (except for "The Doors"), but everything Stone says is quality: very well thought-out and exceptionally intelligent. He offers the facts and the stories of "Salvador" and has a tone of voice where he doesn't seem to be talking to himself, but sharing tidbits with the viewer and I think that's a part of what makes his tracks so engaging.
Into the Valley Of Death: Charles Kiselyak presents another terrific documentary after working with Stone for "Oliver Stone's America" as well as the documentary on "Wall Street". Interviews with Richard Boyle, Oliver Stone, James Woods, Jim Belushi and others are featured during the documentary, and easily, Woods is the most entertaining part of the lengthy presentation. Both sincerely emotional and incredibly funny, Woods' intense style of discussion goes over some of the more interesting stories from the set as well as his feelings after the release of the picture looking back. Behind-the-scenes footage and discussion from Stone about the obstacles of the set as well as Boyle about the realities of the situation really make for a fascinating hour-long documentary. There's nothing "promotional" about it, it simply gets to the point and offers quality information.
Deleted Scenes: About 25 minutes worth of never-before-seen deleted scenes (8 in all) are included. These scenes are generally interesting to watch, but were rightly taken out of the movie as they wouldn't really have added much. They are not in the greatest condition, either, but are watchable.
Also: Theatrical trailer, collectible booklet, photo gallery.
Final Thoughts: "Salvador" is an overlooked picture from Stone, but it deserves a wider audience, especially with the two terrific performances from the two leads. MGM has finally done a really good job with a release - "Salvador" looks great, sounds good and has a lot of wonderfully informative features. Recommended.
Oliver Stone has directed a massive amount of films in his career, and many of them are still stand out in the minds of many filmgoers, such as "Nixon", "Wall Street" and "Platoon". "Salvador" is one of the few films that seems to have stayed under the radar, although it finally did get some recognition with awards nominations. James Woods, in one of his best roles, plays Richard Boyle, a photographer who's down-on-his-luck and finds himself looking to get out of society as he knew it and a journey into the unknown. Although with DJ pal Dr. Rock(James Belushi), the two set out for El Salvador.
The two find themselves in the middle of a civil war and the country is tearing itself appart. Chaos decends on the city, and Boyle finds himself trying to make sense of the random horrors that are happening around him. Finding an old girlfriend and getting an ally in an intense photojournalist(John Savage), Boyle sets out to document the horrors and try to get himself as well as his girlfriend and friend out alive.
I really don't see how any other actor could have played the Woods role. A character that has to keep talking his way out of possibly deadly situations, Woods usual intense, rapid way of dialogue creates open doors for the character to escape. On the other side of the "Fear and Loathing"-esque relationship, Belushi does a fine job, although reportedly, he and Woods really didn't get along with one another - we learn more about this in the commentary and documentary included on the DVD.
It's not the best feature that Stone has ever come up with, but it's excellent more often than not, with terrific performances and a raw look at its subject.
The DVD
VIDEO: I don't say this much about MGM's DVD releases, but they really have done a fine job with "Salvador". It's not a flawless image throughout, but I was impressed with the quality of the great majority of the studio's 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer. Sharpness and detail are terrific - the bright exterior sequences have an impressive amount of depth to the image. This is a very "film-like" presentation and for a 1986 picture, I was impressed with how well-defined and consistent the image looked.
Yes, it's not without some problems. There are some minor print flaws in the image - a couple of slight marks and speckles come in occasionally, but I didn't really feel that this was that noticable or distracting. I didn't notice any pixelation, but a couple of light hints of edge enhancement appeared.
Colors looked strong and rich; the greens of the jungle areas looked natural and the gritty surroundings looked accurate. Flesh tones also appeared accurate, and black level was strong. Robert Richardson's wonderful cinematography is certainly done justice here.
SOUND: "Salvador" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 for this edition and although it's not bad, it's certainly still enjoyable. For a 15 year old picture, audio quality is generally very good, with a clear, crisp sound that doesn't quite have the smooth, warm quality of more recent films, but still remains enjoyable. Surround use is generally limited, although some of the action sequences have the surrounds more active with music and effects. Although not listed on the box, the original mono soundtrack is also included.
MENUS:: MGM has put together excellent menus for "Salvador", including a well-done animated main menu and gritty, film-themed sub-menus.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary from director Oliver Stone. I think that of the hundreds of commentaries that I've listened to, Stone's tracks really stand out as some of the best that I've heard. Although his track for "Salvador" isn't one of the best of the director's many commentaries, it's a very informative one where the director chats in his soft-spoken but still intense manner about everything that went on during the very tough production, including the fights between Woods and Belushi and Woods trying to "out-Boyle" the real Richard Boyle. There are a few more spots of silence throughout this track than some of the other Stone commentaries (except for "The Doors"), but everything Stone says is quality: very well thought-out and exceptionally intelligent. He offers the facts and the stories of "Salvador" and has a tone of voice where he doesn't seem to be talking to himself, but sharing tidbits with the viewer and I think that's a part of what makes his tracks so engaging.
Into the Valley Of Death: Charles Kiselyak presents another terrific documentary after working with Stone for "Oliver Stone's America" as well as the documentary on "Wall Street". Interviews with Richard Boyle, Oliver Stone, James Woods, Jim Belushi and others are featured during the documentary, and easily, Woods is the most entertaining part of the lengthy presentation. Both sincerely emotional and incredibly funny, Woods' intense style of discussion goes over some of the more interesting stories from the set as well as his feelings after the release of the picture looking back. Behind-the-scenes footage and discussion from Stone about the obstacles of the set as well as Boyle about the realities of the situation really make for a fascinating hour-long documentary. There's nothing "promotional" about it, it simply gets to the point and offers quality information.
Deleted Scenes: About 25 minutes worth of never-before-seen deleted scenes (8 in all) are included. These scenes are generally interesting to watch, but were rightly taken out of the movie as they wouldn't really have added much. They are not in the greatest condition, either, but are watchable.
Also: Theatrical trailer, collectible booklet, photo gallery.
Final Thoughts: "Salvador" is an overlooked picture from Stone, but it deserves a wider audience, especially with the two terrific performances from the two leads. MGM has finally done a really good job with a release - "Salvador" looks great, sounds good and has a lot of wonderfully informative features. Recommended.
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