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Fatal Attraction
Paramount // R // April 16, 2002
List Price: $24.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
It's not every movie that becomes a by-word of the culture. But Fatal Attraction did, back in 1987. Expanded from a short film by Britisher James Dearden, son of director Basil Dearden, Fatal Attraction, under the unusually restrained directorial hand of Adrian Lyne, ended up on the cover of Time magazine, cited in Susan Faludi's book Backlash (with numerous factual inaccuracies, by the way) as an example of mainstream vengeance against the feminist movement, and spurred the phrase "bunny boiler" into the language as an example of female dedication to wrecking a lover's life (though I've never heard the phrase). It was another hit for Michael Douglas, and though the film was nominated for six academy Awards, it won none. The film is itself referenced in comedies from Sleepless in Seattle to Bridget Jones' Diary. It grossed $157 million dollars in America, which is enough to make it a cultural phenomenon in any body's book.
Everybody knows a lot about Fatal Attraction even if they haven't seen it. First, everyone knows that the original ending didn't "test" well and was replaced with a more action packed sequence; they also know that a little girl's live rabbit is boiled on the kitchen stove. But among the movie's other influences is that it introduced a whole new way of titling erotic thrillers, with those flat two words formulae that blend sex and violence; there might not have been an erotic thriller genre without Fatal Attraction.
But what was the big deal? Viewed today the film comes across like a prudish slice of cinematic classicism. There are only two sex scenes, and the only thing killed throughout most of the film is the bunny. Nevertheless, the film has a certain power. I recall seeing the movie at an advance screening with a complicated and interesting female friend. On the drive home, to my surprise, she completely identified with the Glenn Close character. The questions that Close's character asked were the ones that my friend would have asked: "If you life's so damn complete, what were you doing with me?" She completely took Close's side when she charged that her short term lover was treating her like a slut he could toss in the garbage after using a couple of times. Despite the fact that the film ends badly for Close, many women must have identified with her angst.
The film's story, as is well known, concerns a successful Manhattan lawyer (Michael Douglas) who meets a wild blonde (Glenn Close) who works for the publishing house he represents. When his wife (Anne Archer) is out of town with their daughter, he slips into what he thinks is a one night fling with her. She, however, is one of those borderline personality types who has instantly imagined a whole new life with him. When he has to become a jerk to keep her at bay, she starts to invade his life in creepy ways. After the boiled bunny, he confesses to his wife, and she has the predictable fit, but doesn't ask him the question that the audience is wondering: if you are married to Anne Archer, why did you stray? From there the film takes the turn that the test audiences wanted, a knock down, drag out fight between the competing women. The original ending had Douglas arrested for murder, after Close's character stage manages her suicide to look like homicide (the set up for this, a knife that Douglas touches, remains in the film). The whole thing is like a nightmare variation of Eyes Wide Shut: professional in New York with wife and daughter tempted to stray. Perhaps one of the reasons that Kubrick's film seemed so old fashioned at the time of its release was that movies such as this one had covered similar ground, though much more conventionally.
Under the supervision of producers Stanley Jaffe and Sherry Lansing, and with help from a script doctoring Nicholas Meyer, director Lyne is remarkably clear and to the point, and derives terrific performances from most of his cast (the little girl who played Douglas and Archer's daughter was then one of the weirdest looking kids on the screen, and evoked little sympathy). Close appears much more sympathetic during the first half then she seemed 15 years ago; Douglas is the perfect hollow man; and Archer is heartbreakingly placid in her marriage. The film also for the most part as the virtue of verisimilitude: it's completely believable and plausible up until the imposed ending.
Now about that ending: this disc includes it, with a video introduction from Lyne. Frankly, I can see why people disliked it. With all its intensity and focus, it just doesn't seem to be heading toward the sort of quiet, downbeat conclusion that the filmmakers originally wanted. It may be the spirit of the times, but American movies that don't end with an overblown ending seem to be failures of imagination. It's just unfortunate that Fatal Attraction's new ending raises more questions than it satisfies.
The DVD
VIDEO: Fatal Attraction receives very good treatment from Paramount. It's 1.85:1 sized image, enhanced for widescreen televisions, looks great, and there are no perceptible flaws with the source print, and the transfer is good, with rich, deep, golden tones. Cinematographer Howard Atherton's work is really quite good, and he is able to create good blacks and whites in this color film.
SOUND: Sound options range from Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, to Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, and to a French 2.0 Surround option. There are some startling moments in this film, and the sound production realizes them well, with Maurice Jarre's worrying score a particularly successful recipient of all the sound options. There are French subtitles that aren't mentioned on the box or on the set up menu.
MENUS: The primary menu is a animated, musical screen that doesn't take up too much of your time; subsequent menus are static and silent menu. The 119 minute film is broken down into 17 chapters.
PACKAGING: Fatal Attraction comes in a keep case with a reprint of the original poster on the cover, and with the chapters listed on an insert. The label on the disc borrows the image of Douglas and Close being "torn apart" from the poster.
EXTRAS: In 1982, Paramount released a laser disc version with 39 additional minutes and the original ending, the one that didn't test well. Paramount seems to have junked most of that material, and gone with a panoply of new material.
Commentary: A relaxed Adrian Lyne, sounding not unlike Martin Sheen narrating Apocalypse Now, walks you through the film. Outside of Lolita, this is probably his best film and he is duly proud of it, even though the British born director went through a phase in the '80s of doing nothing but iconic, decade defining films (Foxes, Flashdance, Nine and 1/2 Weeks). In his most recent film, Unfaithful, a re-make of a Claude Chabrol film, he takes on the wife's infidelity as topic, though presumably with less violent repercussions. In any case, his commentary track is informed and relaxed; he makes a few remarks about producer Stanley Jaffe standing behind him fuming at the expense, and revels in the performances of his cast, especially Close. He is also prone to chuckling at Douglas as the screws tighten on his character. There are frequent gaps, however, as he just sits back and watches the film.
Making of featurettes: There are three documentaries. First there is Forever Fatal: Remembering Fatal Attraction, which, at 28 minutes, is a walk through the production history, containing interviews with almost everyone but Dearden. The 10 minute Social Attractions addresses the film as a phenomenon. Visual Attraction, just under 20 minutes, covers make up/costumes, set design, and cinematography, and provides some insight into how the characters were "placed" in their milieu.
Also: The alternate ending, with its brief intro by Lyne, takes up a hair under nine minutes, and is actually a little boring and dragged out. One could argue that both endings fail to serve the movie that has gone before them. More interesting is some seven minutes of video rehearsal footage that shows Close being intense in the role from the get go. There's also one and a half minute trailer, which is one of the best I've seen; it summarizes the movie's premise well, without wrecking too much of the suspense. Unlike most trailers on DVDs, the print is also in pretty good shape.
Final Thoughts: Fatal Attraction isn't the greatest suspense film ever made, but it is one of Adrian Lyne's better films, and remains important in the history of movies. Paramount's added value material helps the sympathetic viewer to enjoy it both as a chapter in history and as a "date movie."
It's not every movie that becomes a by-word of the culture. But Fatal Attraction did, back in 1987. Expanded from a short film by Britisher James Dearden, son of director Basil Dearden, Fatal Attraction, under the unusually restrained directorial hand of Adrian Lyne, ended up on the cover of Time magazine, cited in Susan Faludi's book Backlash (with numerous factual inaccuracies, by the way) as an example of mainstream vengeance against the feminist movement, and spurred the phrase "bunny boiler" into the language as an example of female dedication to wrecking a lover's life (though I've never heard the phrase). It was another hit for Michael Douglas, and though the film was nominated for six academy Awards, it won none. The film is itself referenced in comedies from Sleepless in Seattle to Bridget Jones' Diary. It grossed $157 million dollars in America, which is enough to make it a cultural phenomenon in any body's book.
Everybody knows a lot about Fatal Attraction even if they haven't seen it. First, everyone knows that the original ending didn't "test" well and was replaced with a more action packed sequence; they also know that a little girl's live rabbit is boiled on the kitchen stove. But among the movie's other influences is that it introduced a whole new way of titling erotic thrillers, with those flat two words formulae that blend sex and violence; there might not have been an erotic thriller genre without Fatal Attraction.
But what was the big deal? Viewed today the film comes across like a prudish slice of cinematic classicism. There are only two sex scenes, and the only thing killed throughout most of the film is the bunny. Nevertheless, the film has a certain power. I recall seeing the movie at an advance screening with a complicated and interesting female friend. On the drive home, to my surprise, she completely identified with the Glenn Close character. The questions that Close's character asked were the ones that my friend would have asked: "If you life's so damn complete, what were you doing with me?" She completely took Close's side when she charged that her short term lover was treating her like a slut he could toss in the garbage after using a couple of times. Despite the fact that the film ends badly for Close, many women must have identified with her angst.
The film's story, as is well known, concerns a successful Manhattan lawyer (Michael Douglas) who meets a wild blonde (Glenn Close) who works for the publishing house he represents. When his wife (Anne Archer) is out of town with their daughter, he slips into what he thinks is a one night fling with her. She, however, is one of those borderline personality types who has instantly imagined a whole new life with him. When he has to become a jerk to keep her at bay, she starts to invade his life in creepy ways. After the boiled bunny, he confesses to his wife, and she has the predictable fit, but doesn't ask him the question that the audience is wondering: if you are married to Anne Archer, why did you stray? From there the film takes the turn that the test audiences wanted, a knock down, drag out fight between the competing women. The original ending had Douglas arrested for murder, after Close's character stage manages her suicide to look like homicide (the set up for this, a knife that Douglas touches, remains in the film). The whole thing is like a nightmare variation of Eyes Wide Shut: professional in New York with wife and daughter tempted to stray. Perhaps one of the reasons that Kubrick's film seemed so old fashioned at the time of its release was that movies such as this one had covered similar ground, though much more conventionally.
Under the supervision of producers Stanley Jaffe and Sherry Lansing, and with help from a script doctoring Nicholas Meyer, director Lyne is remarkably clear and to the point, and derives terrific performances from most of his cast (the little girl who played Douglas and Archer's daughter was then one of the weirdest looking kids on the screen, and evoked little sympathy). Close appears much more sympathetic during the first half then she seemed 15 years ago; Douglas is the perfect hollow man; and Archer is heartbreakingly placid in her marriage. The film also for the most part as the virtue of verisimilitude: it's completely believable and plausible up until the imposed ending.
Now about that ending: this disc includes it, with a video introduction from Lyne. Frankly, I can see why people disliked it. With all its intensity and focus, it just doesn't seem to be heading toward the sort of quiet, downbeat conclusion that the filmmakers originally wanted. It may be the spirit of the times, but American movies that don't end with an overblown ending seem to be failures of imagination. It's just unfortunate that Fatal Attraction's new ending raises more questions than it satisfies.
The DVD
VIDEO: Fatal Attraction receives very good treatment from Paramount. It's 1.85:1 sized image, enhanced for widescreen televisions, looks great, and there are no perceptible flaws with the source print, and the transfer is good, with rich, deep, golden tones. Cinematographer Howard Atherton's work is really quite good, and he is able to create good blacks and whites in this color film.
SOUND: Sound options range from Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, to Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, and to a French 2.0 Surround option. There are some startling moments in this film, and the sound production realizes them well, with Maurice Jarre's worrying score a particularly successful recipient of all the sound options. There are French subtitles that aren't mentioned on the box or on the set up menu.
MENUS: The primary menu is a animated, musical screen that doesn't take up too much of your time; subsequent menus are static and silent menu. The 119 minute film is broken down into 17 chapters.
PACKAGING: Fatal Attraction comes in a keep case with a reprint of the original poster on the cover, and with the chapters listed on an insert. The label on the disc borrows the image of Douglas and Close being "torn apart" from the poster.
EXTRAS: In 1982, Paramount released a laser disc version with 39 additional minutes and the original ending, the one that didn't test well. Paramount seems to have junked most of that material, and gone with a panoply of new material.
Commentary: A relaxed Adrian Lyne, sounding not unlike Martin Sheen narrating Apocalypse Now, walks you through the film. Outside of Lolita, this is probably his best film and he is duly proud of it, even though the British born director went through a phase in the '80s of doing nothing but iconic, decade defining films (Foxes, Flashdance, Nine and 1/2 Weeks). In his most recent film, Unfaithful, a re-make of a Claude Chabrol film, he takes on the wife's infidelity as topic, though presumably with less violent repercussions. In any case, his commentary track is informed and relaxed; he makes a few remarks about producer Stanley Jaffe standing behind him fuming at the expense, and revels in the performances of his cast, especially Close. He is also prone to chuckling at Douglas as the screws tighten on his character. There are frequent gaps, however, as he just sits back and watches the film.
Making of featurettes: There are three documentaries. First there is Forever Fatal: Remembering Fatal Attraction, which, at 28 minutes, is a walk through the production history, containing interviews with almost everyone but Dearden. The 10 minute Social Attractions addresses the film as a phenomenon. Visual Attraction, just under 20 minutes, covers make up/costumes, set design, and cinematography, and provides some insight into how the characters were "placed" in their milieu.
Also: The alternate ending, with its brief intro by Lyne, takes up a hair under nine minutes, and is actually a little boring and dragged out. One could argue that both endings fail to serve the movie that has gone before them. More interesting is some seven minutes of video rehearsal footage that shows Close being intense in the role from the get go. There's also one and a half minute trailer, which is one of the best I've seen; it summarizes the movie's premise well, without wrecking too much of the suspense. Unlike most trailers on DVDs, the print is also in pretty good shape.
Final Thoughts: Fatal Attraction isn't the greatest suspense film ever made, but it is one of Adrian Lyne's better films, and remains important in the history of movies. Paramount's added value material helps the sympathetic viewer to enjoy it both as a chapter in history and as a "date movie."
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