Patrick:
35th Anniversary Edition (1978/Umbrella
Region Free Import Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B Extras: B Film: B
PLEASE
NOTE: The Patrick
Region Free Import
Blu-ray is only
available from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment can be ordered
from the link below.
The
1978 Australian cult film, Richard Franklin's Patrick, has
made its way to Blu-ray and has never looked better. The
sci-fi/horror/thriller focuses on a comatose hospital patient who
uses his powers of telekinesis to kill and claim his private nurse as
his own and uses his abilities to reshape events in her life. The
film begins in a Hitchcockian fashion as Patrick (Robert Thompson)
murders his Mother and her lover by throwing a radio in the bath tub
that they are fornicating in. The use of point of view shots and
nudity echo the opening sequence of John Carpenter's Halloween,
some of Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974, see both on Blu-ray
elsewhere on this site) and films of the Grindhouse era.
Traumatized
by the incident, he is admitted into the hospital as comatose and
becomes surrounded by a team of arrogant doctors and nurses. Though
the unconscious Patrick finds compassion in a lonely Nurse (Susan
Penhaligon) who notes his maltreatment and seeks to help understand
him while being mentally battered by her fellow coworkers. Patrick
tries communicating with her, while others in her life are being hurt
and killed in mysterious ways. Most notable is Julia Blake's
portrayal of the evil Matron Cassidy, the snappy by the book head
Nurse that cuts down our main character at every turn and
distinguishes Patrick as nothing more than a vegetable.
Her
words are eaten when Patrick's powers heighten and he lashes out on
the hospital doctors around him and some well choreographed kill
scenes leading to a stunning climax that I won't spoil for you. This
film in many ways reminds me of other films in the same era. As I
mentioned earlier - John Carpenter's Halloween (use of point
of view camerawork) Brian DePalma's Carrie (in terms of story
structure) and of course, Hitchcock's Psycho (the villain as
the sympathetic protagonist).
The
1080p digital High Definition resolution MPEG-4 AVC transfer is fully
restored in 1:77:1 aspect ratio and still carries grain and scratches
which adds to the experience. Its rare nowadays to see a film on
Blu-ray with these flaws but personally I enjoyed it. The 2.0 DTS-HD
MA (Master Audio) Mono lossless audio is crisp and clear. The score
is also great by Goblin and Brian May that add a heightened level of
suspense to the low budget action.
The
Blu-ray set is loaded with some very cool extras including some very
cool collectible postcards. Commentary tracks, vintage trailers and
more also accompany this release from the previous DVD Umbrella
issued (save a DVD-ROM PDF, which we covered) a few years ago. Now
you can finally see the oft discussed film in the best possible way
at home.
To
order the
Umbrella import Blu-ray of Patrick,
go to this link for more information:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
-
James Lockhart
