Patrick
(1978/Umbrella PAL Region Zero/0/Import DVD)
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C
Film: C
PLEASE NOTE: This DVD can only be operated on
machines capable of playing back DVDs that can handle Region Zero/0 PAL format
software and can be ordered from our friends at Umbrella Entertainment at the
website address provided at the end of the review.
Films about telekinesis are always interesting, but so
many have not necessarily worked, though it is always fun to watch them
try. One that has some amusing moments,
but does not always add up is Richard Franklin’s Patrick (1978) about a supposedly comatose title character (Robert
Thompson) who killed his parents when they disturbed him while getting carried
away together in the bathtub. They are very
dysfunctional and he can’t take it anymore.
Fast forward to his time in a hospital where he is being
taken care of and a new nurse (Susan Penhaligon) who starts to notice things
the current keepers do not. Is Patrick
trying to contact her? Is something more
sinister going on at the hospital going on she does not know about but
should? If you like this kind of film,
you’ll want to see it at least once and this new DVD is loaded with extras. No, it is not Brian De Palma’s Carrie or even his 1978 thriller The Fury, but it is an amusing attempt
as at the genre and better than what we usually get now.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.77 X 1 image is from a
decent film print, but the film could use more work. To its interesting advantage, it was actually
shot in Agfacolor giving it a different look than most of these films. Director of Photography Donald McAlpine (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Clear & Present Danger, Breaker Morant) brings as much suspense
to this as possible visually as he can, but he cannot save the script. Still, there are some good shots and
compositions throughout that help make it fun.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is clean for its age and features a good
early score by the late Brian May.
Extras include trailers for this and other such thrillers
on DVD from Umbrella, a great trailer reel of films by Producer Antony I.
Ginnane, a making of featurette with Ginnane called A Coffee Break,
stills/poster gallery, on set interview with Franklin, feature length audio
commentary by Franklin, PDF pages of a proposed sequel called The Man Who Wasn’t There as yet unmade and
an excerpt from the early U.S. dubbed version.
Serious Horror fans will want to see all this.
As noted above, you can order this PAL Region Zero DVD import
set exclusively from Umbrella at:
http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/
- Nicholas Sheffo
