The Fly [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Considered fairly gruesome in its day, the original 1958 The Fly looks like Mister Rogers' Neighborhood compared to this 1986 remake. Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis star as Seth Brundle, a self-involved research scientist, and Veronica Quaife, a science-magazine reporter. Inviting Veronica to his lab, Seth prepares to demonstrate his "telepod," which can theoretically transfer matter through space. As they grow closer over the next few weeks, she inadvertently goads Seth into experimenting with human beings rather than inanimate objects. Seth himself enters the telepod, preparing to transmit himself through the ether -- but he doesn't know that he is sharing the telepod with a tiny housefly. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Eng/Spa/Cantonese/Ko
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Screen: Letterbox for TV
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Features:
  • Commentary by director David Cronenberg
  • The Brundle Museum of Natural History featurette
  • Trivia track
  • Search content
  • Personal scene selections
  • The Fly BD-J Flyswatter game
  • Deleted and extended scenes
  • Film test footage
  • Promotional featurettes
  • Original teaser, trailers and TV spots

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Makeup - 1986 (Chris Walas, Stephan Dupuis)

• National Board of Review

•     Nominated Best Picture - 1986

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Jeff Goldblum - Seth Brundle
       Geena Davis - Veronica Quaife
       John Getz - Stathis Borans
       Joy Boushel - Tawny
       Les Carlson - Dr. Cheevers
       George Chuvalo - Marky
       Carol Lazare - Nurse
       Shawn Hewitt - Clerk
       Michael Copeman - 2nd Man in Bar
       David Cronenberg - Gynecologist

• Director:

  David Cronenberg

• Screenwriter:

  David Cronenberg, Charles E. Pogue

• Cinematographer:

  Mark Irwin

• Composer (Music Score):

  Howard Shore

• Editor:

  Ronald Sanders, Steve Weslak

• Production Designer:

  Carol Spier

• Art Director:

  Rolf Harvey

• Co-producer:

  Marc Boyman, Kip Ohman

• Set Designer:

  Elinor Rose Galbraith, James McAteer

• Costume Designer:

  Denise Cronenberg

• Makeup:

  Shonagh Jabour

• Special Effects:

  Louis Craig, Ted Ross

• First Assistant Director:

  Patricia Rozema

• Stunts:

  Dwayne McLean

• Casting:

  Deirdre Bowen

• Short Story Author:

  George Langelaan

REVIEW:

• Some viewers read David Cronenberg's revitalization of the 1958 Vincent Price camp classic as a thinly veiled AIDS allegory (Cronenberg denies it), but more obviously the film attacks humans' unbridled ambition not only to understand nature but also to control and shape it in their own image. In a theme as familiar as Frankenstein (and Kafka's Metamorphosis), Cronenberg betrays his romantic heart when he shows the consequences of bending the scientific method to one's God-like schemes. Many viewers consider the film Cronenberg's best work -- fully rounded, as touching as it is gruesome, as intellectually complex as it is viscerally affecting. The performances of the two leads, Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, are remarkably effective considering the emotional limitations that the horror genre usually places upon actors. Goldblum's Seth Brundle achieves self-awareness, but at a horrible price: as he becomes more sympathetic, he also becomes more physically repugnant. Davis is more than just a plot device, for her struggle to understand and love Seth elevates the film's motives and provides the audience with a deeper emotional stake in Brundle's fate. Cronenberg's ability to shock and disgust viewers are here married with an intelligent theme and sympathetic characters, resulting in a thinking man's horror film, almost Shakespearean in its tragic scope. And The Fly still fills the screen with enough mayhem to appeal to the traditional horror audience. The Fly rightfully won the 1987 Academy Award for Best Makeup. ~ Dan Jardine, Rovi