There are really very few saving graces in Caddyshack, but like a lot of other people I harbor a guilty pleasure in watching this 1980 comedy, at least in bits and pieces
Video:
This Warner Bros. HD-DVD offers up the film in a 1.78:1 ratio presentation, and like its standard-definition counterpart, the picture quality varies from bright, clean, and crisp to slightly grainy, with almost everything in between. One would have hoped for greater consistency, but the transfer engineers apparently had to work with what they were given. Although the opening sequence is perhaps the most grainy, the film does clear up considerably as it goes along. Much of it was filmed on location at several Florida golf courses, and it is those outdoor scenes that sometimes reveal the most roughness. Then, too, faces in medium and long shots can occasionally look a bit too dark. That said, the high-definition picture can also be gloriously sharp and well detailed, with close-ups particularly vivid and natural. The HD-DVD is an obvious improvement on the SD edition, if perhaps not quite in the same league with some other recent HD films.
Audio:
WB processed the audio in Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, and it, too, is a definite improvement over the SD edition's monaural. The sound is still sometimes a little hard and edgy, and voices can in a few scenes sound a touch nasal; otherwise, the clarity of the DD+ is outstanding. No, the soundtrack doesn't have much of a front-channel stereo spread, and only a few times did I notice anything coming out of the rear speakers, these during musical numbers; yet its strong dynamic impact and midrange lucidity make up for some of its other shortcomings. One thing: This time around, you're not going to miss anything the characters say.
Extras:
The disc's rather skimpy bonus items are repeated from the twenty-anniversary edition. The more important one is a thirty-minute, 1999 documentary called "The 19th Hole," featuring interviews with the movie's cast and crew, a number of outtakes, and some behind-the-scenes footage. It's in fullscreen and standard definition, but it's still fun to watch. In it, the filmmakers admit that much of the movie was improvised; they started with a fairly sketchy script and made up a lot of the dialogue and gags as they went along. The whole scene between Chase and Murray was written at lunch one afternoon.
In addition, the disc contains twenty-eight scene selections (but no chapter insert) and a widescreen theatrical trailer. Pop-up menus, a zoom/pan feature, and an Elite Red HD case complete the package.
Parting Thoughts:
I don't know of anybody who thinks "Caddyshack" is a great comedy. Yet I have never known anybody who especially hated the film, either. In fact, most people I've talked to seem to hold a grudging admiration for it; like, "I know this is a really dumb picture, but it's fun." Maybe it's the movie's overall amiability that draws people to it, especially golfers. The Wife-O-Meter perhaps said it best after, surprisingly, she watched it for the first time: "That was about the stupidest movie I've ever seen." Yet she stayed the course from beginning to end. The film is rated R for profanity, nudity, and sexual situations, most of it nonoffensive unless you're a member of the country-club set.
This Warner Bros. HD-DVD offers up the film in a 1.78:1 ratio presentation, and like its standard-definition counterpart, the picture quality varies from bright, clean, and crisp to slightly grainy, with almost everything in between. One would have hoped for greater consistency, but the transfer engineers apparently had to work with what they were given. Although the opening sequence is perhaps the most grainy, the film does clear up considerably as it goes along. Much of it was filmed on location at several Florida golf courses, and it is those outdoor scenes that sometimes reveal the most roughness. Then, too, faces in medium and long shots can occasionally look a bit too dark. That said, the high-definition picture can also be gloriously sharp and well detailed, with close-ups particularly vivid and natural. The HD-DVD is an obvious improvement on the SD edition, if perhaps not quite in the same league with some other recent HD films.
Audio:
WB processed the audio in Dolby Digital Plus 5.1, and it, too, is a definite improvement over the SD edition's monaural. The sound is still sometimes a little hard and edgy, and voices can in a few scenes sound a touch nasal; otherwise, the clarity of the DD+ is outstanding. No, the soundtrack doesn't have much of a front-channel stereo spread, and only a few times did I notice anything coming out of the rear speakers, these during musical numbers; yet its strong dynamic impact and midrange lucidity make up for some of its other shortcomings. One thing: This time around, you're not going to miss anything the characters say.
Extras:
The disc's rather skimpy bonus items are repeated from the twenty-anniversary edition. The more important one is a thirty-minute, 1999 documentary called "The 19th Hole," featuring interviews with the movie's cast and crew, a number of outtakes, and some behind-the-scenes footage. It's in fullscreen and standard definition, but it's still fun to watch. In it, the filmmakers admit that much of the movie was improvised; they started with a fairly sketchy script and made up a lot of the dialogue and gags as they went along. The whole scene between Chase and Murray was written at lunch one afternoon.
In addition, the disc contains twenty-eight scene selections (but no chapter insert) and a widescreen theatrical trailer. Pop-up menus, a zoom/pan feature, and an Elite Red HD case complete the package.
Parting Thoughts:
I don't know of anybody who thinks "Caddyshack" is a great comedy. Yet I have never known anybody who especially hated the film, either. In fact, most people I've talked to seem to hold a grudging admiration for it; like, "I know this is a really dumb picture, but it's fun." Maybe it's the movie's overall amiability that draws people to it, especially golfers. The Wife-O-Meter perhaps said it best after, surprisingly, she watched it for the first time: "That was about the stupidest movie I've ever seen." Yet she stayed the course from beginning to end. The film is rated R for profanity, nudity, and sexual situations, most of it nonoffensive unless you're a member of the country-club set.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]19604[/release]