The movie does not waste the performances, but the screenplay could have served them better.
Moreover, if the film is supposed to be a polemic on America's ambiguous moral and societal values, I find it strange that the filmmakers would choose the cowboy as a central symbol of the country's cultural decline. I mean, the image of the cowboy as an American hero waned decades ago, with movies like "Unforgiven" and television shows like "Deadwood" deflating the last of its mythic stature.
Too strange, too slow, and, ultimately, too unsatisfying, "Down in the Valley" fails to make a proper statement about the way we live. But give credit to writer/director Jacobson for his ambition. And credit Norton for his terrific portrayal of a sad, lonely guy living out what may be a sad, lonely fantasy; Wood for her portrayal of an equally sad, lonely girl trying to live out her own dreams; Morse for his turn as a temperamental, headstrong, well-meaning, but frustrated father; and Culkin for his subdued, low-key portrayal of a boy looking for attention. The movie does not waste the performances, but the screenplay could have served them better.
Video:
The keep case indicates the movie's screen size as 16x9, but the movie was shown theatrically at 2.35:1, and it actually measures about 2.20:1 across my television. The anamorphic transfer shows up in a medium-to-high bit rate, yet the image quality is ordinary at best. Most outdoor scenes are soft and faded-looking. This might have been the filmmaker's intent, to create a dreary picture of the smog-filled San Fernando Valley, or perhaps to reflect his outlook of his drained-out characters; I don't know. The indoor shots are better, but they, too, lack ultimate clarity and definition.
Audio:
The disc makes the audio available in either Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby 2.0 stereo. The DD 5.1 obviously opens up the sound better, but it still doesn't deliver too much information to the rear channels. One notices an increase in musical ambience when switching from 2.0 to 5.1, and there are occasional scenes where one can hear thunder and rain from the surrounds. Mostly, however, the audio remains rather commonplace for modern sound reproduction, going about its business in a clean, straightforward manner without calling attention to itself.
Extras:
A modest collection of extras accompanies the main feature. The most important of these is a question-and-answer session with the director and star, hosted by Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" magazine, filmed in May of 2006, and lasting about twenty-one minutes. The filmmakers do their best to explain what the film means to them, what its major themes are, and how they came to do the project. It's worth a listen. Then, there is a series of deleted scenes in non-anamorphic widescreen, totaling about nine minutes; sixteen scene selections and a "Director's Letter" insert but no chapter listings on it; a non-anamorphic (and distorted) widescreen theatrical trailer; a trailer gallery for other THINKFilm releases; English as the only spoken language; and French subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
I have to give "Down in the Valley" high marks for thought and intent, but low marks for final execution. Clearly, the movie has a noble purpose in trying to show how modern culture warps and distorts our view of reality, leaving a lot of people aimless and lost. But starting with an elevated vision and a realistic setting, then turning it upside down for a melodramatic finish is the same thing that ruined "Fight Club" for me. Keep it real or go for broke, I say; "Down in the Valley" attempts to do both, the juxtaposition of the two tones not quite working.
Still, there are those riveting performances by Norton, Wood, Morse, and Culkin that almost help save the day. Too bad the day was such a downer.
Too strange, too slow, and, ultimately, too unsatisfying, "Down in the Valley" fails to make a proper statement about the way we live. But give credit to writer/director Jacobson for his ambition. And credit Norton for his terrific portrayal of a sad, lonely guy living out what may be a sad, lonely fantasy; Wood for her portrayal of an equally sad, lonely girl trying to live out her own dreams; Morse for his turn as a temperamental, headstrong, well-meaning, but frustrated father; and Culkin for his subdued, low-key portrayal of a boy looking for attention. The movie does not waste the performances, but the screenplay could have served them better.
Video:
The keep case indicates the movie's screen size as 16x9, but the movie was shown theatrically at 2.35:1, and it actually measures about 2.20:1 across my television. The anamorphic transfer shows up in a medium-to-high bit rate, yet the image quality is ordinary at best. Most outdoor scenes are soft and faded-looking. This might have been the filmmaker's intent, to create a dreary picture of the smog-filled San Fernando Valley, or perhaps to reflect his outlook of his drained-out characters; I don't know. The indoor shots are better, but they, too, lack ultimate clarity and definition.
Audio:
The disc makes the audio available in either Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby 2.0 stereo. The DD 5.1 obviously opens up the sound better, but it still doesn't deliver too much information to the rear channels. One notices an increase in musical ambience when switching from 2.0 to 5.1, and there are occasional scenes where one can hear thunder and rain from the surrounds. Mostly, however, the audio remains rather commonplace for modern sound reproduction, going about its business in a clean, straightforward manner without calling attention to itself.
Extras:
A modest collection of extras accompanies the main feature. The most important of these is a question-and-answer session with the director and star, hosted by Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" magazine, filmed in May of 2006, and lasting about twenty-one minutes. The filmmakers do their best to explain what the film means to them, what its major themes are, and how they came to do the project. It's worth a listen. Then, there is a series of deleted scenes in non-anamorphic widescreen, totaling about nine minutes; sixteen scene selections and a "Director's Letter" insert but no chapter listings on it; a non-anamorphic (and distorted) widescreen theatrical trailer; a trailer gallery for other THINKFilm releases; English as the only spoken language; and French subtitles.
Parting Thoughts:
I have to give "Down in the Valley" high marks for thought and intent, but low marks for final execution. Clearly, the movie has a noble purpose in trying to show how modern culture warps and distorts our view of reality, leaving a lot of people aimless and lost. But starting with an elevated vision and a realistic setting, then turning it upside down for a melodramatic finish is the same thing that ruined "Fight Club" for me. Keep it real or go for broke, I say; "Down in the Valley" attempts to do both, the juxtaposition of the two tones not quite working.
Still, there are those riveting performances by Norton, Wood, Morse, and Culkin that almost help save the day. Too bad the day was such a downer.
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[release]19721[/release]