2-Disc Blu-ray
Released by: Shout! Factory
Release Date: Aug. 25st, 1995 (Theatrical)
Dec. 16th, 2014 (Blu-ray)
Region Code: A (locked)
Run Time: 1h 49m (Theatrical)
2h 2m (Director's Cut)
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Video: 1080p (1.85:1 Aspect Ratio)
THE FEATURES: [3.5 out of 4]
Disc #1: Theatrical Version (1h 48m, HD)
Theatrical Trailer (Red Band) (2m 39s, SD)
Note From Barker (1m
56s. HD)
Text from Barker
about the character of Harry D’Amour, a character that Barker has created and
loves writing.
Commentary with Clive
Barker
Barker is a great commentator. He clearly loves the film and
speaks affectionately about the cast. He calls Bakula the “perfect D’Amour” and
talks at great length about the production and the differences between the
theatrical and Director’s Cut versions of the film. This is a great listen that
any Barker fan will appreciate.
A Gathering of Magic
(17m 52s, SD)
A vintage look behind the scenes with interviews with
Barker, Jensen, and Bargen. Nothing more than that.
Original Behind the Scenes Footage (1h 1m, HD) This is a
proper making of. We get a lot of “fly on the wall” looks at various scenes
being filmed. This is intercut with interviews from the main cast as well as a lengthy
interview with Barker. I thought that this was going to be a disposable
EPK-type package but it contains so much more. Very nicely done.
Deleted Scenes with
Commentary from Barker (3m 21s, HD)
There is a text screen before the scenes begin telling us
that the scenes don’t have a final mix track. It doesn’t matter though, as we
can’t watch the scenes without the commentary anyway. Nothing much to see hear,
although it is always good to hear Barker’s thoughts about everything
pertaining to his work.
This is a very nice interview as we get stories of what it
was like working with Barker. We also get to
see some of the amazing
storyboards created for the film.
Photo Gallery (15m
53s, SD)
Montage of photos that plays with the score to the film.
Worth it for the score alone.
THE PACKAGING: [3 out of 4]
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This
release from Scream Factory felt like it was just thrown out right before
Christmas in order to get some holiday sales. That being said, this is a nice
release. The discs come housed in a two disc case that contains the new and
original artwork on the discs. The sleeve is doubled sided: one side for the
new artwork and the other for the theatrical poster. The slipcover that comes
with the release contains the new artwork, which is nice. Both discs are
blu-rays and the release is region locked “A”
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Lord of Illusions is the last film that
Clive Barker has directed. It is a shame because he displays a firm command
over his camera. The film is a film noir mixed with some horror elements and
they work for the most part. The film noir aspect of the film is interesting as
we see D’Amour investigating the murder of a famous illusionist at the hands of
his own illusion. We watch as D’Amour gets in over his head but keeps on
investigating as a good film noir detective would do.
The film also has a dreadful tone to it. That is not to say
that the film is bad. What I am trying to say is that there is feel to the film
that something dreadful is coming and Barker is able to keep that up for the
entire film. That is an impressive feat considering that the film has some much
else going on. I always felt like I was on the edge of my seat even when the
scene in question was a dialogue scene.
Scott Bakula is fantastic as Harry D’Amour, the private
detective who will not take “no” for an answer. Bakula was coming off of the
red hot Quantum Leap and wanted to
get into films, but after the failure of the this film at the box office, that
was not going to happen.
Daniel von Bargen plays Nix and is only in the beginning and
end of the film, but does so much with the character that he leaves a lasting
impression on the audience. Bargen died in March of 2015 and was a big loss to
a lot of people. He made an impression whenever he was on screen and, when
playing a villain, was so menacing that he would be the stand out of the film.
You can not take Bargen away from Lord of
Illusions as he is a very important key to the film’s success.
This was Famke Jenssen’s big screen debut and I always found
her to be kind of one note. She doesn’t really have much range and what she
does do, she doesn’t do that well. I think that Barker chose her for her noir
look more than for her acting abilities. Every film that she is in she is
pretty bad.
Lord of Illusions is a good film. There is a scene that
contains some really bad CGI that stands out, but the rest of the film is engaging
and entertaining. The acting is good, the effects are good, and the sense of
dread is terrifying. I don’t recommend this film to everyone, but the ones that
I have really liked it. I wish that Barker had kept on directing but his
writing and painting were more important and we might have missed out of
something had he kept directing.
OVERALL: [3 out of 4]
I like this release from Scream Factory, but felt that they
could have done more with it. All of the features except for the interview with
the storyboard artist are taken from other releases. It would have been nice to
hear Barker’s current thoughts on the film now that the film is over twenty
years old. They could have gotten Bakula or O’Connor to sit down for an
interview. There is just some failed opportunity when it comes to this release.
 Blu-ray Review + Screenshots){kind=link}
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