Christine
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Cast: Keith Gordon, John Stockwell, Alexandra Paul
Extras: Talent Bios
Rating:
The easiest way to rate the quality of a DVD is to compare it to a somewhat similar medium. The Columbia DVD of “Christine” is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and the letterboxing is superb, displaying the correct framing. Compared to the Columbia laserdisc of “Christine”, the DVD shows a much sharper picture with more vivid colors. For example, in the opening assembly line scene, the DVD shows a nice crisp picture. The picture on the laserdisc is somewhat fogged and there appears to be smoke hanging in the air. The colors and skintones on the DVD are very faithful, especially when compared to the washed-out look of the laserdisc. Carpenter tends to shoot his movies dark, and the DVD retains an accurate representation of this look, although maintaining good level of detail. Both versions appear to have been struck from the same source print, which shows no artifacting. The Dolby Digital 2-channel surround audio on the DVD is accptable, but it is not as loud as the laserdisc’s. However, for the laserdisc’s loudness, there is some audible hiss, while the DVD offers a cleaner audio track. The big drawback of the DVD is its total lack of extras. There are talent bios, but they are very sparse.
One can’t help but wonder why they couldn’t find the trailer.
The DVD release of “Christine” is a welcome addition for John Carpenter (and Stephen King) fans. The DVD’s presentation of the film is superb and blows away any previous releases. This is a must buy for fans of the film.
