The Car
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Cast: James Brolin, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley, Ronny Cox
Extras: Theatrical Trailer, Talent Biographies
Rating:
In my town, it’s not the cars that are scary, but the drivers themselves. But Hollywood has a fascination with evil automobiles. “The Car” epitomizes this obsession. I had always wanted to see the film, but I found the full-frame version shown on TV to be unwatchable. “The Car” was shot in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and needs to be seen in its letterboxed format, like on this DVD. The anamorphic widescreen presentation on this disc looks great, and for those who prefer the full-frame edition, the disc is dual-layered and the full-frame version is included on the same side. While the source print shows some scratches, the picture is very clear. Most of the film takes place during the day in the desert, so some of the film looks too bright, but most of the colors are accurate.
The DVD features a newly created Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that sounds very good. The audio mix is very effective during the car-chase scenes. The amusing animation on the main menu is another nice touch to this disc.
To get an idea of what “The Car”“is like, imagine ”Jaws“ set on dry land, with a big, black car instead of a shark. James Brolin stars as a small-town cop who is trying to lead a peaceful life.
Peace is shattered when a huge Oldsmobuick invades a small-town and begins to run down innocent folks. ”The Car’ is an excellent example of 70s horror — it may not know where it’s going, but it’s fun getting there.
