Legendary director Martin Scorsese nightmarish exploration of the edgier side of New York City’s SoHo district finally gets a pristine restoration with a potent supply of extras in After Hours (Criterion, rated R, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, 97 minutes, $49.99).
The 1985 dark comedy embraces the chaotic adventure of usually mild-mannered word processor Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) having the worst night of his life in the Big Apple.
After a casual meeting with the complicated Marcy Franklin (Rosanna Arquette) in a diner, Paul calls her a few hours later and heads to SoHo for a late-night date.
His evening spirals into a series of hilarious and dangerous encounters with females while dealing with a torrential rainstorm, a lack of cash, a mob hunting him, becoming a living sculpture and taking a verbal beating all night as he just tries to get back home.
The quirky characters who Paul deals with along the way are worth the price of admission and include a crazed waitress smitten with him (Teri Garr), a sadomasochistic sculptor (Linda Fiorentino), a crazed Mister Softee ice cream driver (Catherine O’Hara) and a pair of thieves who are a thorn in his side (Cheech and Chong) all night.
Mr. Scorsese’s cult classic gets better with age to not only expose a historical snapshot of New York City but present a well-crafted journey into one man’s hell.
4K in action: The new digital master scanned in 4K was created from the original 35 camera negative approved by editor Thelma Schoonmaker with Mr. Scorsese’s personal 35 mm print used for color reference.
Considering that much of the visuals occur at night, the technicians have done a masterful job in maintaining clarity and color richness of cinematographer Michael Ballhaus’ frenetic and noirish choices often referenced by Paul in a beige suit running down numerous dimly lit, puddled alleyways framed with glistening pavement.
Crisp detail abounds when inspecting moments such as a $20 bill with a mind of its own; keys falling down multiple stories of a building; and the wild punk clothing, tattoos and hairstyles shown in Club Berlin.
Best extras: Criterion never disappoints with its selection of digital film deconstruction and starts with a well-rounded and definitive optional commentary track from 2004.
All principals were originally recorded separately (many introduced by an announcer) and included Mr. Scorsese, Mr. Dunne, Mr. Ballhaus, producer Amy Robinson, and editor Thema Schoonmaker.
Mr. Scorsese and Mr. Ballhaus dominate the track to offer a steady stream of technical and on-set memories as well as some cinema history. Also, Criterion integrated additional recent comments this year from Mr. Dunne and Ms. Robinson talking together to fill out the track.
Next, complement the commentary with a pair of New York City curmudgeons — Mr. Scorsese and Fran Lebowitz — spending 20 minutes reminiscing about the challenges in living in the Big Apple in the 1980s (SoHo was sinister) and also talking about the director’s career, and reliving the “After Hours” production referred to as an “anxiety dream.”
Another new segment offers 18 minutes of audio interviews with costume designer Rita Ryack and production designer Jeffrey Townsend.
Mr. Townsend focuses on the lack of budget, the sets’ minutia such as the papier-mache sculptures and Mr. Ballhaus’ lighting choices. Ms. Ryack’s details her work on the main characters especially Ms. Garr’s clothing. All words are peppered with still photography, diagrams and scenes from the film.
Finally, an 18-minute retrospective from 2004 has Mr. Scorsese, Mr. Dunne, Ms. Robinson and Ms. Schoonmaker revisit the film, covering key scenes and plenty of amusing memories from the shoot.
The packing includes a fold-out, 12-panel, mustard yellow pamphlet offering a few black and white illustrations, a critical essay on the film from critic Sheila O’Malley and information on the restoration and credits.
• Joseph Szadkowski can be reached at jszadkowski@washingtontimes.com.
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