Blu-ray movie reviews: ‘Poor Things’ and ‘The Lion in Winter’

Here’s a look at a pair of Academy Award-winning films now available in the Blu-ray disc format.

Poor Things (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, rated R, 141 minutes, 1.66:1 aspect ratio, $34.99) Director Yorgos Lanthimos delivered a twisted fairytale late last year that felt plucked from Guillermo del Toro’s macabre storybook.

Adapted from a 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, the woeful yet inspiring Victorian tale of Bella (Emma Stone, who won the Oscar for her performance) arrives in the Blu-ray disc format and finds the young pregnant woman committing suicide in London but being brought back to life with her brain switched with that of her fetus.

In the finest traditions of Dr. Frankenstein, the miracle was performed by eccentric and surgically deformed scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), who treats her as a daughter and an experiment.

As Bella’s brain develops, her curiosity leads her away from fiancé Max (Ramy Youssef), an assistant to Godwin, and on an international adventure with wicked lawyer Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) in a disturbing journey of self-discovery and sexual awakening for the reanimated woman.

A stellar cast delivers the dark comedic moments in every scene, but Mr. Lanthimos and cinematographer Robbie Ryan’s daring visual style is truly the star of the movie. The creators embrace masters such as Federico Fellini, Todd Browning and Maxfield Parrish through the wondrous cinematic design — from blazing vivid hues likened to a watercolor masterpiece to stark black-and-white scenes with fisheye lens moments and soft focus.

It’s nearly impossible to take one’s eyes away from the screen due to the bizarre imagery, especially viewing the steampunk-style landscapes of Lisbon, an ocean liner set against saturated blue water and gray clouds, and golden-hued immersions in Alexandria.

Considering the film was scaled up from its 35mm film stock roots to a 4K intermediate for theaters, I hope 20th Century Fox will eventually release an ultra-high definition version of this eye-popping effort.

Best extras: Alas, viewers only get a 21-minute production documentary that — although full of details down to film stock used, the immersive set design and Dr. Baxter’s make-up prosthetics — is much too short to fully delve into the origins and designs of this absurdist masterpiece.

The Lion in Winter (Kino Lorber, rated PG, 134 minutes, 2.35:1 aspect ratio, $24.95) Director Anthony Harvey’s multiple Academy Award-winning 1968 fictional historical drama returns to the Blu-ray format to remind viewers of some legendary theatrical performances.

Exposing the domestic struggles of King of England Henry II (Peter O’Toole), the adapted Broadway play finds his three sons — Richard (Anthony Hopkins in his first film role), John (Nigel Terry) and Geoffrey (John Castle) — fighting and conniving to win Daddy’s love as well as the keys to his kingdom during an 1183 Christmas holiday in Touraine, France.

Complicating the scheming, Henry’s wife Eleanor (Katharine Hepburn in an Oscar-winning performance) is released from prison and arrives just for the holidays, as does the all-too-amenable King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton in his first film role), ready to take advantage of the rupturing family.

Suffice it to report, the acting chops of all involved are intense as one feels immersed in a Broadway production broken out across classic European theaters filled with medieval architecture. And those challenged by the rapid-fire, British-tinged dialogue should turn on the subtitles to enjoy spoken prose even though it will obscure parts of the authentic production design.

Originally restored in 4K and released back in 2018 for the film’s 50th anniversary by Kino Lorber, this reissue still looks sharp and colorful, highlighting the medieval costuming, an epic battle on the beach and vintage locations and castles in Ireland, France and Wales — though, I wished the jump was made to the ultra-high definition disc format this time out.

Best extras: Viewers get all of the bonus content from the previous high definition release led by a much-appreciated solo commentary track with the director recorded in 2000.

What a treat as the mild-mannered maestro sporadically delves into scene-specific memories and nostalgic stories exploring many facets of the production and challenges. He includes the origins of the opening statuary credits scene; his bout with hepatitis; the jovial relationship between Hepburn and O’Toole; the creation of a realistic portrait of living in a medieval castle; and the infuriating mandatory English tea breaks on the set.

Also, a 10-minute solo interview featurette with Simon Kaye has the sound recordist explain the lack of post looping (overdubbing) in the film and often compliments the actors for their professionalism and easy work attitude.