The Film
Striking that perfect balance of adventure, comedy and romance, Romancing the Stone hit a resonant chord with audiences and invented its own new genre, the action flick that wives and girlfriends can love, too, and not just when the muscled hero takes off his shirt. As Joan Wilder, a writer of romance novels suddenly thrust onto a quest beyond her imagination, Kathleen Turner is a far cry from her star-making vamp turn in Body Heat. Insecure and dressed down before embarking upon her journey, she eventually flowers into the woman she never knew she could be. Teamed with a flawed gun for hire (Michael Douglas) and dogged by a bumbling marauder (Danny DeVito), Joan follows a map to buried treasure but finds… well, plenty of adventure, comedy and romance along the way.
The Picture
Well-lit scenes are pretty fabulous actually, particularly the textures of the wide assortment of scenery. It begins with the opening fantasy sequence which beautifully recalls the flavor of old Technicolor Westerns. New York City is captured in all its gritty glory, but of course the transition to the jungle for all of Act II brings an array of lush, leafy greens. Through cinematographer Dean Cundey's anamorphic (2.35:1) lens, there are very specific areas of sharp focus within any given shot, and those images are maintained with their integrity intact at 1080p. Shadowy portions can break into a busy, unpleasant haze while blacks remain basically solid, although at other times they can appear mushy and unnatural. It's a mixed bag but overall impressive for a two-dozen-year-old, modestly budgeted film.
The Sound
The music is the prime beneficiary of the DTS HD Master Audio remaster, as the inspired composition of Alan Silvestri, with its eclectic blend of instruments, is spread across the 5.1 channels in extraordinary clarity. The waterfall has a mighty roar, jungle noises are folded modestly into the rears, while the discrete dripping inside a cave adds necessary ambience. Thunder is full and powerful and the rain seems downright inescapable, even when it rattles upon the roof of the downed airliner where a major sequence is set. There's also a nice moment when well-to-do villager Juan opens the doors to his hacienda and his background music gently embraces us. The many shootouts however tend to sound like a series of canned "booms," calling attention to the disc's overemphasis on the front channels. There are many missed opportunities here: car chases, large-scale battles and approaching voices shouting in the distance that never venture beyond the left and right mains.
The Extras
Our kudos to Fox for undertaking the effort and expense to remaster the 19 minutes of deleted scenes in high-definition, albeit at varying levels of ultimate quality. Although presented out of chronological order, these are some very different approaches to the storytelling, including some new characters and locales that give a fascinating insight into the choices made on the path to making this movie the crowd-pleaser it would become.
All the rest of the bonuses are ported forward from the 2006 special edition DVD, created in standard definition. At 20 minutes, "Rekindling the Romance: A Look Back" provides the broadest view as the three stars and others offer their reflections, while "A Hidden Treasure: The Screenwriter" focuses on the success and untimely demise of first-time scribe Diane Thomas and her wonderful script. The star/producer returns for two minutes of deeper, one-on-one musings in "Michael Douglas Remembers" and again in "Douglas, Turner and DeVito: Favorite Scenes" which is what you'd think, as they pick the moments that stuck with them. Sadly, although he appears in some blurry archival footage, director Robert Zemeckis was not involved in any of the bonus features.
Final Thoughts
My gripes are minor and my fondness for this movie is enduring. Nothing was lost in the transition to Blu-ray and much gained, so it is time for this Romance to begin anew.
Where to Buy:
Romancing the Stone on Blu-ray Disc (Amazon.com)
Product Details:
- Actors: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman, Alfonso Arau, Manuel Ojeda, Holland Taylor, Mary Ellen Trainor
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Audio Format/Languages: DTS HD 5.1 Master Audio (English), Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), Stereo (French), Mono (Spanish)
- Subtitles: English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Rating: PG
- Studio: Fox
- Release Date: October 14, 2008
- Run Time: 106 minutes
- List Price: $34.98
- Extras:
- Deleted Scenes
- "Rekindling the Romance: A Look Back"
- "A Hidden Treasure: The Screenwriter"
- "Michael Douglas Remembers"
- "Douglas, Turner and DeVito: Favorite Scenes"
