Crash – Arrow Video (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Canada/UK, 1996
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: David Cronenberg
Cast: James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas, Deborah Kara Unger, Rosanna Arquette, Peter MacNeill

Release Date: May 31st, 2021
Approximate Running Time: 99 Minutes 49 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £29.99 (UK)

"Spader stars as James Ballard, a film producer whose deviant sexual desires are awakened by a near fatal automobile accident with Dr. Helen Remington (Hunter). Soon the pair, alongside Ballard’s wife Catherine (Deborah Kara Unger), are drawn into an underground world of car-crash fetishism presided over by renegade scientist Vaughan (Elias Koteas). Danger, sex and death become entwined as eroticism and technology join together in a disturbing, deadly union." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "4K restoration of the uncut NC-17 version, supervised by director of photography Peter Suschitzky and approved by director David Cronenberg."

Crash comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 88.9 GB

Feature: 65.5 GB

The source used for this new 4K transfer looks excellent. And though it is a massive upgrade over this film's previous DVD releases, it is also a noticeable improvement in many areas over Criterion’s 2020 Blu-ray release. Areas of the most noticeable improvements include black levels, contrast, and compression. That said, it is hard to imagine Crash looking any better than Arrow Video’s transfer.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English, and included with this release are removable English SDH. The audio sounds excellent; the dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range wise, ambient sounds and the score are well-represented. You can feel the impact of the car crashes.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, a theatrical trailer (1 minute 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo, no subtitles), a NC-17 theatrical trailer (1 minute 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo, no subtitles), two short films directed by David Cronenberg - The Nest (9 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World (3 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), two short films inspired by J.G. Ballard and the novel Crash - Nightmare Angel (32 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and Always (crashing) (14 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a short film originally broadcast as part of the BBC’s Review series, starring J.G. Ballard and loosely adapted from his 1970 novel The Atrocity Exhibition titled Crash (17 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a video essay by Caelum Vatnsdal on Cronenberg’s use of architecture and location titled Architect of Pain: The Cronenberg Project (14 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival behind the scenes featurette (11 minutes 29 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director David Cronenberg (6 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with author J.G. Ballard (2 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor James Spader (4 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Holly Hunter (3 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Deborah Kara Unger (5 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Elias Koteas (2 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a 1996 Q&A with David Cronenberg and J.G. Ballard at the National Film Theater in London (102 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a 2019 Q&A with David Cronenberg and actor Viggo Mortensen at TIFF (52 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with casting director Deirdre Bowen titled License to Drive (27 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with composer Howard Shore titled The Shore Thing (23 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with executive producer Jeremy Thomas titled Mechanical Animals (17 minutes 26 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with cinematographer Peter Suschitzky titled The Cronenberg Challenge (20 minutes 2 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with film scholar Adrian Martin.

Summary:

Though Crash is an adaptation and not an original idea by David Cronenberg, there are elements throughout the source novel that fit perfectly within the cinema of David Cronenberg. He had a knack for taking something that did not originate with him and making it his own.

I have been aware of Crash since its initial release, and yet it is a film that has eluded me despite my considerable admiration of the cinema of David Cronenberg. Needless to say, finally seeing Crash after all of these years, nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to see.

The narrative revolves around a group of symphorophiliacs who restage famous car crashes like James Dean and Jayne Mansfield. Through a chance encounter, the protagonist, a filmmaker named James Ballard, is introduced to symphorophilia after a near-fatal car crash. From there, his sexual desires are awakened by his obsession with symphorophilia.

With a film like Crash, you need a cast who is willing to let their inhibitions go. Fortunately, the rest of the cast are all exceptional in their roles, especially James Spader (Less Than Zero) in the role of James Ballard. His character serves as the viewer's guide into the world of symphorophilia, and he delivers an utterly believable portrayal of an inquisitive character consumed by his obsessions. 

Notable cast members include Holly Hunter (The Piano) in the role of a doctor whose husband was killed in the car crash caused by James Ballard’s reckless driving; Elias Koteas (Exotica) in the role of another doctor who is the ringleader of the group that recreates famous car crashes; Deborah Kara Unger (The Game) in the role of James’ wife; and Rosanna Arquette (After Hours) in the role of a woman who wears steel braces on her legs and one of her legs has a vulva-shaped scar.

Throughout his career, there have been a few collaborators that he has worked with on numerous films. That said, none is more integrable than composer Howard Shore, who has scored every David Cronenberg film since The Brood, with the exception of The Dead Zone. In Crash, he composes a phenomenal score that perfectly fuses with the striking imagery.

From the moment of its arrival, Crash was a controversial film that divided viewers with its fusion of sex and violence. Although Crash is easily dismissed by those not willing to dig deeper beyond its surface, what actually lies within is an enthralling exploration of obsession that is arguably one of David Cronenberg’s greatest achievements as a filmmaker.

Crash makes its way to 4K UHD via an exceptional release from Arrow Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and a ridiculous number of insightful extras. Highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer