Dead Ringers - Shout! Factory (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Canada/USA, 1988
Director: David Cronenberg
Writers: David Cronenberg, Norman Snider
Cast: Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske, Barbara Gordon, Shirley Douglas, Stephen Lack, Jacqueline Hennessy, Jill Hennessy 

Release Date: November 15th, 2016
Approximate running time: 115 minutes 28 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (David Cronenberg’s Preferred Aspect Ratio), 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (Theatrical Aspect Ratio)
Rating: R
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $24.99

"Claire Niveau (Geneviève Bujold) is in love with handsome Beverly. Or does she love Elliot? It's uncertain because brothers Beverly and Elliot Mantle are identical twins sharing the same medical practice, apartment and women - including unsuspecting Claire. 

In portrayals that won the New York Film Critics Circle Best Actor Award, Jeremy Irons plays twin gynecologists whose emotional dependency collapses into mind games, madness and murder." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.5/5 (1.78:1 Widescreen), 4/5 (1.66:1 Widescreen)

Here is information about the 1.78:1 presentation, "High-Definition transfer of the film."

Here is information about the 1.66:1 presentation, "New 2K scan at the director's preferred aspect ratio."

Dead Ringers theatrical aspect ratio comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 38.2 GB

Feature: 38 GB

Dead Ringers David Cronenberg’s preferred aspect ratio comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.4 GB

Feature: 35 GB

The two versions included as part of this release come from different sources, besides the obvious difference in their framing. There are also differences when it comes to colors, and the directors' preferred version does not suffer from some of the sharpening of the image that is present in the transfer used for the theatrical version.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD 5.1 English), 3.75/5 (DTS-HD Stereo English)

Both versions come with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. All the audio mixes sound clean, clear, and balanced. With the DTS-HD 5.1 tracks offering a more robust soundscape than their stereo counterparts, it should be that the L-R channels are reversed on the two stereo mixes. Included with this release are removable English SDH subtitles for both versions.

Extras:

Extras on disc one (theatrical aspect ratio) include an audio commentary with author William Beard (The Artist as the Monster: The Cinema of David Cronenberg), and an archival audio commentary with actor Jeremy Irons.

Extras on disc two (David Cronenberg’s preferred aspect ratio) include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 56 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival Behind the Scenes featurette (7 minutes 14 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interviews with David Cronenberg, Jeremy Irons, screenwriter Norman Snider and producer Marc Boyman (17 minutes 3 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an actress Heidi von Palleske titled Carey’s Story (18 minutes 31 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an actor Stephen Lack titled Working Artist (23 minutes 56 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with special effects artist Gordon Smith titled Connecting Tissues (19 minutes 16 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles) and an interview with director of photography Peter Suschitzky titled Double Vision (12 minutes 40 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to first pressing).

Summary:

Most of David Cronenberg’s films leading up to Dead Ringers were horror films. And, while David Cronenberg's distinct filmmaking style is perfectly suited to the horror genre, he would demonstrate with Dead Ringers that his cinematic language was not limited by genres or traditional cinema standards.

From a production standpoint, there is not a single area where Dead Ringers does not excel. The narrative does a superb job of executing the premise, and when it comes to pacing, there are no issues. The characters are well defined, and their motivations are crystal clear. Also, Dead Ringers features a solid score that perfectly sets the mood. 

Visually, Dead Ringers delivers on so many levels, with standout moments including one of the most perverse S&M scenes to ever appear in a film distributed by a major Hollywood studio; a scene in which the brothers dance with a woman to the song Still of the Night; and a scene in which Elliot, whose fragile psyche has been pushed to its limit, is removed from an examination by the nurses who are assisting him. Another standout moment is the unforgettable traumatic ending, which lingers on in your mind.

The entire cast delivered excellent performances in their respective roles, especially Jeremy Irons (The Mission) in the dual roles of twin brothers Beverly and Elliot Mantle, who was a tour de force. He delivers an utterly convincing performance where both characters are distinctively different. Another performance of note includes Geneviève Bujold (Obsession) in the role of Claire Niveau, an actress with whom the two brothers initially have a sexual relationship, unknown to her. Ultimately, Dead Ringers is a key film in David Cronenberg’s evolution as a filmmaker and stands out as one of his best films.

This release comes with two different aspect ratios that come with two different color timings, and the reserving of the two stereo tracks is problematic. That said, despite its shortcomings, this release from Shout! Factory is currently Dead Ringers' best home video release. Recommended.

 Written by Michael Den Boer