Patrick – Indicator Series (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Date: Australia, 1978
Director: Richard Franklin
Writer: Everett De Roche
Cast: Susan Penhaligon, Robert Helpmann, Rod Mullinar, Bruce Barry, Julia Blake, Helen Hemingway, María Mercedes, Robert Thompson

Release Date: March 25th, 2024 (UK), March 26th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate Running Times: 112 Minutes 33 Seconds (Original Australian Theatrical Version), 101 Minutes 57 Seconds (Italian-Language Version), 96 Minutes 32 Seconds (U.S. Theatrical Cut)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (Original Australian Theatrical Version, Italian-Language Version), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (U.S. Theatrical Cut)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English (Original Australian Theatrical Version), LPCM Mono English (U.S. Theatrical Cut), DTS-HD Mono Italian (Italian-Language Version)
Subtitles: English SDH (Original Australian Theatrical Version, U.S. Theatrical Cut), English (Italian-Language Version)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"Murderer Patrick (Thompson) is kept in a comatose state between life and death, under the watchful eye of the eccentric Dr Roget (Helpmann). When he is assigned a caring new nurse, Kathy (Penhaligon), he becomes possessive, and uses telekinetic powers to torment anyone who comes between them." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Patrick - Original Australian Theatrical Version, Patrick - Italian-Language Version), 4/5 (U.S. Theatrical Cut)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Patrick was scanned in 4K from the original 35mm negatives, preserved at the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA0 of Australia, by Fixafilm. Picture restoration and color correction work were carried out by Renasci Films in the UK. Thousands of instances of dirt were removed, scratches, stains and other imperfections eliminated, and damaged frames repaired. No grain management, edge enhancement or sharpening tools were employed to artificially alter the image in any way.”

Patrick comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 89.9 GB

Feature: 66.3 GB (Original Australian Theatrical Version, Italian-language Version), 16.7 GB (U.S. Theatrical Cut)

This release uses seamless branching for the original Australian theatrical version and the Italian-language version. The sources used for these three versions are comparable. That said, I would give a slight edge to the original Australian theatrical version and the Italian-language version over the U.S. theatrical cut because the two latter have Dolby Vision and HDR. Flesh tones look healthy, colors look very good, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look. When compared to Patrick’s previous home video release, these new transfers are a marked improvement in every way.

Audio: 5/5 (DTS-HD Mono English - Original Australian Theatrical Version, LPCM Mono English - U.S. Theatrical Cut, DTS-HD Mono Italian -Italian-Language Version)

There are three versions: the original Australian theatrical version comes with a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH; the U.S. theatrical cut comes with a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH; and the Italian-language version comes with a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. All audio tracks sound excellent; the dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, they both sound robust when they should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include image galleries: original promotional material (132 images) and behind the scenes (185 images), TV spot #1 (31 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), TV spot #2 (11 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), TV spot #3 (11 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Australian theatrical trailer (3 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), U.S. theatrical trailer (1 minute 47 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), French title sequence comparison (2 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono), an appreciation by the academic and Australian cinema specialist Stephen Morgan titled Shock Tactics (26 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), ‘Not Quite Hollywood’ Interviews from 2008: actress Susan Penhaligon (11 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), actor Rod Mullinar (7 minutes 50 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), director Richard Franklin (15 minutes 5 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), screenwriter Everett De Roche (6 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles) and producer Antony I. Ginnane (21 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Antony I. Ginnane titled A Coffee Break (17 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an on-stage interview with Richard Franklin from 2001 (8 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an on-set interview with Richard Franklin from 1978 (9 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Richard Franklin and Everett De Roche for the original Australian theatrical version, and an 80-page booklet with cast & crew information, an essay titled Australian Psycho: An Appreciation of Patrick written by Alan Miller, an exclusive extracts from Richard Franklin unpublished memoirs titled Richard Franklin on Patrick, an exclusive extracts from Antony I Ginnane unpublished memoirs titled Memories of Patrick, an archival interview with Everett De Roche by Paul Davis, an archival interview special effects expert Conrad Rothman by Dennis Nicholson, Peter Bradley and Scott Murray, , and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Directed by Richard Franklin, whose other notable films include Fantasm, Psycho II, Cloak & Dagger, and F/X2. “Three presentations of Patrick: the original Australian theatrical version; the shortened, re-dubbed US theatrical cut; and the Italian-language version, featuring an alternative score by prog-rock legends Goblin, presented with English subtitles for the first time.”

Patrick has been in a coma since he murdered his mother and her lover. His new nurse, Kathy, quickly becomes his object of affection. Kathy has her own problems in a marriage that is on shaky ground. Patrick quickly becomes jealous of any man who shows Kathy attention. How far will Patrick go to prove his love for Kathy?

There are two films that Patrick draws from: Carrie and Psycho. Patrick, like Norman Bates, had an abusive relationship with his mother, and just like Carrie, he has telekinetic powers. Patrick also has a few moments that will give you a feeling of Déjà vu. Ironically, Patrick, which drew inspiration from other films, would inspire an Italian knockoff of Patrick Still Lives.

A comatose person who uses telekinesis is an interesting premise. And yet, it is not without its drawbacks. Notably, when it comes to the moment in between Patrick's outbursts, fortunately, the narrative does a good job building momentum towards the finale. That said, the final act is easily the strongest section.

The performances range from adequate to good. And though the strongest performance is by Susan Penhaligon (The Confessional) in the role of Kathy. It is hard to overshadow Robert Thompson’s (Thirst) scene-stealing portrayal of Patrick. With no dialog and minimal movement, he is able to convey so much.

From a production standpoint, Patrick is a film that exceeds the sum of its parts. Richard Franklin’s solid direction does a phenomenal job of building tension. When it comes to the violence, things are more in line with a thriller than a horror film. That said, onscreen carnage is not that gory. Ultimately, Patrick somehow succeeds despite a deliberately paced narrative that takes some patience.

Patrick gets an excellent release from Powerhouse Films, highly recommended.

Note: This release is a limited edition of 10,000 numbered units (6,000 4K UHDs and 4,000 Blu-rays) for the UK and US.

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