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The Dominator reviews

9 ½ Weeks

Desire. Infatuation. Obsession.

Distributed by
Odyssey Video

Cat.no: ODL 102
Cert: 18
Running time: 111 minutes
Year: 1986
Sides 3 (CLV/CAV/CAV)
Pressing : 1996
Chapters : 28 (12/8/8)
Sound: Dolby Surround
Widescreen : 1.85:1
Price: £34.99
Extras : Original Theatrical Trailer

Director:

Indecent Proposal, Jacob's Ladder, Fatal Attraction

Producers:

Anthony Rufus Isaacs and Zalman King

Screenplay:

Patricia Knop and Zalman King

Music:

Eurythmics - This City Never Sleeps
Bryan Ferry - Slave To Love
Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On
Luba - Let It Go (end credits)

Cast:

John : Mickey Rourke

Angelheart, Wild Orchid

Elizabeth : Kim Basinger

The Getaway, Too Hot To Handle

Molly : Margaret Whitton

Man Without a Face, Major League I & II

Harvey : David Margulies

Farnsworth : Dwight West

Sinclair : Roderick Cook

Bruce : Olek Krupa

Elizabeth works at the Spring Street Gallery which is shortly due to display a big exhibition for an unknown artist named Farnsworth, and she still thinks occasionally about her ex-husband, Bruce...that is until she meets John, a man whom she has no idea what he does for a living, but that he earns more than enough money.

He eyes her from the local market, and woos her at first by buying an expensive shawl for her that she had her eye on there but couldn't afford.

Within a short space of time, Elizabeth is embroiled in a passionate affair in which John wants her to submit to his every whim however perverted it seems from the famous food scene, later parodied in "Hot Shots!" to dressing up as a man in a restaurant, and beyond what she could possibly imagine as some of John's desires go further than she had anticipated...

If you haven't seen the film before, it's worth checking out to see what all the fuss was about ten years ago, and director Adrian Lyne makes more of the less animated scenes with expert direction.

The widescreen video was released in the middle of last year for the tenth anniversary edition, but unlike the video, it's nice to see that the original theatrical trailer has been included here.

The digitally remastered print is quite a clean one, but on the whole looks a little soft, although that could have been the way it was filmed to benefit the look of the sex scenes. It's interesting to note that on the back of the sleeve, there's a notice which draws attention to this.

The sound quality is superb with top tunes from yesteryear blasting out during some of the scenes which no doubt would have been edited on terrestrial television.

The sleeve claims a 1.85:1 ratio, but although it looks a little less than that, the film was probably shot flat and masked for cinema presentation. Therefore with the widescreen version while some picture will be lost at the top and bottom of the screen, some more side information will also be gained. The reverse will apply to the fullscreen version, but of course the widescreen version will be the way the director intended the picture to be.

Chapters are plentiful and evenly spread across the disc with one for the Odyssey logo, one for the original theatrical trailer, and 26 for the film. Also, the gatefold sleeve contains a number of stills from the film, along with an insight into the film from Philip Kemp.

What may entice you to get this film on PAL Laserdisc though is the fact that sides 2 and 3 are in CAV so you can view all *those* scenes in slow-motion and get perfect still frames... :)

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1997.

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