Donnie Darko: Director's Cut (Madman Ent) (2001)

This review is sponsored by

BUY IT

General		Extras
Category	Fantasy	Main Menu Audio & Animation-An all new commentary with Richard Kelly and Kevin Smith Audio Commentary-Richard Kelly (Director) And Kevin Smith Featurette-Darkomentary Storyboard Comparisons-40 min doco with optional commentary Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Production Diary, With Optional Commentary Additional Footage-B-Roll Footage Interviews-Cast & Crew Filmographies-Cast & Crew Theatrical Trailer-Original And Director's Cut TV Spots-5 Featurette-Cunning Visions Infomercials Additional Footage-With Optional Commentary Easter Egg-'The Killing Moon'
Rating
Year Of Production	2001
Running Time	128:21
RSDL / Flipper	RSDL (54:05) Dual Disc Set	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Richard Kelly
Studio Distributor	Madman Entertainment	Starring	Jake Gyllenhaal Holmes Osborne Maggie Gyllenhaal Daveigh Chase Mary McDonnell James Duval Arthur Taxier Patrick Swayze Mark Hoffman David St. James Tom Tangen Jazzie Mahannah Jolene Purdy
Case	Slip Case
RPI	$29.95	Music	Michael Andrews

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English dts 5.1 (768Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    It was said by one recent Australian film critic that Hollywood is not in the business of making movies, it is in the business of making money. And if you take a look around at the current US film industry, this criticism has a certain ring of truth to it. The best cinema, at least as I understand it (and apparently as this critic understands it too), transcends mere entertainment to become art. This is not to say that cinema should not be entertaining – it should. But if it can be both entertaining and something more, then it becomes true cinema.

    In 2001, we had a string of those Hollywood films that were made more for their capacity to earn a dollar than for their cinematic value. Then one man’s vision burst onto the screen. His creation, Donnie Darko, was a cult classic in weeks, and played at the cinemas for months, still drawing crowds. While never officially acknowledged in the mainstream, this strange tale of self-discovery, love, time travel and sacrifice became one of the favourite films of a generation whose own lives were disrupted by the no less surreal ‘war on terror’.

    So what is Donnie Darko all about? Well, you tell me – I only work here. I have my own interpretation of the film, and it’s likely to be just as different to your own as somebody else’s interpretation is. Here are the facts: one the eve of the Presidential Election of George Bush, Sr. in 1988, the troubled Donald Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is awoken from his sleep by a voice calling him out onto the neighbouring golf course. There he is confronted by a six foot bunny rabbit named Frank who tells him that the world is going to end. That night, while Donnie is out on the golf course, a jet engine crashes through his bedroom roof. Realising that Frank has saved his life, Donnie begins doing his bidding, which mostly involves a negative response to the new age teachings of ‘feel good’ guru John Cunningham (Patrick Swayze). But things are complicated by the arrival of a new girl at school named Gretchen (Jena Malone) with whom Donnie has an immediate affinity.

    For those who are already familiar with the original, you are probably all asking what the differences are, and which version is superior. In all honesty, the differences are too numerous to list here, although you can find information on the changes at the IMDb amongst other places. As to which version is better, after watching this new version some four times now (once at the cinema and three times on DVD) I believe that on the whole this version is the better of the two, although I have a couple of reservations about the digital overlay stuff during that final time vortex sequence. By pumping up the science fiction angle of the film, Kelly detracts from its theological aspects which add such an air of ambiguous mystery to the original version. Other than that, though, the changes are very welcome, even if the musical changes took some getting used to the first time through.

    If you have never seen Donnie Darko, I recommend seeing this version first, and then experimenting with the original. Be warned – there is much more to digest here, and although some aspects are explained in better detail than in the original version, the extra information adds more that you have to decipher, which makes the whole movie-going experience that much more fun. An amazing movie, and an amazing experience that you will not forget.

Video

    Transferred in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, 16x9 enhanced, this picture is a radical improvement on the original release.

    Richard Kelly talks on the commentary track about the work done remastering the picture, and it really shows. The picture is cleaner, with far less dirt, and a better defined image.

    For a perfect contrast, watch the opening credit sequences back to back from the original version and the Director’s Cut and notice all the subtle changes. The contrast is much better, the shadow detail infinitely clearer, the colours a more even balanced spread of hues. The grass by the side of the road goes from that early morning bluish green to a more definite green as the sun rises, rather than remaining that murky blue for the whole sequence. There is a much better saturation in the colour, too, with the mild ‘greyness’ of the original replaced with a scarily true-to-life colour scheme that glows. The cloudy graininess of the original has been replaced with a smooth, sharp image that is the equal of any transfer from Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle to Top Gun: Special Edition. And the difference is not limited merely to the opening sequence – it is noticeable throughout.

    Another significant bonus was the complete lack of any MPEG artefacts or film-to-video transfer artefacts. I kept my eyes peeled for any background moire or aliasing effect and found none. This is truly an excellent transfer.

    I also noticed that a lot, although not quite all, of the dirt on the print had been cleared up, with a lot less in the way of noticeable flecks of black or white. You will still see it if you go looking for it, but the remaster is definitely cleaner.

    Subtitles are available in English for the Hearing Impaired. They are yellow, clear and easy to read, and stick fairly close to the original text.

    The dual-layer pause is at 54:05. This is during a scene change and is very well done – I missed it the first time. A marked improvement on the original R4 DVD release, where the pause broke up the soundtrack at a rather emotionally critical point with a very jarring effect.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    Audio is available in the original English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround (448Kb/s) and also as a new English 5.1 DTS track (768Kb/s). Let me say from the outset that the DTS track is stunning. I mean truly amazing. It’s not quite up there with the 6.1 DTS track on the remastered version of Top Gun, but you will not be sorry for having clicked on the DTS in preference to the original 5.1 Dolby Digital track.

    For both tracks, dialogue is extremely well reproduced, and I could find no audio sync faults. I had no difficulty in understanding what was being said, although I found that the DTS track was slightly clearer with vocal inflections, as you would expect.

    However, the DTS outshines its counterpart in the dynamic range, use of surrounds and implementation of the subwoofer. Beginning with surrounds, you will notice in many pivotal scenes how the DTS track brings to life the surrounds. From when the engine first crashes through the Darko’s roof, to when Donnie sets out to “burn it to the ground”, the DTS track really brings those scenes to life by pumping extra information through the surrounds, giving it a realer than real feel at times. Almost scary.

    As for music, the original score composed by Michael Andrews, one of the most instantly recognisable themes from recent cinema for any fan, is given new life on the DTS track. Although used a little more sparingly in the Director’s Cut than it was in the original, the DTS track seems to pump this music right through you. Better yet, however, are the various period tracks from the mid-to-late 1980s, several of which have changed from the original. These tracks are amazingly reworked into the DTS format and will literally blow you away when you hear them. Stunning. As an aside, I noticed that the Dolby Digital track seems to have some low-level static ‘hissing’ that was most definitely not present in the DTS track. This hissing is present also on the original if you turn it up. That is all cleared up on the DTS track.

    Finally, the DTS track completely outshines the Dolby Digital track with its use of low end bass. There is some amazing subwoofer use in this, and if you’ve got your system turned up loud you’ll feel your ribcage rattle. More than worth it, just for the experience.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menus

    All menus are presented in 1.78:1, 16x9 enhanced. The main menus have a 5.1 Dolby Digital audio track.

Disc 1

Audio Commentary – Richard Kelly (writer/director) and Kevin Smith (friend and colleague)

    Presented in 2.0 Dolby Surround, this is probably the best audio commentary I’ve sat through in a long time. Indeed, it was a pleasure to sit through, as opposed to many, which I simply endure for the sake of the job. These two get along very well, have a lot of relevant stuff to say about their film and about the film industry in general, and make for a very insightful view of the movie. Up there with a Joss Whedon commentary.

Disc 2

Darkomentary (13:18)

    This is a documentary made by a Donnie Darko fan who has taken things just a little too far. I’m not sure whether he’s serious or not, but he is definitely the movie’s number one fan, in an obsessive compulsive sort of way. Quite scary, but also very funny.

Behind The Scenes

    There are two featurettes here:

• Storyboard Comparison (1:37), which looks at the sequence where Donnie starts seeing people’s linear paths in time,
• Production Diary (40:45), which is a video diary account of the making of the movie from location scouting to the end. Also comes with alternate Commentary by Richard Kelly,
• B-Roll Footage (4:36), which is basically a bunch of on set footage taken with a hand held camera,
• Cast & Crew Interviews, which are a series of short and highly edited interviews with almost the entire cast and crew, that turn out not to be too in-depth after the bulk of the interviews have been cut back, and
• Cast & Crew Filmographies, which are a series of stills listing the movies which the principal cast and crew have been involved in.

Promos

    These are a series of trailers used for the movie and also in the movie:

• Director’s Cut (1:05),
• Original Theatrical Trailer (2:21),
• TV Spot One (0:31),
• TV Spot Two (0:31),
• TV Spot Three (0:31),
• TV Spot Four (0:17),
• TV Spot Five (0:16),
• Cunning Visions Infomercials One (5:42), presented in 2.0 Mono, and also with an alternate commentary by Fabian Van Patten and Linda Connie who put together the concept of Cunning Visions for the movie.

Easter Egg: “The Killing Moon” (5:29)

    This is a bonus live version of the track “The Killing Moon” recorded by Echo & The Bunnymen which was used in the opening credits of the original but replaced in the Director’s Cut by “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS. You access this feature in the Promos Menu by pressing Left when you are on the Director’s Cut trailer. A picture of Frank’s mask will appear on Patrick Swayze’s face which will take you to this feature.

Additional Scenes

    This is a run through of the 20 additional/alternate scenes that were removed from the original and mostly added into the Director’s Cut, although some were still modified in the final version or not reincorporated at all. They can be played all together or individually and come with an alternate commentary by Richard Kelly describing why the scenes were removed or altered in the original:

• Married With Children (0:20),
• A Telephone Conversation (0:35),
• Conversation With Frank (2:29),
• Holiday Inn (3:34).
• The Bus Stop (1:17),
• School’s Out (0:30),
• Wizard’s Arcade (1:07),
• Poetry Day (0:54),
• Feeling Alone (1:45),
• Carving the Rabbit (2:15),
• A Night On The Town (0:57),
• Book Exchange (1:01),
• Sexual Fantasies (3:05),
• Return To Carpathian Ridge (0:29),
• Fatherly Advice (2:06),
• Watership Down (3:46),
• Airport Van (1:07),
• Cellar Door (2:43),
• Placebos (1:14),
• The End Is Here (0:26),

    The R1 release was not yet available at the time of writing this review, however from all reports it will include:

• Featurette: “They Made Me Do It Too: The Cult Of Donnie Darko”, and
• Spanish subtitles

but will miss out on:

• English 5.1 DTS Soundtrack.

    This DTS track is amazing and adds much to the film. Unless the final R1 release comes with such a DTS track, don’t even bother wasting your time with it for the sake of a featurette. You will notice the difference. Go for R4.

    Donnie Darko: Director’s Cut is an excellent version of the film. Whether or not it is better is still open to debate. I am starting to lean a little closer to this version. However, there are parts that I would have liked kept as the original where I think Kelly stepped over the mark a little.

    This new version also comes with faultless video and audio transfers that put the original DVD transfer to shame. Stunningly good.

    With so many extras to choose from, and one of the best audio commentaries I have heard in years, you just cannot go wrong with this disc.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall