Film

Giles De’Ath (John Hurt…The Elephant Man, not The Big Chill) is a widowed, reclusive English writer. He has no interest in 20th century gizmos like television, radio, telephones, or typewriters. That all changes, though, once his agent convinces him to take a trip to the local cinema to see the adaptation of E.M. Forster currently playing. Giles accidentally sits down at a film called “Hotpants College II,” an American teen romp co-starring young, handsome Ronnie Bostock (Jas…n Priestely). The appearance of this beautiful face seems to spark something in Giles. He starts out by opening up to 20th century stuff, buying a phone, an answering machine, a television and a VCR (no DVD? For shame!). He begins to rent all of Bostock’s films, classics like “Skidmarks” (about some nerds who teach the local hot shot a lesson) and the dramatic “Tex Mex,” a piece focusing on the discrimination against Mexicans in Texas. Soon enough, Giles is cutting out pictures of Bostock, learning things about him, and basically finding everything Giles ISN’T in Ronnie. Ronnie represents youth, capriciousness, superficiality, and popularity. Before long, Giles travels to Long Island to meet the object of his bizarre (seemingly not sexual) affection, and to try to become involved in his life and career.

The story itself, in essence a character study of an old fuddy-duddy, is a bit difficult to distill and do justice to. I urge anyone who can appreciate an absolutely amazing performance by an actor or actress to give Love and Death a try, based entirely on the job by John Hurt. He couldn’t be better, somehow remaining the height of dignity while buying issues of “Sugar” magazine and basically worshipping a teen idol. He shines as a cagey, intelligent, well-intentioned but misguided fan, keeping his flitting emotions just below the surface so that he could get closer to Ronnie. Priestely, basically the only other important character in the film, does a commendable job as the Himbo, but absolutely wilts under the strength of Hurt’s portrayal (which on its own bought this film a whole point). Perhaps the problem is in the casting, because I couldn’t get past Preistely as “Brandon.” I kept waiting for Nat to show up, or for Sanders to pull into the driveway and holler, “Let’s go Brando!”

The movie ends a bit abruptly, which is fine, actually, because the story really has nowhere else to go without becoming either outlandish or corny. Love and Death on Long Island isn’t exactly a riveting suspense piece or a driving thriller, so if that’s the kind of entertainment you’re after, it might be best to leave this one on the shelf. If you have a bit of a quirky sense of humor, though, and appreciate a perfect performance on-screen, then this one is for you. I’m glad to have it on my shelf.

Video

Love and Death on Long Island is presented in its original aspect ratio, an anamorphically enhanced 1.85:1 widescreen. The picture quality betrays the low-budget nature of this engaging little indy, starting with the touch of grain in the film’s exterior backdrops, like the skies off the Long Island shore. There are several instances where we see some trouble with artifacting, both positive (white) and negative (black), but this isn’t a title that’s likely to fall under the scrutiny of the technophilic community. On a positive note, color work shows excellent fidelity, and black depth is tremendous. This is a serviceable picture given the content. Menus are not animated.

Audio

A tiny, intimate film like Love and Death really only requires a 2.0 track, which is what Lions Gate provides. It’s a perfectly functional track, free of pops and hisses, even utilizing an occasional soundpan or two for dynamic demonstration. Dialogue is crystal clear, but does reveal evidence of studio looping in certain spots. Overall, this is a very blue-collar, expectedly clear track that neither stuns nor disappoints. Subtitles are available

Special Features

Sadly, only the film’s 150-second theatrical trailer appears as a supplement. I find it hard to believe that Jason Priestley was not available for a commentary track, or that no additional footage of the phony movies exists somewhere, but on the other hand, how much effort can we expect Lions Gate to put into this title?

Final Thoughts

Though it’s not a title that will soar off the shelves on the strength of its achievements as a DVD, Love and Death on Long Island is certainly a title worth renting, if only for the absolutely impeccable performance by John Hurt. Without any serious value-add material, however, this title has a tough time competing with other discs that have more to offer from a DVD standpoint. It’s become harder and harder to sell a disc based solely on the film, but that’s what Lions Gate is doing with Love and Death. Those into character studies and perfect acting will be impressed, but those looking for more out of their home entertainment dollar will likely do better to rent this one.

Special Features List

• Trailer