Criterion Collection: Thelma and Louise

Director: Ridley Scott
Screenplay: Callie Khouri
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, Stephen Tobolowsky, Brad Pitt, Timothy Carhart, Lucinda Jenney, Jason Beghe, Marco St. John
Country: USA
Running Time: 129 minutes
Year: 1991
BBFC Certificate: 15

This month sees the welcome release in UHD of Ridley Scott classic, Thelma and Louise. It was always a beautifully shot film, so responds willingly to a sprucing up.

Story-wise, the film remains sharply, entertainingly relevant; possibly even matured since its release. If you wanted to take it at face-value -a modern twist on Bonnie and Clyde, thrillingly peppered with cool characters and killer dialogue on a huge scale- it’s timeless and eminently watchable. Taken through a lens of feminism, it loses none of its fun, but gains enormous importance. Timeless, yes, but future-proof too, though it shouldn’t be in isolation.

Front and centre, Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are phenomenal. Davis’ growth is not dissimilar to that of Ripley in Scott’s Alien, though more dramatic, if that’s possible. Brad Pitt impresses in his earliest role and Harvey Keitel is remarkably softer as the Detective chasing the women across the state.

Ridley Scott is an interesting director. workman-like, gruff and laser-focused, but his work arguably lives and dies in the script. He’s responsible for genre-defining films like Alien and Blade Runner. He reinvented the mediaeval epic in Gladiator. He’s had a number of duds too though. Good or bad, he finished all his films as only he could. Still, it’s always worth seeing where his productions started.

Criterion’s excellent release gives as much credit to screenwriter Callie Khouri, with a new interview especially prying open her process and influences. It’s fascinating stuff and gives new perspectives to the film. Actually, the film hardly needs it, but the discourse around Barbie shows we need to continue raising the attention of women filmmakers. Khouri scored huge having a heavyweight director like Scott in her corner, especially in the 90s, and his no-nonsense approach meant her voice and intention wasn’t remotely muffled. But we haven’t had enough Thelmas or Louises since.

VIDEO

Compared with Alien, et al, you might assume TL was a throwaway production. And maybe Scott did find it more straightforward, but that just gave him bigger margins to fill. And so he did, with a confident quality of embellishment we normally only saw from his late-brother. So for instance, Thelma and Louise finally lose patience with another driver and lead him off-road in a simple set-piece, but in Scott’s hands, it’s a huge tanker, literally gleaming in the harsh sun. It should be impossible for this story to jostle the landscape and win the battle to fill the frame. Most classic Westerns, after all, settle into the mode of little people, big sky. Scott and his cinematographer Adrian Biddle don’t know the meaning of the word ‘impossible’. Thelma and Louise might always be on the run, but when they grasp their destiny, they command the screen, right through that ending.

As I said at the top of this review, Thelma and Louise with its harsh, blistering contrasts, smoky interiors, enough chrome to make Terminator 2 look dull, gorgeous landscapes and dust you can taste, is a prime contender for UHD. Unfortunately, I had the Blu-Ray to review, so I can’t really tell you exactly how good the UHD is, but the new 4k source transfer, even in 1080p, is pristine. Leaps ahead of previous editions.

AUDIO

The 5.1 surround track is as agile as the photography. A rich, full sound, with crystal-clear dialogue even in the most challenging setups. Hans Zimmer’s score plus an excellent soundtrack make for a solid experience all round.

EXTRA FEATURES

This is one of Criterion’s strongest releases recently, even if most of the extra features are not new. They’re still valuable, especially the commentaries. There are new interviews with Callie Khouri and Ridley Scott, plus Scott’s short film Boy and Bicycle (1965).

• New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director Ridley Scott, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• Two audio commentaries, featuring Scott, screenwriter Callie Khouri, and actors Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon
• New interviews with Scott and Khouri
• Documentary featuring Davis; Khouri; Sarandon; Scott; actors Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, and Brad Pitt; and other members of the cast and crew
• Boy and Bicycle (1965), Scott’s first short film, and one of his early commercials
• Original theatrical featurette
• Storyboards and deleted and extended scenes, including an extended ending with director’s commentary
• Music video for Glenn Frey’s “Part of Me, Part of You,” from the film’s soundtrack