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The Movie:
Cheesy 80's fare starring Rosanna Arquette, Adian Quinn and Madonna, in her first starring role. Arquette stars as Roberta, a bored housewife who starts tracking a love affair between two people that she finds in the personals section. Anything to get out of the dull life that she leads with her husband.
Roberta is fascinated by Susan's wild ways, and eventually, in a case of mistaken identity, she finds herself portraying her to a guy she meets one day(Quinn). The film has a couple of decent performances from Quinn and Madonna, who portrays the tough Susan fairly well in her first film role.
It's nothing too great, but the film has a few funny moments, and the cinematography captures New York City very well.
The DVD
VIDEO: MGM actually decided to go with an anamorphic transfer for this catalog title, but still, there are some faults with the image quality that are worth noting. Sharpness and clarity varies throughout; some of the bright, outdoor scenes actually look quite good, with solid clarity. Some sequences though, look a little soft. Detail is passable, but not great. Colors are one of the better elements of the picture, looking snappy and bright. Flesh tones are fine, as well.
There are some issues though; quite a few scenes look moderately grainy, occasionally to the point of distraction. Shimmering is visible at times, as well. The print used contains some marks and scratches, but less than I was expecting from a picture of this age. All in all, it's a passable looking image, but not as good as it could have been. There is also a full-frame edition on the flip-side.
SOUND: The film's original mono soundtrack is included, and as expected, it's pretty limited. There's nothing wrong with it, though - it portrays the cheesy pop score quite well, and dialogue remains acceptably clear and easily understood.
MENUS:: The main menu is animated with the score playing in the background and it makes for a nice introduction to the movie; the sub-menus are non-animated, but easily navigated.
EXTRAS:
Commentary: This is a commentary track from director Susan Sidelman as well as the producers of the film. The group is actually pretty fun to listen to, as the girls chat about the themes of the story and some tales from the set, such as what it was like to work with the actors and crew.
Although there really isn't much technical information thrown out(it's a pretty low-budget feature), what the group shares about the history of the film, such as how the crew and cast came together, as well as what inspired "Desperately Seeking Susan", is pretty interesting to listen to. The group seems to occasionally take the light movie a little too seriously, but I still found them informative and fun; they're energetic and very much into the commentary process. Worth a listen.
Trailer: The film's original theatrical trailer, which is pretty funny (and not intentionally).
Alternate Ending: The film's alternate ending, which does go on a little too long. It's not in the greatest condition, but it is watchable.
Final Thoughts: The picture quality and sound quality are so-so; the commentary is very enjoyable and the alternate ending is a nice addition. If you're a fan of the movie, you might enjoy this DVD, which is priced very nicely at 19.99 retail. Otherwise, skip it or at most, rent it.
Film Grade
The Film C-
DVD Grades
Video 79/C+ = (316/400 possible points)
Audio: 79/C+ = (316/400 possible points)
Extras: 85/B = (255/300 possible points)
Menus: 80/B- = (160/200 possible points)
Value: 81/B = (243/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1290/1600
DVD GRADE:B-/80%
FILM GRADE: C-
DVD GRADE: B-
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