Review of Liebestraum

Introduction

A film which performed poorly at the box office, got slated by critics and then got forgotten about. Sounds like perfect DVD fodder to me!

This is Mike Figgis` Liebestraum, and it`s his film in more ways than one, as he serves as writer, director and composer (along with a certain Franz Liszt who composed the music from which the film takes its title). The story is outlined up above for you, so I`ll just drop in a small fact related to the film instead - it remains Kim Novak`s last film appearance.

If you know anything of the history of this film then you`ll know that there were 2 versions released in the US - the R-rated theatrical release, and the unrated director`s cut. What I believe we are presented with here is the longer, unrated version (containing the scene in the brothel which was expunged from the US R-rated version).

Video

A 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer which looks fantastic for its age. There`s a definite trend emerging of films which didn`t do much on the big screen almost always getting an excellent transfer onto DVD. It`s free from dirt, dust, grain and any nasty blemishes. Colours and lighting are excellent too.

Technical qualities of the transfer aside, it`s really a joy to watch. Cinematographer Juan Ruiz Anchía brings us some wonderful scenes, and there`s just something compelling about all of the visuals. The picture just oozes style from every nought and one that make it up. From oddball camera angles to things lurking in the shadows, Figgis` voyeuristic camera always seems to be in the right place for the right effect. A joy to watch on this level.

Audio

A standard DD2.0 stereo soundtrack which can be summed up as functional and adequate. If you stick it through an amp or processor then you can get a few surround effects out of it (atmospherics mostly). The soundtrack is used to good effect though, whether it`s Liszt or Figgis, and it tries its best to build tension and keep the film moving along.

As with many of these catalogue titles, you can also choose from French, German and Spanish soundtracks.

Features

Just a trailer which fails to trail the film very well. The "deleted scene" on the region 1 release is reinstated into the main feature here, so we`re not missing anything available elsewhere.

Conclusion

The obvious parallels to draw here are with Kenneth Branagh`s Dead Again which covers similar subject matter, but with a different twist on it. Figgis goes more for the visual style and the mood, Branagh went more for the actual story happening up on the screen. The darkness and the almost "stalker like" camera that follows the characters around in Liebestraum see to this.

The problem is that all this cinematography and visual slickness are the only thing that you end up watching, as the story just fades into the background. You start out interested in the story and what might happen but then you (as perhaps Figgis did) lose interest and just end up watching the pictures instead.

So here`s the problem. The film is wonderful on a purely visual level. But the story is massively lacking and it all ends up in predictable fashion. It`s a shame because there`s so much to like, but at the end of the day I can`t really recommend you buying this DVD just to watch Figgis` mastery of the visual image can I? Surely you want a more rounded experience than just nice pictures? Maybe not?

Recommended therefore (and only just) for its visuals alone, but that`s probably not enough to make you go and buy it. Figgis himself would recommend that you do, as it`s still one of his favourite pieces of his work.