Search - The Fan [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Graphic Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1981 DVD Release: 09/24/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 34 mins Studio: Paramount Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Crime, Thriller, Crime Thriller See Also: The Fan [Widescreen]

Lauren Bacall more or less plays herself in The Fan. Cast as famous Broadway musical comedy star Sally Ross (with an astonishing lack of temperament!), Bacall finds herself the unwilling love object of psychotic fan Douglas Breen (Michael Biehn). As security around Ross tightens, Breen vows that if he can't have Ross, no one else can. James Garner and Maureen Stapleton are underused as, respectively, Bacall's ex-husband and mother-hen secretary. Based on a good novel by Bob Randall, The Fan comes off as a slightly more expensive "stalker of the week" TV movie. Still, the film proved grimly prescient in the light of John Lennon's assassination (which occurred after the film was completed, but before its release) and the ongoing dilemma of current Broadway stars (even the lesser lights) who are forced to hire bodyguards to protect them from worshipful wackos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lauren Bacall - Sally Ross
James Garner - Jake Berman
Maureen Stapleton - Belle Goldman
Michael Biehn - Douglas Breen
Hector Elizondo - Ralph Andrews

Edward Bianchi's thriller about a celebrity stalker, The Fan, comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English subtitles are accessible. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence, but this Paramount release offers a strong enough visual image that it is worthwhile for genre enthusiasts. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide