Search - Straw Dogs on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Rape & Sexual Abuse, Not For Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1971 DVD Release: 01/19/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 58 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 8 Genres: Thriller, Psychological Thriller See Also: Straw Dogs [Uncut] [Criterion Collection], Straw Dogs

Sam Peckinpah examines the instinctual capacity for violence in his controversial 1971 film, loosely based on the novel -The Siege of Trencher's Farm. To avoid the Vietnam-era social chaos in the U.S., American mathematician David Sumner (Dustin Hoffman) moves with his British wife, Amy (Susan George), to the isolated Cornish town where she grew up, but their presence provokes antagonism among the village's men. As the hostilities escalate from routine bullying to the gang rape of his wife, David finds his pacifistic self backed into a corner. When the hooligans attack his house, David finally resorts to the gruesome violence that he abhors. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Dustin Hoffman - David
Susan George - Amy
Peter Vaughan - Tom Hedden
T.P. McKenna - Maj. Scott
David Warner - Henry Niles
Colin Welland - Rev. hood
Cherina Mann - Mrs. Hood

This is the uncut version of Straw Dogs, a film that has excited controversy and discussion since the day it was released -- is it a flawed masterpiece, a misogynistic shambles, a brilliant satire, or a stumbling allegory on the condition of Western civilization? It is indisputably a Sam Peckinpah film that once again addresses the subject of being male in an uncertain world.
Anchor Bay has chosen to release a full-length, unrated cut and seems to have based the transfer on a new or uncirculated print. There are no print blemishes, scratches, or speckles visible throughout the length of the disc, and no indication of print fade. While the overall tone is somewhat subdued, the image is generally strong and clear. It does jitter slightly and briefly in a couple of places, but this is barely noticeable. Anchor Bay's box notes claim a 1.77:1 (non-anamorphic) letterboxing, but it measures out more closely to a traditional 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Color balance is excellent, and flesh tones are accurate, if subdued, with little evidence of compression artifacts or edge enhancement during the course of the movie. There are several scenes with deep "fog" -- technicians going overboard with smoke machines -- that show no problems whatsoever. Blacks are very solid and detailed, which is valuable in this movie because much of the last third requires various characters to be moving in and out of dark areas. The mono soundtrack is robust, treating Jerry Fielding's score quite well. Dialogue is quite comprehensible, with noise and hum almost entirely eliminated throughout. The DVD is movie-only, with no extras, and has 13 chapter stops. It is packaged in a keep case with a four-page insert. ~ Steven E. McDonald, All Movie Guide