Search - Heavenly Creatures [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Adult Language, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1994 DVD Release: 09/24/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 49 mins Studio: Miramax Members Wishing: 15 Genres: Drama, Psychological Drama, Crime Drama, Gay & Lesbian Films, Coming-of-Age See Also: Heavenly Creatures

After winning a cult following for several offbeat and darkly witty gore films, New Zealand director Peter Jackson abruptly shifted gears with this stylish, compelling, and ultimately disturbing tale of two teenage girls whose friendship begins to fuel an ultimately fatal obsession. Pauline (Melanie Lynskey) is a student in New Zealand who doesn't much care for her family or her classmates; she's a bit overweight and not especially gracious, but she quickly makes friends with Juliet (Kate Winslet), a pretty girl whose wealthy parents have relocated from England. Pauline and Juliet find they share the same tastes in art, literature, and music (especially the vocal stylings of Mario Lanza), and together they begin to construct an elaborate fantasy world named Borovnia, which exists first in stories and then in models made of clay. The more Pauline and Juliet dream of Borovnia, the more the two find themselves retreating into this fantastical world of art, adventure, and Gothic romance as they slowly drift away from reality. The girls' parents decide that perhaps they're spending too much time together, and try to bring them back into the real world, but this only feeds their continued obsession with Borovnia (and each other) and leads to a desperate and violent bid for freedom. Featuring excellent performances (especially by Kate Winslet) and imaginative production design and special effects, Heavenly Creatures skillfully allows the audience to see Pauline and Juliet both from their own fantastic perspective and how they seem to the rest of the world. Remarkably enough, Heavenly Creatures is based on a true story; in real life, Juliet grew up to become mystery novelist Anne Perry. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Melanie Lynskey - Pauline Parker
Kate Winslet - Juliet Hulme
Sarah Peirse - Honora Parker
Diana Kent - Hilda Hulme
Clive Merrison - Henry Hulme

Peter Jackson directs Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures, based on a true story that took place in New Zealand in the 1950s. Buena Vista's work on this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer is fine save for a few instances of edge enhancement and grain in the image. Otherwise this unrated cut of the film (featuring previously unavailable footage) looks to be in fine shape with sharp colors and dark black levels. The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround in English. This is a fine sound mix that aptly supports the film. While directional effects, dynamic range and surround sounds are generally lacking, overall the mix is free and clear of any excessive hiss or distortion. Also included on this disc are English subtitles. Fans of this cult classic will be disappointed to learn that the extra features on this disc are at the bare minimum -- all that's been included on this first ever DVD edition of Heavnely Creatures is a full frame theatrical trailer for the movie. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide