Search - Communion [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Adult Situations Movie Release: 1989 DVD Release: 06/20/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 41 mins Studio: Elite Members Wishing: 6 Genres: Drama, Biopic [feature], Psychological Sci-Fi See Also: Communion [Special Collector's Edition]

Adapted by Whitley Strieber from his book about his alleged contacts with aliens, Communion dramatizes a story all the more compelling for the author's insistence that it is true, complemented by Christopher Walken's enigmatic performance as Strieber. The film begins in October 1985, as Strieber is living in New York City with his wife Anne (Lindsay Crouse) and son Andrew (Joel Carlson). He is hunting for new book ideas without making much headway. He spends his days pacing around his apartment, thinking out loud or videotaping himself as he improvises bits of dialogue. It is soon decided that a vacation is in order, so, with their friends Alex (Andreas Katsulas) and Sara (Terri Hanauer), the Striebers head for their cabin in Upstate New York. In the middle of the night, an illumination descends on the cabin and surrounding forest, causing Strieber to wake up abruptly. In the semi-darkness of the cabin, he is able to make out a long face with narrow, tear-shaped eyes quietly observing him from a corner of the room. The next morning, he has forgotten -- or been made to forget -- the whole experience. He even shrugs off Alex's and Sarah's concern about "seeing lights" outside their bedroom window, claiming to have slept through the event. Back in New York, it becomes evident to Strieber and his family that something unusual did happen. He begins to have powerful hallucinations, and, after an inconclusive medical examination, he is encouraged by his wife to seek professional help from psychiatrist Janet Duffy (Frances Sternhagen). During hypnotic regression therapy, Strieber's lifelong contact with the "visitors" is brought to light, as well as the details of his more recent encounters. Still unable to accept these revelations, he returns to the cabin alone and finally communicates with the visitors, discovering that, although they are unable to reveal their true identity, their purpose may be to act as agents of personal transformation for himself and for others. An interesting and uneven film, Communion is bolstered considerably by Christopher Walken, whose role in the film, though appropriate for the subject matter, quickly transforms into a thesis on his own eccentricities as an actor. ~ Anthony Reed, All Movie Guide

Christopher Walken - Whitley Strieber
Lindsay Crouse - Anne Strieber
Joel Carlson - Andrew Strieber
Frances Sternhagen - Dr. Janet Duffy
Andreas Katsulas - Alex

Elite's lineup of DVDs varies from basic discs to great special editions. =Communion falls somewhere in the middle. To begin with, picture quality is probably the best this film has seen since its days in the theaters. There are a few moments of grain and dust, but not enough to be distracting. The big plus is that this is the first Elite disc to use an anamorphic transfer. The image is framed at the theatrical ratio of 1.85:1 and is on a dual-layered disc. The soundtrack is a very good newly remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 track. There are plenty of instances where the surround spectrum is used, and it's quite effective. For the most part though the film is centered up front and sounds very clear, without any distortion or separation. The attention to detail is evident and Elite proves they can do as good a job as the big studios. On the downside, English is the only language option, and there are no subtitles.
=Communion has quite a few supplemental materials, but they are rather empty. An audio commentary track is obviously the highlight of the disc, but it's quite unusual. Director Philippe Mora and William J. Birnes, the publisher of UFO Magazine, rarely talk about the film; instead, the discussion centers around UFOs and alien abductions. While it fits the subject (and at times elicits big laughs), it may not interest those looking for insight into the filmmaking process. The disc also contains outtakes with commentary from Mora that is more focused on production details. The outtakes are basically extended versions of scenes that had to be trimmed for theatrical release, many consisting of Christopher Walken improvising with the aliens. While interesting, for the most part they go on far too long. Also included are promotional interviews with Walken, Mora, and author Whitley Strieber that will only leave viewers wanting more. The least interesting feature is an excerpt from Mora's most recent film, According to Occam's Razor. This two-minute scene is a documentary of surgeons removing an "alien device" from a man who claims he was abducted. Shot on videotape, it looks very cheap and is neither convincing nor intriguing. Two trailers, some still photographs, and a number of Mora's storyboards round out the package. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide