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Pursuit of Happiness: Martini Movies (The)
R1 - America - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Ethan C. Stevenson (7th September 2009). |
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The Film
 Did you know that Sony/Columbia has two films in their catalog with the title "The Pursuit of Happiness"? It’s true and, unfortunately for me, this isn’t the one from 2005 that starred Will Smith, which I sort of liked. No, instead this review is for a throwaway production from the 1970's; a forgotten film (and rightly so) that is part of Sony’s line of “Martini Movies” DVD's. This means it’s not nearly as good as the newer film – in fact; it’s mostly the antithesis of good. The "The Pursuit of Happiness" is, in a word, dreadful. Your typical anti-establishment tale of the era, "The Pursuit of Happiness," an obscure film from director Robert Mulligan and based on a book written by Thomas Rogers, tells the story of William Popper (Michael Sarrazin), a young man of privilege who has his life turned upside down when he is sent to prison after accidentally hitting (and killing) a pedestrian with his car. The film tries to tell us that Popper’s past and known affiliates lead to his unjust sentencing. Supposedly, the jury and judge make an example of him due to his counter-culture connections – particularly his relationship with a protest-happy girlfriend, Jane (a young Barbara Hershey), as well as his other undesirable college associates (most of them smoke the "evil" reefer) – and a slew of unpaid parking tickets. From what I can gather, we’re supposed to feel sorry for Will, and for a while the viewer rightfully should but, I’m sorry, the second half of the story (although more exciting than the dullness of the 'PG-13' rated look at prison life that is the first half) totally negates any positive feeling(s) one forms for the character. I wasn’t rooting for Will when he escaped during a routine court hearing – mostly because the idiot would have been released on good behavior in a matter of weeks anyway (he knew this and still runs). Although I said that the second half is “more exciting” I still wasn’t all that entertained by Popper’s escapades while he was on the lam. His journey as he tries to flee New York City for Canada (seriously, did everyone in the 70's who was in trouble just flee to the safe harbor of our Canuck neighbors?) seemingly passes in real-time. It’s all so incredibly dull and vapid. I’ll give it it’s due: "The Pursuit of Happiness" is solid all-around on a purely technical level. The script is taught and well structured. The actors are well versed and give nice performances (as they should; the lead, Sarrazin, was already an award winning actor of stage when he appeared here) and the direction is perfectly fine (again, as it should be: Robert Mulligan already had numerous hits on his hands). But the story itself is so unfortunately “of the time” that it fails to continue relevantly in any form today. Popper wouldn’t get the sentence he does in today’s world, ergo the film has no legs because it would, in modern times, be over before it began. Wills parent’s wealth and class status alone would put this accident down to a plea bargain (even if he smoked a little weed and failed to pay some parking tickets). Being what the 60's and 70's considered counter-cultured today has little relevancy outside of very minute pockets of conservativism, which are sprinkled across the country (and New York City is certainly not one of those pockets). It’s a boring film. It’s a bad film. Even if one could look past its lack of adaptability – just because a film is dated, it doesn’t always have to be irrelevant (other films have done it; sadly, this one doesn’t) – you still have, at its base, a storyline that has been told better, elsewhere. The false imprisonment, unjust justice and prison escape film had already been made before this films release or, if not, definitely since been improved upon by newer movies. So even there the film no longer works; it’s neither exemplary nor memorable and adds nothing to the genre. The film is heavy handed, horribly dated (locked in the 1970's) and has a tough time remaining relevant in the 21st century. I can’t say modern audiences will find much to connect with in "The Pursuit of Happiness" and even older readers will likely want to skip over this. It isn’t historically significant, culturally important or entertaining – it’s just lifeless and dreary.
Video
Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, this DVD transfer isn’t a standout, even for a catalog release, but it’s much better than I would have expected (which speaks more about my expectations for the “Martini” line than it does for the DVD itself). Like most of the previous discs in the series, the print is clean and free of any overt defects; it wouldn’t surprise me if the film were restored from an original 35mm source at some time in past few years. Colors are a bit muted and the film is flat with fluctuating grain patterns but I’d say that the look is true to the intentions of the filmmaker. Detail is mediocre to good, not great but for the era, not disappointing – just a little soft. I can’t say I expect the "The Pursuit of Happiness" to look any better than it does here (baring a Blu-ray release; the one area definitely lacking is resolution – an expected deficiency given it’s a DVD) but this is still only average standard definition.
Audio
Sony continues their trend with this DVD series, offering the original English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono mix as the sole option. It’s passable – dialogue is clear and intelligible – the soundtrack is entirely focused on the front stage (as you would expect), dull and flat compared to modern sound design. The included mix is perfectly harmless, with no signs of damage or wear, but also nothing special. English subtitles are also included.
Extras
All of the discs in the third wave of Sony’s “Martini Movies” collection have no extras of consequence. The DVDs aren’t completely bare – there are a few theatrical trailers, even one that is relevant to the feature film – but, frankly, I don’t think it matters. The original theatrical trailer for "The Pursuit of Happiness" is included in anamorphic (1.85:1) widescreen. Runs 2 minutes 26 seconds. Three bonus trailers are included offering previews for: - "The Norman Lear Collection" runs 2 minutes 3 seconds. - "The Three Stooges Collection" runs 1 minute 10 seconds. - "Columbia Classics" runs 3 minutes 34 seconds.
Packaging
All of the “Martini Movies” come packaged in Viva Eco-boxes with some wickedly hideous cover art – seriously, who ever designed the artwork for this series has very little (quite possibly no) taste.
Overall
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