Slaughterhouse Five

Director - George Roy Hill

Cast- Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman

Country of Origin - USA
 

Distributor - Arrow Video

Number of Discs - 1

Reviewed by - Scott MacDonald

Date- 12/18/2019

   About 15 years ago while in college I worked in a bookstore, one of the benefits of working there was the ability to "check out" books to read, and since I was a college student that could not afford all the books on my reading list, this was an excellent benefit.  One of the authors I found myself obsessed with at the time was Kurt Vonnegut Jr., and during about a 6 month span I found myself reading so much of his literature such as Breakfast of Champions, Cat's Cradle, and of course his science fiction, war story Slaughterhouse Five.

    Cinematic adaptations of Vonnegut's work have been made, and while some of them "work" at least on a surface level (I'm looking at you Breakfast of Champions). George Roy Hill's adaptation of Slaughterhouse-Five not only captures the narrative elements of the film, but also the tone of the novel.  Vonnegut is one of those authors whose work is considered by many to be unfilmable, and it is not due to the length of the novels, but the tricky tone that seems made for the page, but is less easy to bring to the screen. Hill's Slaughterhouse-Five in that regard is a resounding success.

    Slaughterhouse-Five follows Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks), an optometrist who finds himself "Unstuck in Time". During the course of the story, he finds himself back as an American solider during World War II, who ends up getting sent to Dresden in time for the violent bombing and destruction of that city. He also flashes back to his childhood, when his Father forced him into a pool, and on the planet Tralfamadore taking a playmate on a date to the zoo.

   If that doesn't seem straight-forward it is not, and it is also why the book, and in turn this movie is wonderful. The film has harsh depictions of war, side by side with aliens, and pulpy nudity, and yet still manages to take everything serious enough to get Vonnegut's message through, but still manages to balance with the humor and satiric worldview Vonnegut was known for. The performance in the film match the tone of the piece, and are across the board excellent. I cannot think of many great films that match the great books that they are adapting but this comes very very close.

    Arrow Video presents  Slaughterhouse-Five in an excellent 1:85:1 1080p transfer. Detail is excellent, grain is organic and realistic, but never too dominant. Colors are solid and reflect the overall look of the film. Audio is handled by a mono track in English that is clear and concise. Extras include a commentary by Troy Howarth, an interview with Kim Newman, plus interviews with members of the cast and crew (or at least their relations). This is a fine representation of an excellent film, and comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED