Release Date: 12/26/2006 Original Release: 2006 Format: DVD Length: 122 minutes Rating:R (MPAA) Rating Reason: for strong violence, some grisly images, sexual content and language. UPC: 025192918025 Studio: Universal Studios Home Video
Dramas, Murder, Cops, Theatrical Release, Adaptation, Crime, Actresses, Based On A Novel
Black Dahlia Anamorophic Widescreen DVD Description
Based on the novel by James Ellroy, Brian De Palma's THE BLACK DAHLIA stars Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart as a pair of LAPD detectives assigned to the most notorious murder in Hollywood history. De Palma takes things slow, spending a good 20 minutes establishing the relationship between Buddy Bleichert, Lee Blanchard, and their mutual love Kay (Scarlett Johanssen), before introducing the 1947 murder after which the film is named. In the haunting screen-tests left behind after her mysterious death, aspiring actress Elizabeth Short appears to want fame so badly she'll do anything to get it. Her pornographic film appearances, and a rumored affair with narcissist heiress Madeleine Linscott (Hillary Swank), provide just two clues in a sea of confusion.
THE BLACK DAHLIA crams every subplot from Ellroy's novel into two hours, but only connects them towards the end of the movie. The screen-tests featuring a sadly desperate Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) are captivatingly filmed in gritty black-and-white. These scenes succeed in showing the industry ugliness most likely behind Elizabeth's death, while the rest of the film self-consciously strives to be noir through elaborate set design, dramatic camera angles, and narration taken straight from the book. If De Palma's goal was to make us examine our own voyeuristic fascination with murder, particularly the gruesome murder of a beautiful young woman, then he succeeds, because throughout a film invested in so many different storylines, Short's remains the most interesting one.
DVD Features
Region 1 Snap Case Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35 Full Frame - 1.33 Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English, French Subtitltes - English (SDH), French, Spanish - Optional Additional Release Material: Featurette: 1. REALITY AND FICTION: THE STORY OF THE BLACK DAHLIA 2. THE CASE FILE 3. THE DE PALMA TOUCH PRESENTED BY VOLKSWAGEN
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