White Squall
by Ridley Scott
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DVD details
Actor: Caroline Goodall, Jeff Bridges, Jeremy Sisto, John Savage, Scott WolfDirector: Ridley Scott
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Ridley Scott
Producer: Mimi Polk Gitlin
Producer: Nigel Wooll
Producer: Rocky Lang
Writer: Charles Gieg Jr.
Writer: Felix Sutton
Writer: Todd Robinson
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 129 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-06-22
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product features:
- Is a remarkable true-life adventure from director Ridley Scott. Jeff Bridges stars as the captain of an ill-fated ship. When it is capsized, the adventure becomes a challenge of survival. System Requirements: Starring: Jeff Bridges, Caroline Goodall, John Savage, Scott Wolf, Jeremy Sisto, Ryan Phillippe Running Time: 129 minutes Genre: Action/Adventure Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION
DVD Reviews of White Squall
DVD Review: Stunning cinematography and almost no other merits to speak of!
Summary: 3 Stars
I watched Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert review this Ridley Scott film. Ebert kept going on and on about how beautiful the boats looked and how extraordinary the storm sequences were. Siskel just listened and then said, "So what?" My sentiments exactly. What does one go to the movies for anyway, you'll have to ask yourself. Because if it's to see stunning visuals then "White Squall" is a must! But if you actually want something more than a screenplay hot off the Hollywood screenplay mass assembly line, then you can pass on this movie. All the cliched ingredients are there. This is basically one of those school boys yearn for adulthood and get taught the ropes on the high seas kind of deal. There is the underdog kid who comes through, there is the arrogant kid who gets taught a lesson and becomes less selfish, there is the skipper who teaches the youngsters and learns a thing or two about himself. I could go on and on. This screenplay seems like it was written by some dude straight out of college who has read every book on screenwriting ever published and decided that a great screenplay is all about how many formulas and cliches a writer can fit together into one movie.
A couple years ago I went through most of Ridley Scott's filmography because he is a one of a kind filmmaker who is all surface content. His style is flamboyant visual decadence, the kind that glossy advertisements are made of. In fact he was an ad man and directed many television ads including the famous "1984" Apple Macintosh commercial. He is a big-budget Hollywood director but since his visual style can be so overwhelming and identifiable, he is sometimes mistaken for an auteur, a genuine artist. He is not but he did hit a few home runs. "Alien" and "Blade Runner" would be at the top of the list. But watch some of his strike out movies to learn more. Movies like "Legend" with Tom Cruise, "Black Rain" with Michael Douglas and here "White Squall" with Jeff Bridges. Astounding visual feasts with little heart or soul beneath the gleaming, glossy veener. This is a director who needs to feed off a strong screenplay because all of his ideas are visual in nature, he does not understand anything else about filmmaking. So when you have a strong screenplay like Blade Runner, you get a modern sci-fi film classic. When you have a lousy, assembly line screenply like White Squall, you get a two hour advertisement for boats and oceanic getaways.
The big climactic storm sequence is a stunning feat of production wizardry. Afterwards I was utterly baffled by the denouement of the movie. It's a courtroom scene and one of some duration at that because that is precisely what a movie about boats, oceans and storms should end with... yes a courtroom scene where the characters recount their experiences with the captain on trial for negligence. But that's Ridley Scott, he is a slave to the screenplay even if it's not a good one.
This DVD of White Squall is not anamorphic, so keep that in mind if you have a widescreen TV. Furthermore a film like this would most certainly benefit from a Blu-ray release. It is definitely worth a watch just for the cinematography and production values alone. You never know, the assembly line screenplay might work for you more than it worked for me or Gene Siskel.
Description of White Squall
Hollywood favorite Jeff Bridges (THE BIG LEBOWSKI) stars in this thrilling high seas adventure! Bridges leads a crew of seafaring students (including Scott Wolf from TV's PARTY OF FIVE) on the voyage of a lifetime! But just before their return, nature teaches the toughest lesson of all ... turning this journey at sea into a test of the crew's courage and will to survive! From acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott (BLADE RUNNER) -- don't miss any of the pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat excitement that this breathtaking motion picture delivers!It's a pity this oceangoing adventure wasn't fully appreciated during its theatrical release in 1996, if only because its climactic storm sequence (hence the movie's title) was awesome on the big screen and inevitably less impressive on video. Mixed reviews also curtailed its box-office potential, but as you might expect from Ridley Scott--the director of Blade Runner and Thelma & Louise--this is a beautifully photographed movie that will thrill anyone who is drawn to the romance and danger of the open sea. The story is a rite-of-passage adventure for a group of high school boys who spend their senior year as the crew-in-training on the Albatross, a sailing vessel skippered by an experienced sailor and schoolmaster (Jeff Bridges) who teaches hard lessons of teamwork and individual responsibility. As they sail to the tip of South America and back, the young men face many challenges that will shape their character, in addition to the carnal pleasures of shore leave in exotic ports of call. It's a traditional story, and Scott doesn't bring anything particularly new to this sailboat variation of Dead Poets Society and Scent of a Woman. But as a coming-of-age drama White Squall is professionally crafted and filled with vital energy, featuring a talented cast of newcomers (led by Scott Wolf of TV's Party of Five) who rise to the demands of this rousing and life-changing adventure. --Jeff Shannon
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