{"id":28873,"date":"2024-06-18T21:35:04","date_gmt":"2024-06-19T04:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=28873"},"modified":"2024-06-18T21:35:04","modified_gmt":"2024-06-19T04:35:04","slug":"blasts-from-the-past-4k-ultra-hd-and-blu-ray-review-american-gigolo-1980","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=28873","title":{"rendered":"Blasts from the Past! 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Review: AMERICAN GIGOLO (1980)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This film is currently available as an Arrow Video 4K Ultra HD, or an \u201cArrow Exclusive\u201d 4K Ultra HD, or a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It may have been because I was much too young to see it\nduring its original run or release on VHS, but American Gigolo<\/em> is one of\nthose titles that has slipped by me over the years. Of course, another more\nrecent problem is that it has been out-of-print for some time. Its last release\nwas about a decade ago, which is a little strange given that the film was a box\noffice success when it came out and was released by Paramount Pictures.\nThankfully, Arrow Video is now correcting the problem. They have exclusively\nremastered the picture in 4K using the original 35mm camera negative and are\nmaking it available on either 4K Ultra HD or Blu-ray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who might not have seen the picture, the story follows LA-based male prostitute Julian Kay (Richard Gere). This is a man who enjoys the finer things in life and is very conscious of clothing, appearance and materialism in general. He prefers the company of older women and seems very happy to please them, allowing him to earn a sizable income without having to invest in deep or meaningful relationships. Things become a little more complicated after he crosses paths with Michelle (Lauren Hutton), a woman unhappily married to a local politician. Despite his protests, she becomes interested in him as more than a lover. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As their relationship develops into something that makes\nJulian uncomfortable, he learns that one of his clients has been brutally\nmurdered. Detective Sunday (Hector Elizondo) quickly appears and begins\ngrilling him as the prime suspect in the crime. When Julian asks for help from\nassociates and handlers like Leon (Bill Duke), he is refused help. And, of\ncourse, most of his married clients deny ever having relations with the figure,\nleaving him on the hook for the slaying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The film is considered as a zeitgeist of sorts during its release. While it was shot in 1979, the story fully embraces the mentality of the 1980s, all as the decade was just beginning. It involves a character desiring a lavish but shallow existence and the story focuses on fashion and music trends of the era. The memorable score by Giorgio Moroder has a \u201cNew Wave\u201d feel and includes the hit Blondie song \u201cCall Me\u201d as its central theme. Everything about the film, from the clothing and sounds to the bright colors, is ahead of its time. It may be serving as a warning of where these kinds of selfish attitudes might lead, but many audiences embraced this movie\u2019s extravagances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This isn\u2019t a graphic picture, but it is an interesting one\nas it details the peculiarities of its lead character and lets viewers into his\nunique world. There is a comment or two that wouldn\u2019t be included were the film\nmade today, but it doesn\u2019t go out of its way to bluntly judge the lead\u2019s\nbehavior. We simply witness the ground rules he sets for himself, his personal\nphilosophy and how he goes about his unusual line of work. When the murder\noccurs, the film becomes quite suspenseful as Julian tries to get help and is\nimmediately shot down by almost everyone, yet must somehow still find out who\nis responsible before he ends up incarcerated. Things don\u2019t go according to\nplan either, adding a twist or two and some tension as to whether or not the\nlead will escape what appears to be his fate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a very strong movie with excellent performances. Gere\nis interesting as the main character, who is icy but still manages to keep\nviewers invested in his story. He and Hutton share plenty of onscreen chemistry\nthat keeps their relationship believable and Elizondo makes for an entertaining\nfoil as the gruff and fashion-backwards detective hunting down the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The 4K Ultra HD disc and Blu-ray offer an improved viewing experience. There is some grain here and there (particularly during some nighttime sequences) and, like other pictures, the opening titles aren\u2019t as sharp as the rest of the movie, but the clarity during a few daytime scenes is truly striking. When Julian visits a California coastal home and talks with a character inside the house and later below on the beach, the resolution and scenery is incredible to behold. The movie looks as good as it possibly can. Overall, the 4K Ultra HD version boasts a bit of extra sharpness and is the superior version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is a release from Arrow Video, which also means that it\ncomes with plenty of great bonuses. The first is a film critic commentary\ntrack. The speaker is interesting in that he admits that back in the day he\nwasn\u2019t as taken with the picture as he should have been. He admits that the\nfilm\u2019s mix of arthouse and more commercial aspects initially confused him, but\nthat it holds up better than a lot of titles of the era. He goes into the\nproduction and the story\u2019s emphasis on a material lifestyle, as well as the\nultimate meaning of the film and the types of European movies that influenced\nthis tale. There\u2019s plenty of interesting information being relayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A big plus is the interview with writer\/director Paul\nSchrader. He describes how he came up with the concept and admits that he was\nvery concerned at the time and considered this project as his last shot in the\nindustry, as the first two pictures (Blue Collar<\/em> and Hardcore<\/em>)\nhad been critically well received but were box office flops. The director also\nrelays how the picture almost fell apart when original lead John Travolta\nbecame wary of the role and backed out at the last minute. Schrader got word\nthis was going to occur days before it happened and managed to convince Gere to\nstep in. Had he not known in advance or gotten in contact with the eventual\nstar, the film would have been canceled on the spot. The filmmaker is full of\nincredible stories about the project and is fascinating to listen to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Interviews include a fun discussion with Hector Elizondo\nabout his part and how he approached the role. The same goes for co-star Bill\nDuke, who recalls a figure from his childhood neighborhood who served partly as\ninspiration for his take on the character. There is also a discussion with the\neditor. He recalls running into Hutton sometime later and her telling him how\nmuch she loved the movie. The camera operator on the feature talks about his\nexperiences as a very young crew member, remembering how proud he was that a\nshot he got questioned about ended up being used in the final film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is also a fun interview with a music authority about Giorgio Moroder\u2019s score and his work on the soundtrack. One entertaining revelation is that while Moroder believed he had written the perfect hit song for the film, Blondie\u2019s Debbie Harry wasn\u2019t as impressed and asked to completely rewrite the lyrics. He ultimately agreed and the final song, whose title and content ultimately morphed into \u201cCall Me\u201d eventually became a smash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, you\u2019ll hear a professor discuss the use of fashion in the movie and how unique it was for a film of the era to have characters spend so much time dressing and being concerned about their appearance. As if that wasn\u2019t enough, a trailer is also included, as well as stills, poster and press materials, and lobby cards. The booklet also contains essays on the movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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American Gigolo <\/em>is a very pleasant surprise. It stands as an engaging and effective drama\/thriller that doesn\u2019t follow most Hollywood conventions and serves as an accurate representation of its era. The film offers great performances and plenty of twists and turns that keep the viewer guessing right until the end. What isn\u2019t a surprise is that Arrow Video has put together excellent packages for the film, with improved picture quality and plenty of great extra features. Anyone who admires the work of Schrader, Gere, Hutton, Elizondo, Duke or wants an interesting take of a once taboo subject should definitely pick the title up!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This film is currently available as an Arrow Video 4K Ultra HD, or an \u201cArrow Exclusive\u201d 4K Ultra HD, or a \u201cLimited Edition\u201d Blu-ray. It may have been because I was much too young to see it during its original run or release on VHS, but American Gigolo is one of those titles that has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":28884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[111,1210,1211,1212,1213,1214,1836,2736,2923,2928,2934,6251,8312,9012,12152,12972,14670,15707,15837,16991,22825],"class_list":["post-28873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dvdblu-ray-reviews","tag-111","tag-american-gigolo","tag-american-gigolo-4k-review","tag-american-gigolo-4k-ultra-hd","tag-american-gigolo-4k-ultra-hd-review","tag-american-gigolo-review","tag-arrow-video","tag-bill-duke","tag-blasts-from-the-past","tag-blasts-from-the-past-blu-ray-review","tag-blasts-from-the-past-4k-review","tag-drama","tag-gigolo","tag-hector-elizondo","tag-lauren-hutton","tag-male-prostitute","tag-neo-noir","tag-paramount-pictures","tag-paul-schrader","tag-richard-gere","tag-thriller"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28873"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28873\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}