Midnight Express appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Though the transfer showed its age, it usually seemed quite positive.
Sharpness was fine most of the time. Occasional soft shots materialized, and the style of photography meant that even the best images weren’t razor-sharp. Nonetheless, the flick looked concise and well-defined within its constraints. No issues with jagged edges or shimmering occurred, and I noticed no edge enhancement.
Source flaws were very minor. Grain was within acceptable levels, and only a few specks appeared along the way. Really, the movie was surprisingly clean given its age.
One shouldn’t expect a broad palette from a rough drama like Express, and the colors stayed within the anticipated range. Earthy tones dominated, with only a few brighter hues on rare occasions. I wouldn’t say the colors looked particularly good, but they were fine within the film’s style. Blacks were dark and tight, while shadows showed fairly good delineation; low-light shots could be a little murky but not in a problematic manner. Overall, the image seemed pretty positive.
Remixed from the original monaural source – which also appeared on the DVD – the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack of Midnight Express was average. In terms of the expanded soundfield, there’s usually not much to it. Music spread across the front and rear but not with any great stereo imaging; the delineation of the score tended to be somewhat mushy. Effects showed moderate distinctiveness at times, as the ambience opened things up in a minor way. These elements never became particularly immersive, but they added a little life on occasion.
Audio quality seemed acceptable. Music was again the weakest link, as the synthesized score tended to be a bit thin. Some of those elements showed decent dimensionality, but others were somewhat lifeless. Effects appeared reasonably concise, at least, and speech was fine. The lines remained intelligible and fairly natural throughout the flick. This was an unmemorable soundtrack.
This “30th Anniversary Edition” of Express comes with a few extras. We open with an audio commentary from director Alan Parker. He provides a running, screen-specific chat in which he discusses script and story issues, locations and sets, the film’s use of language and some controversies, sound and music, camerawork and editing, cast and performances, the shooting schedule, and a mix of other production topics.
From start to finish, Parker provides an absolutely fascinating look at his film. He leaves virtually no subjects untouched, and he offers a frank appraisal of matters. For instance, Parker tells us how he and Oliver Stone failed to get along, and we get funny tales about Paul Smith’s excessive perspiration. This commentary covers the movie exceedingly well and thoroughly entertains along the way.
Three related featurettes follow. We find The Producers (25:50), The Production (24:28) and The Finished Film (23:47). Across these we get notes from Parker, producers Peter Guber, Alan Marshall and David Puttnam, the real-life Billy Hayes, screenwriter Oliver Stone, and actor John Hurt. These programs look at the project’s genesis and path to the screen as well as aspects of the script, casting and performances, how Parker came to it, locations and facets of the shoot, cinematography, editing and score, reactions to the film and controversies.
Given that Parker covers so much in his commentary, a fair amount of repetition becomes inevitable. Indeed, you’ll find a lot of the same notes, but the additional perspectives prove valuable. We get enough new takes on the various issues to make these featurettes useful.
A running Photo Gallery lasts 12 minutes, 40 seconds. It includes a few shots from the set but mostly presents images from the film. Frankly, it’s a dull collection.
The trailer for Express appears at the DVD’s start. We also get clips for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Taxi Driver. The Previews domain contains these pieces as well as a promo for Damages Season One.
Finally, the package includes a 28-page booklet. It includes “a personal memoir” from Parker. He writes a good encapsulation of the production and continues to be informative and entertaining. Of course, he repeats some info from the commentary, but he gives us more than enough new material to satisfy.
30 years after its release, Midnight Express continues to impress. Harrowing and unpleasant, the film delivers a strong sense of verisimilitude and creates a good look at a miserable situation. The DVD offers better than expected picture, acceptable but dated audio, and a few nice extras; the audio commentary proves particularly enjoyable. A film this rough won’t be for everyone, but I definitely recommend it.
