The Company of Wolves (Special Edition) [DVD] [1984]

I'm a fan of this film (wonderful atmosphere, riveting special effects, lots of dry humour) but I was disappointed with the Blu-ray. It's not a film that boasts stunning image quality, and it was difficult to see the difference between this and the average standard definition DVD.

As the extras are limited to a director's commentary, I would advise saving some money by purchasing the much cheaper standard DVD.

Based on a short story by Angela Carter, this film delves into a grim fairy-tale world laced with themes of good and evil. 'If there is a beast in man, then it has it's equal in woman.'

Contains mesmerising scenes of slow-motion wolves, and some good effects (though not by todays computerific standards).

The main quality, however, is the narrative. It dips in and out, jumps from story to story, but never loses your attention.

This is how I imagine little red riding hood was supposed to be told - grim - scary - darkly fantastic.

This landmark film from 1984 is a dark interpretation of the well known fairy tale legend, Red Riding Hood. It's focus is on the splendid settings including the murky and dense forests, the wooden cottages where the villagers live in fear and danger posed by man-like beasts that prowl in the night during the testing Freudian times.

The film is composed of several scenarios where vivid and dreamlike sequences take shape creating a very unusual and altered perception of man's ability to determine and grasp fantasy from reality. Every scene is well done thanks to the execution and film direction by Neil Jordan whose original thinking and imagination has led to a superb adaptation based on Angela Carter's "The Bloody Chamber" book.

The dark, spooky atmosphere in this classic fairy tale re-telling is blessed by the use of ancient folklore and Old Wives tales which hint at casting a spell or curse on anyone who is uncivil to others or society. Angela Lansbury who plays the grandmother spins such stories to a young Rosaleen, a pre-pubescent teenager who is about to go on a journey of self-discovery both emotionally and physically to unravel the hidden delights of adulthood. Despite such tales, the girl is unaffected and her courage takes her to unknown paths through the dark woodlands where her character and judgement will be tested to forecast her values and beliefs she will behold in adulthood. Interactions with unknown strangers, mostly men whose eyebrows meet in the middle lend itself to a powerful experience for the innocent teenager.

In general, this film is more of a fantasy where the excessive blood and gore is barely a feature, and instead the portrayal of genuine, well-mannered men with their hidden devilish, cunning personality is the most threatening aspect and difficult to predict as to when one may strike. As with most modern vampire/werewolf stories, the main attraction that ensures the film's success is the character humour neatly stirred in to give all viewers a general taste and feel of scary and not too scary moments mixed into the plot. Stephen Rea's performance early in the film when he returned home as a filthy, long-haired, smelly hippie after sometime spent outdoors as a wolf had overturned the dining table during an argument - remember the same thing occurred in the 1994 "Interview with the Vampire" movie when a hacked-off silly, bearded, overweight rogue had lost a card game!

As well as the beautifully rendered scenes, the music is well composed which is suspenseful and adds to the eerie, tense atmosphere giving a sense that something is always happening and that there is always darkness and never daylight.
The best thing about this film was that no one could be trusted and anyone who thought they'd make good friends with someone were sure in for a big surprise! The friendly and seductive but sinister Terence Stamp is an example.
The constant nagging, bickering and annoyance by mainly the women towards their husbands or girls constantly rejecting the sexual advances of seemingly-friendly strangers are leads which drive man's desire and anguish to frighteningly transform into the werewolf at full moon . This was the message the film was sending out in that the men during those times were always the one in charge, and care should be exercised whenever household arguments or disagreements broke out to prevent the ultimate beast being unleashed from within himself should the dispute, whatever it may be turn too ugly.

The human-to-werewolf transformation scenes were well filmed and hand-crafted in 1984 and convincing using remote-controlled models for the wolf-like beasts, but compared to today's standards the scenes have shown signs of ageing. However in my opinion, the overuse of today's computer generated images could spoil a horror film making certain scenes look corny or just not believable.

The DVD for the U.K. region 2 is presented in a beautiful black tin box which reflects the show's class. This is now becoming a rarity, and the DVD is now commonly sold in a standard plastic box which is cheaper if purchased on-line. It is shown in 4:3 aspect ratio but not 16:9 widescreen as stated on the box and a good range of extras especially the expert 90 minute audio commentary available, but very well worth the buy. Apart from the DVD film disc, there is an excellent booklet included detailing events that took place behind the cameras, as well as a history of folklore legend and wild beasts, character descriptions and the actors' biographies in brief, all explained with colourful photographs taken from the film.
The running time is 90 minutes, but I felt it should have been a 2 hour-plus epic. It is also rated 18 and suitable for adults only. It is a box of delight and should be treasured forever. For best effect, watch this alone in the dark.