Twentieth Century Fox UK presents Zardoz on DVD

The review
07/15/02

Well over a year since the DVD was released in North America, region 2 viewers get their own PAL version of Zardoz on DVD. Fox UK was kind enough to provide us with a copy for this review, and we are pleased to say that it stacks up against the R1 version quite nicely, except for a few minor issues.

For a side to side comparison of the feature sets for the R1 and R2 DVDs, click here.

"It is the only path and passage into the Vortex"
The menus

Menu design mirrors the R1 version. There are a couple of noteable differences in the layout. The selector icons only show up on one side of the menu item. The chapter menues are without scene names, and the extras are now condensed to a single screen These are fairly subtle variations.

"Show me the whole image!"
The image

For the region 1 release, Fox went back a created a new, anamorphic transfer, and did a lot of digital restoration to the image, and this region 2 disc uses the same transfer. The result is a presentation that features vibrant color, accurate rendition of the film grain and hardly any print defects like scratches and so forth. Although it may not be entirely perfect, it is remarkably better than I had expected, with any significant amount of defects limited to a few isolated shots. The image is also clearer and sharper than I've ever seen it before, which brings out a lot of the subtle details in the film, though the sharpness is not due to excess edge enhancement, It looks like we are watching a very clean print on film. Geoffrey Unsworth's stunning cinematography is well preserved here, and we finally get the full scope of his images, as this edition is finally presented in its full 2.35:1 aspect ratio, without missing side information.

There are a couple of very minor issues with the region 2 disc which weren't as noticible on the region 1. The first is some banding in gradations in a few places, and there is a bit of additional jitter instability in the credit sequences, and one high contrast area with tree branches against a white background. Other than that (and the 4% PAL speedup) the image quality is pretty near identical to my eye. Realistically, I'd have to call this a draw.

"Zardoz says..."
The sound

The region 2 disc has only one audio option, the English 3.0 (L/C/R) mix. As with the region 1 disc, the English track sounds very good, with a clarity that had me noticing things I'd never heard in my countless viewings of the film. Subtitles are available in number of languages, with the menu selection requiring two screens. The language to be selected titled is in that language, so I have to go by the sell sheet as to what is really there: Hard of hearing English, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, and Turkish. For the English track, although not perfect, it does allow the viewer to catch dialogue that has been pretty hard to discern on past releases.

"We are currators of the past..."
The extras

The coup for Zardoz fans was the wealth of supplemental material that made its way t the region 1 release, most of which has found its way to region 2. All of the extras are available from a single menu.

"What does Zardoz say?"

Like the R1 version, first and foremost is the commentary track by director John Boorman. There is a lot to be gleaned from this track for long time fans, as Boorman discusses all manner of topics related to the film, from the special effects (long before the days of CGI), to some of the challenges the film created. It is interesting to hear his perspective twenty-seven years later, and some of his criticisms of decisions made in the original production. This track had even this veteran discovering new secrets. Worth the price of admission alone.

"Ever heard the expression 'if looks could kill'? Well here they can."

Next we have the film's very bizarre theatrical trailer. Presented in anamorphic 1.85:1 this runs for a about 3 minutes. It's very cool to have this finally, as it has never been available on home video before. If you thought the film was weird, just wait until you see the trailer!

"This is a key image."

The 24 images presented in three stills galleries from the region 1 disc have been combined into a single gallery. Here you will find concept art, a collection of Italian lobby cards, the original one sheet art, a couple of excerpts from the pressbook, plus a few other images from the trailer and behind the scenes.

"Into a world of eternal life..."

Two 30 second and two 60 second radio spots are included which feature the Twilight Zone's Rod Serling as the announcer. The region one disc has all six of the original radio campaign's spots (the other two being alternate 60 second spots), though having only seen the trailer when the disc was released, I wish I had asked that both versions of the radio spots had been included, since it included Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture in the background.

"I want to see more of its memories."

Unlike the R1 which had promos for other Fox DVDs, t here are no additional trailers included on this release. There is also no opening Fox preview when the disc starts up, but there are region specific copyright notices.

"It's wrong!"
The cover

"The Truth."

In all but a couple of minor points, this R2 discs is an equal to its R1 counterpart, and should offer the Zardoz fan more than would have been expected for a cult film like this. Completists will require both versions for their subtle differences. Eternity has come to an end!

Zardoz has spoken!!

Review ©2002 by Jeff Ulmer. All rights reserved.
Menu screens courtesy of and © copyright Twentieth Century Fox.

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