Review: Naked Lunch Limited Edition 4K UHD
4K UHD Blu-ray: Naked Lunch (1991)
William S. Burroughs’ novel ‘Naked Lunch’ was for many years deemed “unfilmable”, so stepping up to the challenge came director David Cronenberg who intertwined elements of Burroughs’ own remarkable biography with the content of the book, the end result being a cinematic experience that, while occasionally leaving the viewer confused, lives long in the memory due to the surreal imagery and unpredictable narrative.
Bill Lee (Peter Weller) is a former junkie who now works as a pest exterminator, but when he and his wife Joan (Judy Davis) discover that the bug powder he is using has an addictive hallucinatory effect, they both become hooked on it and enter into a world of speaking insects, mutant typewriters, and interdimensional beings where the boundaries between reality and the inner mind blur into insignificance.
After watching Naked Lunch you feel as though you’d ingested some of the hallucinogenic bug powder yourself, questioning what you’d seen on screen and if it did really happen. All of this heightened by the superb picture quality on this 4K UHD limited edition release by Arrow Films where the beads of sweat on Weller’s face have never been so clear.
This 4K restoration also highlights the amazing practical effects which are showcased throughout the entire running time, with just the odd lesser seen wire now being visible thanks to the increased resolution and colour grading.
All of the cast are dazzling with their performances, with Weller being present in almost every scene and having a hypnotising affect himself as he takes you on this wild and wonderful journey with him, with Judy Davis in two roles portraying a duality to both of them, which must have been a mental juggling act for her when approaching each scene.
Ian Holm, Julian Sands, Roy Scheider and Monique Mercure are all outstanding too, each of them bringing their own particular essence into the role, with Scheider seemingly having far too much fun ripping off and displaying….no wait, I can’t give that away.
Particular mention also has to go to Peter Boretski who voices all of the creatures. His wonderful dialogue delivered with passion, despite it coming from either a bugs pulsating anus or accompanied by the phallic engorgement of a mutants bodily fluid dripping proboscis…not something you see in cinema too much these days.
I remember watching Naked Lunch for the first time on VHS many years ago and coming away completely confused, and while I do still at times furrow my brow and do a mental double check at what is happening before me, I’ve come to appreciate it much more with repeated viewings, none of which have looked as good as this does.
A slew of new and archival special features round of yet another great 4K UHD release from Arrow.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- New 4K restoration from the original camera negative overseen by director of photography Peter Suschitzky and approved by director David Cronenberg
- 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original lossless 2.0 stereo and 5.1 audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary by director David Cronenberg
- New audio commentary by film historian Jack Sargeant and screenwriter Graham Duff
- Naked Attraction, a new interview with legendary producer Jeremy Thomas
- Exterminate All Rational Thought, a new interview with star Peter Weller
- Peter Suschitzky on Naked Lunch, a new interview with the celebrated director of photography
- Naked Flesh, a new interview with special effects artist Chris Walas
- A Ballad for Burroughs, a new interview with composer Howard Shore
- Tony Rayns on William S. Burroughs, a new interview with the renowned writer and critic
- David Huckvale on Naked Lunch, a new interview taking a closer look at one of Shore’s most unusual film scores
- A Ticket to Interzone, new visual essay by critic David Cairns
- Naked Making Lunch, archival making of documentary directed by Chris Rodley presented in a new scan from the director’s personal 16mm print and viewable with a new audio interview with Rodley discussing his connection to Cronenberg and the process of making Naked Making Lunch
- Concept Art Gallery, a collection of drawings and maquettes for the creatures of Naked Lunch by Stephan Dupuis
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image Galleries, including never before seen stills from the set courtesy of Chris Rodley
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
- Double-sided poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Gilles Vranckx
- Six postcard-sized reproduction lobby cards
- 80-page perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing by critics Vanessa Morgan and Jack Sargeant, plus select archival material including David Cronenberg’s introduction to Everything is Permitted: The Making of Naked Lunch, and a chapter from Cronenberg on Cronenberg
Released 17th April 2023. Pre-order here.
Review by Dave from a 4K UHD disc kindly supplied by Arrow Films via Fetch Publicity.