DANTE'S PEAK: Blu-ray (Universal 1997) Universal Home Video
In 1997, two rival movies, with a central premise about
a super-volcanic disruption, were released in theaters: the first, director,
Mick Jackson’s implausible and frankly absurd, Volcano, the second,
Roger Donaldson’s infinitely more realistic and crowd-pleasing, Dante’s Peak.
However, even before either of these movies could explode at the box office, the
eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 had given the continental U.S. its first real
taste, at least, in modern times, of the awesome power of a truly awe-inspiring
natural disaster – St. Helens’ pyroclastic cloud of ash, spewing for miles and
miles into the sky, and, with the prevailing winds, literally turning day into
night in a matter of moments. In hindsight, Leslie Bohem’s screenplay seemed to
mirror the St. Helens’ disaster with a fair amount of accuracy, anting up the
stakes by nestling a tiny fictional hamlet, heavily populated by the tourist
trade, at the base of this idealized summit, surrounded by a dense forest. Principal
photography on Dante’s Peak began in Wallace, Idaho, on May 6, 1996. Exteriors of Malibu’s Point Dume Post Office were
substituted for the USGS's David A. Johnston Cascades Volcano Observatory in
Vancouver, Washington, so named to honor Johnston, who had, in fact, accurately
predicted the May 18, 1980 eruption of St. Helens, but died in its subsequent
devastation. And there remained another connection between this movie and that
cataclysmic natural disaster, with early scenes depicting a scientist becoming
trapped beneath a geological robot, shot inside the actual St. Helens’ dormant
crater. Later, a composite of the adjacent Mount Adams, just east of St.
Helens, with a 12,776-ft. peak, would be used to augment several scenes shot on
the tarmac of Van Nuys Airport.
In our present age, inundated with CGI, to have
deflated much of the ‘reality’ that used to anchor our ‘make-believe’ at the
movies, Dante’s Peak represented some ground-breaking visual effects,
choreographed and coordinated by Patrick McClung, Roy Arbogast, Lori J. Nelson, Richard
Stutsman, and Dean Miller – lava flows, and, the aforementioned pyroclastic cloud,
realistically recreated by three of the foremost proponents in the digital
technology then: Digital Domain, Banned from the Ranch Entertainment, and CIS
Hollywood. Not everything was recreated in a computer. Volcanic ash, as
example, was actually cellulose insulation, manufactured by Regal Industries in
Crothersville, Indiana and spewed into the air using old-fashioned fans. Wherever
possible, time-honored techniques, employing miniatures, and animation were used
to effectively authenticate and blend the SFX with the live-action footage;
some 300 technicians involved in bringing Dante’s Peak thundering to
life. Rather absurdly, the picture was entirely overlooked for even a nod for
Best Visual Effects at Oscar time – the nominees instead: The Lost World,
Starship Troopers, and, the eventual winner, Titanic. Even with
such masterful effects to promote it, Dante’s Peak would not have so
effectively conquered its Herculean task of making audiences care about the
devastating aftermath of a volcanic eruption had the story set before the
action not been quite as compelling. Mercifully, Bohem’s screenplay was not
only well-grounded in its pseudo-reality, but also well-established by its
stellar cast.
Headlining, Pierce Brosnon as Dr. Harry Dalton, a
volcanologist with a haunted past who is convinced the town of Dante’s Peak is
headed for an epic disaster when its nearby volcano begins to rumble with renewed
signs of life. Harry has seen it all before and fears the worst, much to the
chagrin of his superior, Paul Dreyfus (Charles Hallahan) whose major concern is
that putting the town on high alert will needlessly cripple its annual tourism.
While Harry hopes against hope that he is mistaken, he nevertheless has a very
bad feeling it is only a matter of time before the mountain exacts its revenge
on the picturesque town nestled at its base. This idyllic rural enclave is
governed by Mayor Rachel Wando (Linda Hamilton), whose relationship with her
late husband’s mother, Ruth (Elizabeth Hoffman) is strained to say the least. Ruth’s
unwillingness to heed Harry’s evacuation notice was, in fact grounded in the
real-life figure of Harry R. Truman (no relation to the 33rd U.S. President)
a curmudgeon who staunchly refused to leave his beloved lodge prior to the St.
Helens’ disaster and paid for his willful defiance with his life. However,
Rachel’s children, Lauren (Jamie Renee Smith) and Graham (Jeremy Foley) take an
instant liking to Harry, and, when disaster strikes, they take matters into
their own hands to rescue grandma from the mountain. Ruth is deeply wounded
that Rachel too has become rather smitten with Harry, even though she is
apprehensive about getting close to anyone. Gradually, Rachel and Harry begin
to fall in love – an ill-timed entanglement that is interrupted when Dante’s
Peak blows its top. Forced into a race against time before fire, lava and a
pyroclastic cloud devour everything in sight, Harry, Rachel, Ruth, and, the
children endure one harrowing near escape from death after the next.
Escaping a rapidly-advancing lava flow by getting into
a tiny boat with a single outboard motor, their trek across the lake is
intercepted when the water turns acidic and begins eating through the metal
hull. To spare them certain death, Ruth sacrifices herself, leaping into the
lake and towing the boat the rest of the way to shore. The acid eats through
her clothing and skin, dissolving her legs from the knee down. Now, Harry
steals a truck from the nearby ranger’s station and hurdles down the mountain with
Rachel and the children. Meanwhile, back in town, Paul and his remaining crew
have successfully evacuated the town and are frantically packing up to beat the
mountain’s latest surprise – a massive escape of steam-heated vapors, instantly
dissolving its snowy peaks into a tidal wave of murky water, hurdling toward
the town. While the rest of the crew manage to get out in time, Paul’s van
becomes trapped on the bridge, just as the roaring surf, filled with downed
trees and massive amounts of debris, pummel the coast, dislodging the bridge
from its supports, swallowing both it and Paul in a roaring tsunami. Trapped in
town, Harry drives his truck into an old mining shaft to save them from the
mountain’s toxic, burning cloud of ash. This descends rapidly,
consuming everything in its path. Mercifully, the truck is equipped with a
homing beacon, allowing authorities to locate and rescue Harry and the rest
from being suffocated to death.
Dante’s Peak is a fantastic actioner. Director, Donaldson is
working from a fairly straight-forward premise. Bohem’s screenplay allows us
just enough time to get to know our principles so we actually care about their
plight once the mountain unleashes its full wrath. Rather dexterously, Bohem
interpolates scenes of monumental devastating with brief bits of business
between Harry and Rachel, or Rachel and the children, or Harry and the children,
effectively to grow their bond in meaningful ways. And Bohem has done the
homework here, providing just enough facts to stimulate the audience’s interest
with more than a rudimentary understanding of volcanology. The balancing act Donaldson
performs, keeps the threadbare narrative alive, even when it seems imminently
in danger of being swallowed by a barrage of thought-numbing special effects. Make
no mistake – the action here is exhilarating. But it decidedly is not
the whole show. This is all to the good, as Brosnon and Hamilton have great on-screen
chemistry. And thank Bohem too for not falling into the usual muck and mire of
writing 'cute' parts for the kids. Fair enough, we still get a bit of
implausible heroics perpetrated by the family dog. But overall, the characters
who inhabit Dante's Peak lean more toward genuine flesh and blood,
rather than Hollywood’s usual verve for simpering and scared stiff cardboard
cutout clichés. In the final analysis, Dante’s Peak succeeds because its
seamless SFX are cleverly woven into an intimate character-driven story with a
thoroughly deadly – if showstopping and heart-palpitating final act.
Universal Home Video's Blu-ray is fantastic.
Everything tightens up in 1080p hi def. Colors pop, fine details abound, all in
service to bringing the story elements closer into our living rooms. Colors are
rich, bold and vibrant. Contrast levels are ideally realized. Blacks are deep.
Whites are clean. DNR has smoothed out the rougher edges that were readily
apparent on the DVD and the edge effects that plagued the standard edition have
been eradicated on the Blu-ray. Good stuff. Great visual presentation! The audio is 5.1 DTS, delivering an
aggressive sonic spread – particularly during the eruption sequences. Extras
include ‘Getting Close to the Show’ a thorough and engaging documentary
on volcanoes, and the background research that went into the making of this
film – as well as storyboard sequences, and extensive background materials
(including poster campaigns and the original shooting script). Bottom line:
very highly recommended.
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
4
VIDEO/AUDIO
4.5
EXTRAS
4
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