Warner Bros. next film in their Archive Collection features Dolores Clairborne, a thrilling drama/mystery rife with tragedy based on the book by Stephen King.
“Selena St. George stares at the note and news clipping. Her estranged mother Dolores has been accused of murder. Grudgingly, Selena returns to her tiny Maine hometown to offer help. Not that she believes Dolores is innocent. In truth, she harbors suspicions going back 20 years.
Kathy Bates, who won a Best Actress Oscar for Misery, scores in another chilling Stephen King story (directed by Taylor Hackford) as tough-talking Dolores Claiborne. Jennifer Jason Leigh is wrenching as embittered Selena. The two circle warily, piecing together past and present, memory and fact, to reveal the startling truth behind two mysterious deaths.”
Stephen King’s name is synonymous with some of the great horror stories of our generation. His name invokes fear with stories such as It, Pet Sematary, Misery, and The Shining. His other bodies of work include stories that affirm that King is not only an amazing horror writer, but can tackle any genre and can be equally if not more entertaining than some of his most chilling stories.
Dolores Claiborne is one of those stories. Beautifully written and adapted into a haunting tale of mystery, drama, and tragedy, as Selena (Jennifer Jason Leigh) returns to her hometown when her mother Dolores (Kathy Bates) is accused of murder. Selena not only returns to confront her mother of the crimes she may or may not have committed, she also finds herself confronting her past, a past peppered with abuse and heartache, all of which she purged from her memory long ago.
Adapting a book into a film isn’t an easy task. The method of which can make or break the film, especially with a story driven by memories and flashbacks, where the timeline shifts quite frequently as characters fall into reminiscing about their past. Tony Gilroy seems to have been the perfect man for the job, as these memories are flawlessly intertwined into the story and flow as easily as possible. Gilroy, a screenwriter I have taken note of in the past and have actually read quite a few scripts he’s written, is a master at the craft, and though I haven’t read the book, it seems to be well translated for screen in a general literary sense.
Kathy Bates delivers another astonishing performance as Dolores, which King admits to having her in mind when he wrote the character. Supporting actors Christopher Plummer, Judy Parfitt and David Strathairn are equally as impressive, bringing amazing performances to the film. The only performance I didn’t care for that much was Jennifer Jason Leigh. Although there are times when she does well at the dramatic moments, it seems that some of the more seasoned actors overshadow her performance. Regardless, these performances are chilling, portraying great grief that the audience can definitely feel and relate with.
Video
Dolores Clairborne is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 2.4:1. The transfer is generally in good shape, with no defects or blemishes noticed. Although it can be a bit dark in some scenes, the film has an overall blue-ish and dark tone anyway, which sets the mood of the film perfectly.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The track sounds very good. The majority of the sound will be coming through the center channel, though the surrounds utilize the score perfectly, creating a great balance between the beautifully composed score and the rest of the film.
Special Features
Unfortunately, there isn’t much for extras on this disc. All you’re going to see is:
- Audio Commentary by Director Taylor Hackford
- Trailer
Dolores Claiborne captures a variety of emotions that will surely entertain any Stephen King fan or a fan of mystery/drama in general. Warner Bros. Archive Collection has been releasing some great titles in its series, and I for one hope they continue to release some of the lesser known films on blu-ray.
