After soaring together in 1984's "Romancing the Stone," and stumbling together in 1985's "The Jewel of the Nile," Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito were cautious with the selection of their next collaboration, looking to pick a project that would disturb expectations set by their previous adventures. "The War of the Roses" proved an apt left turn for the trio, with DeVito assuming directorial control over the material, looking to inject a darkly comic tone into a bitter story, building on his command of impish screen toxicity first explored in his previous production, 1987's "Throw Momma from the Train." Constructed with extraordinary confidence and exceptionally acted, "The War of the Roses" is perhaps the greatest cinematic achievement shared between the stars, dropping the high-flying dangers of jungles and deserts to partake in specialized marital warfare that utilizes relationship claustrophobia and escalating antagonism instead of explosions and plastic quips. The picture is greatly amusing, but its lasting achievement is DeVito's atmospheric authority, shaping a genuine filmmaking triumph in style and mood that deserves a standing ovation.
After meeting at an auction during a rainy afternoon, Oliver (Michael Douglas) and Barbara (Kathleen Turner) commence a passionate relationship that culminates in marriage and the birth of two children. As the years pass, Oliver works diligently to become an ace lawyer, ignoring his family for professional pursuits. While interested in starting a small business for herself, Barbara keeps busy with domestic management, becoming a skilled homemaker facing unimaginable purposelessness as her kids grow into adults. When Oliver suffers a panic attack he fears is a deadly heart attack, Barbara shows little sympathy, recognizing it's time for the two to divorce. Unwilling to let his wife have the house in the settlement, Oliver declares war, using whatever tricks he can to secure the property, while Barbara matches his fervor in full. With the twosome raging at each other, the fight often get dirty, leaving outsiders, including dear lawyer friend Gavin (Danny DeVito), to fear for the Roses' safety, watching as the two amplify their attacks to a point of physical exhaustion and property decimation.
Although based on a 1981 novel by Warren Adler, "The War of the Roses" has been turned into pure cinema by DeVito. It's stellar, subversive work from the lovable actor, who instigates a highly theatrical style to emphasize the unreality of the central conflict, easing the ugliness through a dreamlike sense of communication, using a storytelling device featuring Gavin and a potential client as another way to pump the brakes on troubling material. With a grand use of gorgeous sets, soft lighting, and intricate process shots, DeVito is able to manufacture a welcome mat of sorts, sucking reluctant viewers into the war zone without alienating them, spending much of the run time visually clarifying that "The War of the Roses" is meant to be fun. It's brave work, with sublime interest in transitions and prolonged jokes to help maintain a screen personality to the piece, finding a fingerprint to an otherwise indescribable feature.
DeVito and screenwriter Michael Leeson take the premise of a bitter divorce and inflate the possibilities to a wickedly enticing degree, swelling the disgust to a point of explosion, creating a Thunderdome atmosphere where Barbara and Oliver can openly wreck each other's lives and the audience is openly allowed to celebrate such madness. It's not mere bickering or name-calling, but flagrant stabs of professional disgrace and even a few instances of attempted murder, finding the couple so blinded by their disgust and lust for the home, they will stop at nothing to win. DeVito happily orchestrates the insanity, blending a few subtle jabs at permissive parenting and the fog of divorce with enormous physical encounters, watching the couple fling each other down staircases, hurl plates at heads, and crash cars with palpable glee. There's not much levity in the effort, which is a major component of its charm. DeVito goes for the throat, yet does so with style and imagination, turning horribleness into occasional hilarity.
Matching the director's lust for pain are Douglas and Turner, in what I consider to be their most ambitious performances. Portraying ugly people isn't easy, yet the pair carries the workload effortlessly, having a ball riding Barbara and Oliver's arc from madly-in-love to homicidal, displaying crystalline flair for the absurd and the demented. DeVito matches the duo satisfactorily with his expositional duties, yet the picture belongs to its two stars, who make hellraising divorce proceedings sexy, scary, and frequently humorous, selling the characters with a rich playfulness few in their field could provide.
The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation does a fine job keeping the often difficult visual elements of "Roses" open for inspection. It's a softly photographed picture with a darker lean, finding the HD image retaining the cinematographic intent with a pleasing presence of grain, keeping the viewing experience filmic with little overt filtering. Details are key for a movie like this, and disc maintains a clean read of screen particulars, from the tchotchkes that litter the Rose household to the thinness of fabrics, accentuating certain wardrobe naughtiness from DeVito. Facial response is excellent, with natural skintones and defined reactions, while paper and costuming sustain ideal texture. A few moments appear framed on the tight side, but there's nothing distracting, with a clean print free of obvious damage. Shadow detail is satisfactory, revealing moments of crush as the battle carries on into the night. Colors are stable and expressive, showing richness and authority as the seasons change, delivering a pronounced Christmas feel, while housing interiors are flooded with tasteful hues that retain their intended snap.
The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is fairly modest for a manic creation as this, maintaining a primarily frontal presence that makes little time for surround play. Dialogue is crisp and tight, with accurate separation and a distinct management of violence, which never steps on verbal exchanges. Scoring is supportive, though it never truly carries the listening experience beyond the opening titles, ably buttressing emotional moods without demanding absolute attention. Low-end is sparse, with Barbara's truck encounters stirring up a rumble, while atmospherics are acceptable, absent a richly defined immersion, finding wind and rain most dominant. Directional activity is limited, while surrounds are used more to define distances and push out scoring needs, remaining passive.
Booklet with 26 pages of actor biographies, story and productions origins, and review blurbs is included.
Commentary with Danny DeVito appears ported over from the 1991 laserdisc release of "Roses," and it's a real gem. Prepared, comfortable, and aware, DeVito drills into the creative process with magnificent precision and his famous sense of humor, helping outsiders understand the layers of technical achievements that would otherwise go unrecognized. DeVito is proud of his work, which elevates the listening experience, giving it a slightly giddy spin with heavy doses of the star's honesty (he openly comments on his weight) and examples of on-set camaraderie. It's a wonderful track, well worth your time.
"Revisiting 'The War of the Roses'" (28:55, HD) almost qualifies as a commentary, sitting down with DeVito and producer James L. Brooks as they walk through scenes of the movie, chatting up screen-specific action and storytelling intention, while marveling over their accomplishment. It's amusing but on the scattered side (DeVito brings out his wrap gift to the crew and the original script for inspection), more conversational than prepared, while many of the stories are repeated from the original commentary. Still, time with DeVito and Brooks is time well spent.
"The Music of 'The War of the Roses'" (9:11, HD) returns to DeVito, now discussing the score with composer David Newman, who worked diligently to reinforce the comedic darkness of the picture. The son of composing legend Alfred Newman, David recalls his time with the complexity of "Roses," along with the ease of working with DeVito.
Deleted Scenes Montage (23:22, SD) follows DeVito into the editing room to explore a range of snipped moments, including time with Barbara during her stint as a seafood restaurant waitress, an extended day with Barbara and Oliver when they first meet, a few extra professional beats with Gavin, and a general escalation of martial warfare, including the murder of Oliver's beloved orchids. Additional visits from housekeeper Susan are also provided. The scenes are presented without explanation, but do feature bookend sequences with DeVito turning the collection into something of a short film, topped off with a Rhea Perlman voice cameo.
Production Gallery collects a wealth of color photographs from the making of the movie.
Script provides a draft for inspection, dated 3/16/89.
Trailer A (1:22, SD), Trailer C (:52, SD), Trailer D (2:42, SD), and Trailer E (:58, SD) are included, along with six T.V. Spots (3:12, SD).
At nearly two hours in length, "The War of the Roses" is tiring. The average moviegoer can only take so much bile before the novelty begins to wear off, and DeVito nearly exhausts his effort in full before he's done. Of course, there's an incredible ending here that's worth the wait, reinforcing the production's skill with acidic humor, bringing the picture to a naturally disastrous conclusion. Perhaps it's the only viable conclusion, with many who've been through the wringer of divorce likely to side with the material's brutal final assessment of everlasting love. In DeVito's meaty hands, it's all handled with a marvelous sense of mischief.
20th Century Fox Entertainment will release on Blu-ray two films directed by Danny DeVito: The War of the Roses (1989), starring Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito, and Hoffa (1992), starring ack Nicholson, Danny DeVito and Armand Assante. Street ...
