PIC of the Week – The Shape of Water
Article series by Ray Schillaci
Sometimes The Academy misses the boat completely in regards to Best Picture. I’ve ranted and raved about this on numerous occasions. But this year, in my humble opinion, they got it right for the most part. It is an absolute pleasure that the Best Picture Oscar was given to a monster movie for the first time ever, and Guillermo del Toro walked away with Best Director as well. Of course, del Toro’s The Shape of Water is much more than a monster movie.
This above all gives 20th Century FOX and del Toro’s film PIC of the Week over such worthy titles as: the harsh and sometimes dark humored look at the infamous Tonya Harding with killer performances by Oscar nominated Margot Robbie and Academy Award winner Allison Janney in I, Tonya, the delightfully daffy and warm hearted look into the worst film ever made and its enigmatic creator in The Disaster Artist which James Franco was robbed of a nomination, not to neglect one of the scariest and most disturbing shows on cable, Channel Zero: No-End House, Season 2. And, for the less discerning hero worshippers, Warner Brothers unveils Justice League. WB is pulling out all the stops on this one with a Blu-ray 64 page digibook containing original artwork and a 3D lenticular cover. Although better than BvS, it’s too bad the final product is not half as good as the packaging.
Writer/director/producer del Toro’s latest has been accused of lifting actual scenes and tone from a collection of famed French films (Amélie, Delicatessen, and The City of Lost Children) by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. But, one could question whether these were lifted or were they beautiful homages to the French director. This has happened before. Cinephiles cried foul when writer/director Alejandro González Iñárritu rolled out The Revenant and several breathtaking sequences were reminiscent of a collection of Tarkovsky films, and the story appeared more like an elaborate reboot of the 1971 Richard Harris film Man in the Wilderness without giving any credit to it. And, Baz Lurhmann’s Moulin Rouge! was riddled with many infamous musical numbers including The Sound of Music and Gentleman Prefer Blondes. And, let’s not forget Tarantino, who is very open about films that inspire him right down to his first one, Reservoir Dogs, which came from Mario Bava’s exciting 1974 film Rabid Dogs.
This has been going on with some of our most famous films including the original 1960 American western classic The Magnificent Seven, derived from Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. The difference being, all those films, and The Shape of Water as well, successfully create their own world and make it appear unique and fresh. Whereas there are films like del Toro’s own Crimson Peak (that appeared to lift not only from Hitchcock’s Rebecca, but also from himself), Star Wars: The Force Awakens and LA LA Land that feel more like tired retreads of better films. I know I’ll get backlash for that last film mentioned, but I continue to insist upon that thought along with the minority that agree with me.
What’s so cool about The Shape of Water is that maybe there’s a chance for people to view beloved monster or horror movies in a whole different light, just as the original Frankenstein, King Kong, and many George A. Romero films (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead) could not just easily be categorized as a monster or horror movie. But at the time, they were. Looking back, Frankenstein (’31) is an allegory (very much like The Shape of Water), filled with symbolism. A tragedy playing with the backdrop of obsession. And, many people mistake “Frankenstein” as the monster when it’s actually the name of the doctor. King Kong is an epic retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and it, too, is a tragedy. While many of Romero’s zombie films are rife with social commentary.
Del Toro’s film is sheer poetry, wrapped in a magnificent fantasy drama. The true monster is actually Colonel Strickland played with the ugly intensity that we’ve come to expect from the wonderful Michael Shannon (Take Shelter, Midnight Special). He’s captured an amphibian creature from the Amazon and taken it to a secret facility that aims on giving the U.S. an edge on the Cold War even if he has to vivisect it.
While the creature is being examined, it has become fascinated with a quiet and odd human, a mute cleaning woman, Elisa, played by Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky, Blue Jasmine) in a bravura performance. Elisa is intent on saving its life when she learns the government’s plans to euthanize the poor creature that has exhibited feelings to her. With the help of her wonderfully funny and animated co-worker Zelda, Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures, The Help) in yet another stand-out supporting role, and a quirky illustrator played to perfection by Richard Jenkins (LBJ, Kong: Skull Island), who is also the narrator that keeps us believing in the fantasy and adding an earthy tone to the whole affair that nearly sweeps our hearts away.
Once again, here is a presentation worth owning in 4K Ultra HD with DTS Surround Sound. Although, there is some talk that FOX’s presentation is not a “true” 4K since the final master was 2K and that the studio upscaled the image to 4K. Perhaps this is noticeable to the trained eye, but I believe it escapes the average viewer. Same for audiophiles who relish the sound that Dolby Atmos provides that is not available on this disc. But, for this critic, the picture and sound are stunning and capture all the fantasy that was witnessed on the big screen. Extras include:
¥ A Fairy Tale for Troubled Times
¥ Anatomy of a Scene: Prologue
¥ Anatomy of a Scene: The Dance
¥ Shaping the Waves: A conversation with the artist, James Jean
¥ Guillermo del Toro Master Class
Best price – Fry’s Electronics – 4K/Blu+Digital – $19.96 or
Blu/DVD+Digital – Walmart – $19.96
