Plot: What’s it about?
When you think of Tom Hanks and Ron Howard, odds are that you might not think of a comedy involving a mermaid. Most of us think to “Apollo 13” in which Howard should have won a Best Director Oscar (but instead he won it for the mediocre “A Beautiful Mind” a few years back) and possibly a third consecutive run at Best Actor, who had previously won for “Forrest Gump” and “Philadelphia”. Yes, “Splash” was a hit at the time and actually stood for more than met the eye. First of all, it launched Tom Hanks as an actor in the movies. He was previously known for his television acting in “Bosum Buddies”, but it was this light-hearted comedy that gave him the role he needed to become a star. Second, and perhaps even more importantly, this launched the Touchstone label of Disney. At the time, Disney was still known as the animation studio and the feature-length movies they produced were still for the families. Movies like “The Cat From Outer Space” and “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes” were a far cry from a rather “adult-oriented” comedy like “Splash”. In fact, only recently with “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” did Disney actually release a movie with the “PG-13” rating. Conservative? Yes. A hit? Yes. You could say that “Splash” is the movie that turned Disney into a major studio.
Now we know the history of “Splash”, but what’s it all about? For me, I can’t really imagine a video library without this title in it. Then again, I grew up with this movie and every time I hear a high-pitched shriek, I think of televisions shattering in Bloomingdales (anyone who’s seen the movie will surely go with me on this one). But for the uninformed, i.e. “young”, here goes…Tom Hanks plays Allen Bauer, owner of a produce supply company in New York City. As a kid, he jumped off a boat and met a mermaid. She saved his life, but he was sucked back to the land of the living. He’s now somewhat successful, though his blowhard brother, Freddie (John Candy) makes life a pain for him. Allen is in the process of breaking up with his girlfriend, Victoria, as she is moving out; presumably because he won’t tell her that he loves her. Freddie has just landed an account for his brother (of which we assume he is a part owner), but to soothe his soul Allen heads off to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Once again he is saved by the mysterious mermaid (Daryl Hannah), and she accompanies him back to the glitz and glory of Manhattan. The two start a rather interesting relationship, but if Dr. Walter Kornbluth (Eugene Levy) has his way; she’ll be studied for scientific research (in true Cold War fashion, no less). Can Allen find true love and get Kornbluth off his back?
“Splash” is a movie that is so positively dated, it’s almost funny. The styles and even the plot have been done so many times before that it’s almost laughable. Producer and now media mogul, Brian Grazer, came up with the idea and had two writers come up with the screenplay. Most of the “A” list actors of the time (Michael Keaton, John Travolta and Dudley Moore) passed on the role and there was even another “mermaid” movie in the works; supposedly to star Marlon Brando. Howard, then an unproven director known for his work on television (much like Hanks) had a semi-hit with “Night Shift”; but something clicked here. Daryl Hannah, as time has proved, had one of her two hits here (the other being “Blade Runner” of course) and was perfectly cast as the naïve love interest. Additionally, this united SCTV alumni Eugene Levy and the late John Candy in a movie, but it wouldn’t be their last pairing. The movie still packs laughs, as evidenced by my outbursts, and it’s good to see Tom Hanks back when he was doing comedy. Proof that he is truly that versatile of an actor and that a great story can also make a great movie. For those who’ve not seen it, this is a great place to see the talents of many of today’s fine actors.
Video: How does it look?
This is now the second incarnation of “Splash” on DVD and my what a difference five years makes! The original was a featureless non-anamorphic disc that left a lot to be desired. This new edition has been anamorphically enhanced and the result is very good indeed. The image is presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio and the it looks fairly good. I noticed some major grain in some spots, though other scenes appeared to be nearly pristine. I broke out my old disc and did some side by side comparisons and, needless to say, a lot of work has been done on the print. Whereas the old transfer seemed dirty and dingy, this new one has been cleaned up and looks noticeably brighter. Though edge enhancement isn’t as much of a problem, it does still exist. While not a perfect transfer, Disney has definitely improved the look and that’s what us DVD fans want – a better picture (and sound and supplements).
Audio: How does it sound?
The disc has also been given a brand new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack as well. Though this won’t blow you out of the water (no pun intended), it does sound reasonably good for a movie that’s now twenty years old. Dialogue is very clean and free of distortion and there are some sound effects that actually come out of the rear channels! Yes, really! The majority of the action takes place in the front channels, but for the most part I’d have to say that I was fairly impressed. Those expecting much need not to, but those expecting the mix they heard on the previous DVD release will be surprised. I was.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Disney knows that to sell an already available title to the public, they’ll need to add some supplements. So they’ve done that. The most welcome supplement is a feature-length commentary track with Brian Grazer, Director Ron Howard and the two writers: Lowell Ganz and Babaloo (yes, that’s his real name) Mandel. This is a new commentary and it’s even introduced to us before the movie. The group seems to be wearing the same clothes as in the featurettes, so odds are they knocked this out in one or two days. Regardless, this is a pretty informative track and between the four of them, they managed to fill the time nicely. For anyone interested in the movie, this makes a great addition to a good disc. A featurette entitled “Making a Splash” is new as well and with new interviews with Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Ron Howard, Brain Grazer and Eugene Levy to name a few; this is required viewing. The sheer star power shows how attached to the movie they all were and how many fond memories of it they share. While a majority of the material was covered in the commentary, this is still a good way to learn all about the production. Additionally, screen tests for Daryl Hannah and Tom Hanks are shown (Howard admits that before this DVD, about ten people in the world had seen these) and are fun to watch as well. If you don’t own the disc yet, then this is certainly the one to get. If you do own the disc, then this might just be a reason to trade up to a bigger/better version.
