Crash appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.66:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. This became a satisfying presentation.
Overall sharpness seemed very good, as only an occasional sliver of softness materialized, some of which appeared to connect to the atmospheric cinematography. The vast majority of the flick appeared well-defined and concise.
No issues with jagged edges or shimmering appeared, though, and I noticed no edge haloes or print flaws. Grain felt natural, so I suspected no issues connected to noise reduction.
As expected, this moody flick went with a subdued palette, one that tended to favor blues. Between the aforementioned photographic choices and the film stock, the tones could seem a little dense, but they largely felt well-reproduced.
Blacks looked dark and deep, while low-light shots mainly seemed smooth. A couple of interiors appeared slightly dense, but these usually worked fine. I felt pleased with the image, as it replicated the source in an appropriate manner.
I also liked the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Crash, as the soundfield seemed surprisingly active and engaging. The movie featured a frequently vibrant and involving mix that used all five channels well.
Most of the audio remained in the front, where music showed solid stereo imaging and effects were well placed and blended together cleanly. The surrounds added positive reinforcement of those elements plus quite a lot of useful unique audio. The movie’s occasional loud scenes – mainly the inevitable vehicular moments - were impressive, but it still showed good sense of atmosphere as a whole.
Audio quality also appeared strong. Dialogue seemed natural and distinct, and I heard no problems related to edginess or intelligibility. Music was bright and vibrant with good clarity and dynamic range.
Effects were also clean and accurate, and they showed fine fidelity with excellent depth. Bass responses seemed good as a whole; low-end came across as tight and vivid. Overall, Crash provided a well-rendered auditory experience.
Recorded for a 1997 Criterion laserdisc, we find an audio commentary from writer/director David Cronenberg. In this running, screen-specific piece, Cronenberg discusses the source and its adaptation, story and characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, makeup, effects, music, cars and stunts, and related domains.
Engaging and on-topic, Cronenberg provides a strong commentary. He gets into a good mix of subjects and makes this a well above-average discussion.
From a 1996 British Film Institute Q&A, we hear from writer/director David Cronenberg and novelist JG Ballard. The piece runs one hour, 41 minutes, 42 seconds and brings thoughts about the novel and its move to the screen, themes, story and characters, cast and performances, reactions to the film, and domains related to the movie.
The Q&A works best when we see Ballard and Cronenberg interact, as they connect well and give us a lively chat. Inevitably, some of the material here repeats from the commentary, but nonetheless, we get a lot of good information, especially via the balance Ballard adds.
A 1996 Cannes Press Conference lasts 37 minutes, 39 seconds and presents a panel with Cronenberg, Ballard, producers Jeremy Thomas and Robert Lantos, and actors Deborah Kara Unger, James Spader, Holly Hunter, Elias Koteas and Rosanna Arquette.
They discuss aspects of the film’s shoot, with a bit of an emphasis on promotion, though not as much as one might expect from the context. It’s an intriguing panel given that it followed the Cannes controversies, but it’s not tremendously informative.
Under Press Kit Footage, we get eight minutes, 47 seconds of material. This segment offers comments from Ballard, Cronenberg, Spader, Koteas and Hunter.
Along with shots from the production, we get a mix of notes about the film. Though more informative than the average EPK, we still don’t get a ton of insights here.
In addition to two trailers, the package finishes with a booklet. It presents a mini-poster on one side and an essay from critic Jessica Kiang on the other.
Controversial in 1996, Crash seems like much ado about nothing. Outside of its inherent perversity, the movie lacks much to engage the viewer and it becomes oddly dull. The Blu-ray brings positive picture and audio along with some informative supplements. Crash doesn’t live up to its tawdry hype.