FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: The Vanishing [1993] [DVD]

The Vanishing [1993] [DVD]
enlarge	Director: George Sluizer Actors: Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Nancy Travis, Sandra Bullock, Park Overall Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£5.99~~ Buy New: £3.19 as of 25/11/2009 21:58 GMT details You Save: £2.80 (47%) New (19) Used (6) from £1.47 Seller: twentyfiveorless Rating: 22 reviews Sales Rank: 14985 Format: Anamorphic, PAL, Widescreen Languages: English (Subtitles For The Hearing Impaired), Czech (Subtitled), Danish (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled), Hebrew (Subtitled), Hungarian (Subtitled), Icelandic (Subtitled), Norwegian (Subtitled), Polish (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), Turkish (Subtitled), English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 105 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5039036008723 ASIN: B000063VBJ Theatrical Release Date: February 5, 1993 Release Date: August 25, 2003 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review It's not unusual for Hollywood to remake European hits. What is unusual is the director of the original getting the chance to helm the new version with an American cast, which is what happened with this film based on an intensely creepy Dutch film of the same name (both directed by George Sluizer). Kiefer Sutherland and Sandra Bullock are on vacation when, while stopped at a crowded rest area, she disappears. He devotes the next several years to discovering what happened to her, ruining his life in the process. When he does get a clue, it leads him to Jeff Bridges, who plays a bizarre and highly organized individual whose motives are almost as strange as he is. Bridges is spooky, but Sluizer ultimately is undone by Hollywood's demand for a happy ending, which makes this film affecting but far less unsettling than the original. I--Marshall Fine/I Amazon.co.uk Review Forget Hitchcock, forget Brian De Palma, IThe Vanishing/I is one of the scariest, most disturbing thrillers ever made. Yet there's not a knife, a gun, or a drop of blood in sight. The terror in George Sluizer's film is wholly psychological, insidiously uncoiling itself before our incredulous eyes. p A young Dutch couple on holiday in France stop at a motorway service station, where the girl inexplicably vanishes. Desperately her boyfriend searches for her. Meanwhile, we're introduced to a dull, respectable French paterfamilias who, we gradually come to realise, is the man responsible for the girl's disappearance. But we don't know why, nor--yet more tantalisingly--what he's done with her. Neither does the boyfriend, for whom her disappearance becomes an obsession (the film's French title is IL'Homme qui voulait savoir/I--"The Man Who Wanted to Know".) Finally, horribly, he finds out. p Operating quietly and cunningly, Sluizer keeps us constantly on edge. There's the unconventional plot structure, dropping us unexpectedly into what turns out to be an extended flashback; the twitchy disorientation of the hero, adrift in an alien language and culture (a shrewd use of the film's joint French/Dutch parentage); and above all the chillingly downbeat performance of Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu as the abductor, a living demonstration of the banality of evil. p IThe Vanishing/I is one of those rare movies that insinuates itself under the skin of the mind and cannot be dislodged. Ill-advisedly, Sluizer let himself be tempted to Hollywood to direct an English-language remake that jettisoned all the subtlety of the original and tacked on an inane happy ending. Shun that version; this is the one to go for. p BOn the DVD:/B IThe Vanishing/I comes to DVD with these slim pickings: the theatrical trailer, a filmography for Sluizer and a gallery of stills. But the transfer, digitally remastered in the original widescreen ratio, looks good and the sound matches it. --IPhilip Kemp/I

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 22 1 2 3 4 5 Next » Look carefully... October 6, 2004 M. Dale 8 out of 9 found this review helpful Please notice that some of the reviews included here are actually of the poor American remake. This is the Dutch original, set in France, and is one of my favourite films. Take out the mistakenly included reviews and this film would presumably get the 5 stars it definitely deserves... A high class thriller April 15, 2005 Mr. S. Crook (North of the M25) 11 out of 13 found this review helpful Don't confuse this with the rather poor remake. It's hard to believe that the two were made by the same director. The remake has all the flaws you'd expect of a hollywood version of a quality european film and pretty much misses the point entirely.pThe original is dark and pessimistic, the characters are believeable, portrayed with conviction, so it's easy to get involved. There's little violence, but the atmosphere does it all. The director and lead convey the passing of time and the increasing isolation, desperation and determination of the husband with considerable eloquence. pI first saw this film several years ago and it has lodged itself in my memory, so I think that once seen it's not easily forgotten. For all the right reasons! The best modern thriller I have ever seen. July 21, 2002 M. Fleming 7 out of 10 found this review helpful This film relies on things like subtlety, a slow building tension, excellent performances, and THE best ending, rather than the remake, which relied upon ham acting, sudden shocks, and the worst ending EVER!brI have been waiting for this gem of a film to be released since I first saw it in 1990 and I will be ordering it before the week is out!brA work of genius, I can't praise this awsome film highly enough, and I am SO please to be able to get it at last. I'm sorry to be so gushy, but if you like all movies, buy it, if you only like well made, artistic foreign films, buy it, if you love thrillers, buy it.pHow the same man made both versions of this film is beyond me, he must have forgotten all he learned second time around. Quintessential European Cinema July 25, 2002 5 out of 7 found this review helpful George Sluizer's "The Vanishing" is a quintessential piece of European cinema telling the story of a young couple, Rex Hofman (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia Wagter (Johanna ter Steege), whose future takes an ominous turn after stopping at a motorway service station whilst on vacation. Saskia pays a visit to the restroom whilst Rex fetches refreshments and refuels the car but, it soon becomes apparent to Rex that something terrible has happened when Saskia fails to reappear. The scene is then set for this thrilling movie which slowly reveals itself to the viewer with appropriate cut scenes informing the audience of events leading up to Saskia's disappearance, including her kidnapper's cold, methodical planning, lending the movie a wonderfully voyeuristic detachment. Filmed in French with English subtitles, "The Vanishing" climaxes with a suitably unpredictable ending which leaves the viewer slightly disorientated ensuring that this movie will be watched again and again. A modern classic not to be ignored. Classic Thriller. March 21, 2004 Russell Tit Davies (UK) 5 out of 7 found this review helpful I can only agree with the other reviews of this movie. You'll have to go far to find a better thriller than this the fact that it's unspoilt by Hollywood makes it all the better. The acting is beautifully underplayed on the whole, no-one is trying to be a star here, it's all about the story the story doesn't let you down on any level.pThe premise is a very simple one - a man's girlfriend disappears one day he just can't let go needs to find out what happened to her. I won't give away anymore of the storyline because as you watch this film you share the mans need to know that's the point!pPlease do not be fooled into thinking that buying the American remake will be a better idea, I've done a review on that one to stop you! You will not regret getting this dvd. Showing reviews 1-5 of 22 1 2 3 4 5 Next »

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