Product description

Death Becomes Her [VHS] [1992]

Price: £9.95
RRP: £5.99
Average customer rating: 4.0

Binding : VHS Tape
EAN : 0044004448932
Label : 4 Front Video
Manufacturer : 4 Front Video
Publisher : 4 Front Video
Release date : 1999-07-01
Title : Death Becomes Her [VHS] [1992]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Parental Guidance
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1992-12-04
Running time : 99
Studio : 4 Front Video
Theatrical releaseDate : 1992-07-31
Number of discs : 1

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
If Robert Zemeckis's mega-hit IForrest Gump/I was too sweet for your taste, you may enjoy the undiluted bitterness of his previous movie, a cynical black comedy that was ahead of its time. IDeath Becomes Her/I, an outlandish parable about America's obsession with youth and vanity, exposes the corrosive side of Zemeckis's comic sensibility, the sort of scathing satirical edge he gleefully flourished in his overlooked 1980 IUsed Cars/I, which has developed a cult following. PMeryl Streep has a ball as the deliciously vicious Madeline Ashton, a flamboyantly mannered actress who makes Bette Davis's formidable Margo Channing in IAll About Eve/I look like a wallflower. Goldie Hawn is also in razor-sharp comedic form as Madeline's long-time "best friend," Helen. Sensing a bargain she just can't resist, Madeline steals Helen's meek, plastic-surgeon husband Ernest (Bruce Willis) for her own convenience, and the two women become sworn enemies. But the real complications arise when the two are introduced to a secret anti-aging formula by a mysterious and exotic woman (Isabella Rossellini, delightfully ridiculous) that not only smoothes away wrinkles but actually guarantees immortality. As their undying bodies are twisted and mutilated by violent attacks on each other, both women grow increasingly dependent on Ernest for cosmetic repair. The pioneering digital effects inflicted on Streep and Hawn are as grotesque as they are imaginative and hilarious. Like James Cameron (IThe Abyss/I, ITitanic/I), Zemeckis loves a technical challenge, and the new visual tools developed for this movie made his later work (in IForrest Gump/I and IContact/I) possible. The digital video disc includes a short feature on the movie's production. --IJim Emerson, Amazon.com/I

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-06-05 rating:

Bad DVD! Don't buy! Not anamorphic widescreen!
Can't believe this is a newly released DVD! More like a repacking one! It listed as 1.85 anamorphic widescreen on the cover, but it is in fact a normal letterbox widescreen version! All the shimmering artifacts present throughout, and image is soft, grainy and dark! Sound is just Dolby Stereo! A short making-of feature and trailer are included - in fullscreen. br / br /How could they release such stuff after 11 years of it initial released? Damn to Universal! I want my money back!

review by: date: 2009-05-10 rating:

Perfect trio in bizarre and wonderful dark comedy
Falling actress Madeline Ashton (Streep) learns of a secret potion that will regenerate her beauty whilst her long term enemy Helen (Hawn) looks set to steal her husband br / br /Black comedies are some weird and wonderful creations. The Coen brothers are creative masters at such a genre, whether depicting the nature of the government in Burn after Reading or revealing the solidity of harsh actions in Intolerable Cruelty the pair have become a landmark and favourites. br / br /To take the concept of death and vanity and putting a comedy twist on it sounds almost as controversial as Dogma and as zany for Zemeckis as you like, given his previous hit was the final part in the Back to the Future trilogy. But despite the initially oddity of this picture, it is perfect comedy gold with a strange darkness and bizarreness to rival Tim Burton. br / br /The film begins with a song and dance routine with Meryl Streep in as good as singing voice as in her later role Mamma Mia! After a couple of confusing scenes we see Helen has gone into depression after her husband got hitched with Madeline and it seems we have a soapy style love triangle but after Madeline gets her hand on a love potion and we see Helen return to the mix, everything becomes much more light hearted and very funny, with sharp physical comedy and maintaining that level of bizarre activity throughout. br / br /Goldie Hawn is the stand out with a wacky crazed character that is simply likeable despite her vindictiveness. Streep is, as ever, on fine form and pleasantly Willis has dived away from his stereotyped action hero into a soft hearted struggler who wants his life back. The pairing of the three works wonders and is hard to imagine any other in such roles as the playful comic acting is in perfect harmony with the wacky script. br / br /The film revolves around the concept of vanity with the female protagonists looking to get their lives back with simply changing their appearances. Echoes of Sunset Boulevard's excellent Gloria Swanson will be heard and there is almost a perfect intertextuality in the way Streep handles her character's selfishness. br / br /Winner of Best visual effects at the Oscars this 1992 comedy fantasy brings the comedy as well as the fantasy with some bizarre visuals including weapons through the stomach and a neck twisting scene that will make your neck turn the other way. br / br /Death Becomes Her is a must watch, simply because it is so out of sync with reality and maintains a strong level of comedy and fantasy that will make your head spin. br / br /8.5/10

review by: M_Streeper date: 2009-05-08 rating:

Laugh until you......die?
Buy it...........watch it...........laugh 'till it hurts.....and then watch it again. br / br /For some reason this fantastic film seemed to pass by unnoticed and I cannot understand why. Meryl Streep is the heart of the film and is on fine form, her comedic talent is second to none and in my opinion not showcased enough. Goldie Hawn is also terrific, and it is great to see Bruce Willis playing the shy, pathetic man for a change. No sign of John Mclane here! br / br /If you are a fan of Ms. Streep then you have to own this film as in my opinion it is one of her best ever performances. Even if you are not a fan of the mighty Streep, buy it anyway and fall in love with her.

review by: date: 2009-01-03 rating:

Mediocre quality
The DVD box says something about anamorphic widescreen 1.85:1 but in fact it is widescreen letterboxed in 4:3 and picture quality is kinda mediocre - colors are OK but not great, sharpness is not very high (fortunately edge enhancement is kept low) and there is some grain. Overall this edition is watchable but there may be better ones sometime.

review by: date: 2008-12-11 rating:

A new DVD or BLU RAY of this film is needed....
A fantastic special effects bonanza with 3 of Hollywood's best on brilliant comedic form... why oh why this STILL hasnt been given a new DVD upgrade is anyone's guess..? I think this would look fantastic in HD as well...! br /Take note Universal; I would have given 5 but the DVD is just awful now..

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