Customer Reviews

Bliss (1985) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Australia ]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's a bit baffling that this movie has, for the twenty or so years since its release, never been released in the U.S. Not only is it available only as an import on Amazon, it's nearly impossible to find in video stores for rental.

It's a magical-realist-style Australian movie from the late 80s. The basic plot is that there's this guy, Harry Joy, who suffers a heart attack and is resuscitated. However, such is the horror of his many epiphanies after this that he comes to believe that he was never resuscitated, and is now living in hell.

The quality of the disks you're buying here is less than fantastic. For example the film, while not long, has been rendered on two discs, and there is nothing for extra features.

But highly recommended anyhow: it's one of the most perfect movies I can think of. There ending is so ineffably beautiful that you're going to wish you had watched the whole thing more carefully.

Note that the film is based on a novel by Peter Carey.

No spoilers here.

Film is our modern mass culture's source of mythology. Bliss by Ray Lawrence is a fantastic piece of storytelling which pays homage to the greatest filmmakers while carving its own distinct space. Just the right amount of wit and wisdom swirled together into a surreal experience that is only too real for the protagonist. I haven't seen the film since my cherished VHS copy went bad from watching it so many times. Still looking for a domestic DVD release.

Enjoy!

It took me 20 years to see this movie again. It is worth the wait and the cost. The take-away message may be more relevant now than ever. The format is viewable from a DVD Drive on a PC. This movie is up there with "The King of Hearts" for encouraging one to re-evaluate their lives.

The stars are for the movie, not the quality of the DVD transfer. I just got my copy of this 2-DVD set from my sister in Australia. I use an OPPO DV-970HD Up-Converting Universal DVD Player to view here in the US. As long as your TV is set to NTSC, the DVD is viewable using the OPPO. Picture quality is a step up from video-tape, but it is not the sharpest image. It is somewhat pixelated on a 50 inch plasma screen, though after so many years of only seeing this on video tape, its manageable. One aspect that is nice is that the DVD has better sound then the video, so there is more to hear with a decent audio set-up. It is still a great film, just as I remembered it from the mid 1980s. The last 20-30 minutes is extraordinarily beautiful. Just don't expect miracles in the presentation. One can hope for the blu-ray!

I read the book, I saw the movie, as they came out. A man has a heart attack, is brought back but his new world is a little bit different. Didn't he notice beforehand that his wife is cheating on him with his partner, his son is a drug dealer, supplying even to his sister in return for sex, or has he died and gone to hell? You will find out. In a way, I now see this movie as a precursor to American Beauty. A lot of Australian humour, which you Yanks don't seem to get, just like we don't get yours. Pity