Cheap Heavenly Creatures (DVD) (Melanie Lynskey, Kate Winslet, Sarah Peirse) (Peter Jackson) Price

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Customer Reviews of Heavenly Creatures

Not the original cut! 5 stars for it--only 2 for this "uncut" version
BE WARNED! THIS IS NOT THE FILM YOU SAW IN THE THEATRE! <
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>Much to my surprise, this arrived with the small words "uncut version" on the cover, and to my dismay, this was not a good thing. Peter Jackson's brilliant film, which gave Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey what may be the two best debut roles ever for young women, was a non-stop roller-coaster ride of mounting hysteria that mirrored the increasing intensity of the girls' relationship. This friendship between Juliet Hulme and Pauline Parker, which became deeply emotional, sexual, and ultimately so co-dependent that they simply could not tolerate the notion of separation, culminated in the violent murder of Pauline's mother, with the two girls bashing her head in repeatedly with a brick inside of a stocking(the scene is gruesome, but still understates reality, which is a shocking thing to learn). This crime shocked the quiet community of Christchurch, New Zealand so completely that Jackson starts his film with a propoganda movie the town had made to lure new residents, in order to give us an idea of what sort of place this was. He then begins to fade in screams of the girls, shots of their blood-streaked faces, and we are as shocked by the violence as the town was then (1954). In order to understand and sympathize with these girls, not an easy thing for a director to accomplish given the violence of their crime and the inability of such smart girls to find any other way to deal with their terror of separation, Jackson gets deep inside their heads very effectively, and more than sharing their fantasy world with us, takes us into it. And by keeping the pace of the film pumping along with such speed and focus that we feel the girls' pain, too, and almost in spite of ourselves, are completely in sympathy with their decision (although afterwards, we shake ourselves back into rationality, and wonder why they came to such a desperate conclusion), we accept the racing towards inevitability that they seemed to have felt. The tension and intensity are incredible, and without it, the film would never have worked. <
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>The original cut of "Heavenly Creatures" gave us what we needed to maintain within ourselves this hysteria and to see from their points of view without stopping to question. This "uncut version" destroys that completely. It contains a 10-15 minute section that doesn't exist in the theatrical release, and which stops the film dead. The scenes are also longer, there's more dialogue in some, more time in "The Fourth World" (their fantasy world), and the editing is considerably less elegant. While some of these scenes add to our understanding of the girls, especially the rather bizarre details of Juliet's family life, and are therefore interesting to see, it's not the cut I'll watch again and again, as I do the original. It just doesn't work, and sadly, unless you realize that this wasn't the work of genius everyone was raving about, you'll wonder why we were raving about it. I don't believe anyone would have raved about this version, especially as the anguish of the ending is wrecked by an incredibly bad editing decision. Certainly I would not have raved about it, even if I could have seen its potential for genius. <
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>It is very frustrating that now one can only get this version--there isn't even a choice between the two. I don't understand why this wasn't released in a two-sided or two-disk "pick a version" manner, or the extended/deleted scenes shown as "deleted scenes" often are on the original DVD. That this is the only choice now is infuriating, especially as, with no warning, one may discover it as I did, watching the opening sequence and thinking, "Wait a minute...I don't remember this..." While not everyone is like me with a photographic memory that genuinely knows films by heart, even noticing a different single edit in a scene if the film shows up on TV, most who loved this film will realize they're watching something different, and probably will only notice it after it's in the DVD player, making getting credit for a return more of a challenge. But the fact that this is not the original version is not, in my opinion, sufficiently explained in the information on the DVD info page. That this is NOT the original version should be shouted, as unlike "Apocalypse Now Redux," it is not re-titled. <
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>The comparison to "Apocalypse Now" is actually an appropriate one. In the Redux version, we can see scenes that add background about Vietnam (the presence of old French colonialist families still living there, for example), interesting conversations, etc., but its pace is deadly, and as with "Heavenly Creatures" we need to be on a voyage of inevitability, moving relentlessly towards the mysterious Kurtz. Without this ever-mounting tension, it's not the work of genius that the original cut is. But we have choices between the two, and that's as it should be. Why the extra and extended scenes in "HC" weren't just in a "deleted scenes" section on the original disk is a mystery, but this poor replacement is a disappointment that now is the only version first-time viewers can see without buying second-hand. Bad, bad call. <
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>A note: Editing is everything. Everything. I learnt how to build a film from my editing teacher (who became my editor); it's in the editing that the film is either made or broken, and obviously Jackson knew that, and made all the right choices with his editor the first time around. Why he ruined his own work is a question someone should ask him. Please, if you can, check out the documentary, "The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Editing" to see what this final piece of a film project really consists of.

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Heavenly Creatures - Heavenly Christchurch
I have lived in Christchurch all of my life, and it truly is a wonderful city to call home. But, as Heavenly Creatures points out, it is also home to one of the biggest scandals in New Zealand history. <
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>The murder of Honora Parker raised many eyebrows during the winter of 1954. Firstly because she was murdered by her daughter Pauline, and Pauline's best friend Juliet. Secondly because it was discovered after the murder that Honora was not actually 'married' to her husband Mr Rieper. Even though she went about her life as Honora Rieper, she was hiding a mini scandal of her own (in 1950's New Zealand life). <
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>The day of the murder was 22 June 1954, and it was an unseasonably warm day during what had otherwise been a very cold winter. It was so warm in fact that many people skipped work or school and headed outdoors. My own Grandmother took a 'day off' from work and actually spent the day in Victoria Park. It wasn't until she returned home and turned on her radio that night that she had been at the Murder site that very day. <
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>Peter Jackson does a wonderful job of capturing Christchurch in the 1950's and telling the shocking but true story of Parker and Hulme, and the desires that drove them to murder Honora. While the city has changed much since 1954, there are still many reminders from the story of Parker and Hulme. Both family homes still stand, as does the former High School and former University, as portrayed in the movie. Victoria Park continues to be a popular picnic spot - and no other notable crimes have ever been committed there. <
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>From a historical standpoint, this movie makes for great viewing. Includes archival news footage and features many of New Zealands most talented actors - such as Melanie Lynsky.

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A (very) short review
What can I say about this movie? It really touched me. It's about two girls, Juliet and Pauline, who become friends and face several hardships which eventually lead them to murder one of their parents. There's more to it then that though. The two girls, they make up their own world, with their own characters with their own rules. They eventually depend on each other. I guess what gets to me about the film is about how real it felt. What the girls do, they run around, play about, write stories, idolize the teen idols of the day (Including Mario Lanza and James Mason. Orson Wells is excluded from their idols because Juliet calls him hideous.), they way they interact with each reminds me of what I do with my friends, and that one friend in particual. Of course, I'm 15 the age of these girls so I relate to them much more then an adult would, I believe. It's a darker tone film with some quirky effects that one expects from Peter Jackson. Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey give stunning performances, especially since this was their film debut. It doesn't contain the gore that one would expect considering Jackson's previous works like Braindead and Bad Taste, but there is one murder scene but it's truly chilling, ranking up there with one of the worse murders to be filmed, on my own opinion. I love this film to death and it makes me cry every time I see it. It just feels, so real. Even when clay figures come to life in the girl's fantasy, it doesn't seem to break any barriers, it feels with in reach of reality. <
>I highly reccomend at least one viewing. If you're under 18 you may find a few things hit a bit closer to home then you'd like...