Medium Cool

Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler made his directorial debut with this landmark 1969 film that offers up an unflinching examination of the media and its ethical responsibilities in presenting information to the public. Robert Forster and Peter Bonerz (best known as dentist Jerry on the first The Bob Newhart Show) star as John and Gus, a cameraman-soundman team recording the simmering racial and political discord that erupted into riots during the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. As the story unfolds, John begins to lose his objectivity when he becomes involved in the life of an impoverished Appalachian woman (Verna Bloom) and her son. Haskell broke stylistic ground with his semi-documentary approach that placed the actors against a backdrop of real, unscripted events, culminating in a crew member's cry of "Look out, Haskell, it's real" when a tear gas canister explodes. Featuring a commentary track with Wexler and others chronicling the film's tumultuous production and recalling the tenor of the times, this DVD is highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—June 4, 2013—Criterion, 110 min., not rated, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1969's Medium Cool sports a superb transfer and Dolby Digital mono audio on DVD and uncompressed mono audio on Blu-ray. Extras include two audio commentaries (one by director Haskell Wexler, editorial consultant Paul Golding, and costar Marianna Hill; the other by historian Paul Cronin), extended excerpts from Cronin's 2001 “making-of” documentary "Look Out Haskell, It's Real!" (53 min.), Wexler's 2012 "Medium Cool Revisited" featurette on the Occupy movement protests (33 min.), excerpts from Cronin's Sooner or Later documentary on costar Harold Blankenship (16 min.), a 2013 interview with Wexler (15 min.), trailers, and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic and programmer Thomas Beard. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a landmark ‘60s film.]