Snapshot — Snapshot(Blu Ray)
Snapshot (aka The Day After Halloween) is a late 70’s Australian drama featuring light touches of thriller and horror genres. It regards a naive & hen-pecked twenty-something hairdresser- who gets pushed into topless modelling and is been stalked by an ice cream van-driving ex. It’s an engaging enough drama- that’s well enough acted, with the other genre touches adding a few surprises to the mix- though in no way is this a fully realized horror film or thriller, as its other title may suggest. Here from Powerhouse as either a UHD or Blu-Ray, is a recent release of film- featuring two 4k versions of the picture, and a good selection of largely archive-bound extras.
Snapshot is from the year 1979- being filmed on location in both Melbourne & Montsalvat Victoria. The film was helmed by Sydney-born Simon Wincer. |He had thirty-three TV credits to his name, as well as twenty feature lengths. The features go from faith healer-themed fantasy horror featuring Robert Powell Harlequin (1980), Sci-fi family film D.A.R.Y.L. (1985), crime action film Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man( 1991), and superhero comedy The Phantom (1996). Snapshot was his first feature film, and all in all he did a decent job- though I’m not sure how the horror/ thriller elements will go down with those looking for a focused drama film.
The film focuses on Angela (Sigrid Thornton)- when we first meet her, she’s working as a hairdresser, being constantly berated/ talked down to by her male boss. She befriends one of her rich client’s Madeline (Chantal Contouri) who is often wrapped in a fur jacket and has a very outspoken personality. She insists Angela is better than the job she's in, and puts her in contract with bearded/slightly quirky photographer Linsey (Hugh Keays-Byrne) who likes photographing dead things in his spare time.
She moves in with Linsey- who has all manner of characters drifting through his household, and the next day she sets out for a beach shoot with him. It turns out he wants her to do a topless photo of her for a cologne advert. As things unfold, she starts getting seemingly stalked by her ice-cream-driving boyfriend and gets approached by both seedy old men & a predatory lesbian.
Snapshot is presented in two cuts here- a 93-minute theatrical version, and a 105-minute director's cut- I watched the longer of these two, and you can certainly see when we drop into the cut moments as the stock does shift in both quality & size. As mentioned earlier this is largely a drama, and an engaging enough one at that, around 25% per cent of the film sits in the thriller/ horror/ mystery side of things- these start with the pre-credit scene where a brunt human body is found, moving onto a pig’s head in a bed, and moments of sexual pressuring/ female rough-up. These elements will either be an interesting twist to proceedings or a genre-shifting annoyance- thankful I sit in the first camp, so I found Snapshot engaging/ entertaining.
This release takes in a new 4k scan of the film- it’s a well-defined & balanced print, with the late 70’s colourings coming out well. On the disc we only get two wholly new extras- there’s The Trans-Pacific Mode (10.00) which finds academic and Australian cinema specialist Stephen Morgan discussing the film. We find out the film was somewhat of a rush job, based on a rewritten script. It had a twelve weeks shoot, and shares two cast members from the original Mad Max. We find out that the film rather bombed in Australia- with it then getting re-edited for the US. He talks about what the makers did next, and where the film sits in the ozploitation genre. Next, there’s Elements Of Danger (2.14) which finds Stunt Co-ordinator Grant Page giving commentary over the film's flame-up scene.
We get a hefty selection of archive extras. Three commentary tracks- one on the theatrical cut, and two on the director's cut. The first is with director Simon Wincer, producer Antony I Ginnane, actor Sigrid Thornton, and cinematographer Vincent Monton, moderated by Mark Hartley. The second is with Ginnane and film critic and archivist Jaimie Leonarder. And the third is with Ginnane and horror hostess Katarina Leigh Waters.
Otherwise, we have. Producing ‘Snapshot’ (28 mins): from 2017 Ginnane traces the film’s journey from page to screen. ‘Not Quite Hollywood’ Interviews (40 mins): from 2008 an extensive selection of outtakes from Mark Hartley’s acclaimed documentary on Australian cinema, featuring Thornton, Wincer, Ginnane, Monton, writer Everett De Roche, assistant director Tom Burstall, and actor Lynda Stoner. 1979 audio interview with Simon Wincer (17 mins). The Day After Halloween: alternative opening title sequence. Original theatrical trailers. TV spots. Image galleries: promotional and publicity material, and behind the scenes. New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
With the finished release eighty-page book with a new essay by Ian Barr, an exclusive extract from producer Antony I Ginnane’s unpublished memoirs, archival interviews with director Simon Wincer, screenwriter Everett De Roche, and composer Brian May, and full film credits.
It is certainly nice to see Powerhouse releasing this lesser-seen/ known ozploitation film. And if you enjoy 70’s drama with some light genre mixing going on, then Snapshot will appeal.