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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Driving Miss Daisy" is a rarity among motion pictures, regardless of their vintage. In a sea of youth driven stories, this film seeks to examine the twilight of youth and the auspices of old age in a generally realistic manner by offering something of a reassertion maturity does indeed come with its own perks and rewards. This film, then, honors the elderly.
It stars the late Jessica Tandy as Daisy Werthan, as a staunchly independent widow. That is, until her insurance company refuses to provide her with driver's coverage. Daisy's son, Boolie, hires a chauffeur for her, Hoke (Morgan Freeman), but the tempestuous employer/employee relationship seems doomed from the start. The film explores the subtle nuances of racism (Daisy's assumption that all "colored" people steal, Hokes' assumption that all Jewish people are rich) with a growing affinity for each character as the film progresses. Patti LuPone costars as Daisy's daughter-in-law, the much maligned Florine. Esther Rolle is quite charming as Daisy's stoic house servant, Idella.
When Warner Home Video released their full-frame DVD back in 1997, I was really steamed. The image was cropped, softly focused and absent of fine details and proper color balancing. Now, Warner has gone back to the drawing board and released "Driving Miss Daisy" in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio. But this still may not be the version to run out and buy. True, the original theatrical release was rather softly focused, but this edition is perhaps too softly focused in keeping with the director's original intent. Colors generally tend to exhibit a dated characteristic that at times can be smeared. Contrast levels continue to be too low in spots. There are also age related artifacts that are quite evident and more than a bit of digital grit. Pixelization breaks up fine background details. The audio has been remixed to 5.1 but it's a weak mix, sounding very much like 2.0 surround instead. There are a couple of documentaries but nothing definitive. |
