Vigil (1984) {Blu-ray Review}

Reviewed by Jason S. Lockard

Vincent Ward the director of 'What dreams may come' was once described as “the Antipodean Werner Herzog”! Made his feature debut in 1984 with a unique drama entitled Vigil. Now Arrow Video has released a special collectors edition of this film on Blu-ray.

The film follows a young girl named Toss (Fiona Kay) in a remote valley. One day she sees her father fall over a cliff she runs home to her mother. A little later a hunter appear carrying her father's dead body over his shoulders. The hunter begins to pick up where the father left off helping them with the farm. He helps Toss's grandfather to build a strange new invention. He begins to build a relationship with the mother. But to Toss, he is a evil predator. And it is up to her to remove him from her valley.

Vigil is a unique coming of age story. The beautiful landscape is the star of this film! Gorgeous cinematography! One thing to know is with this story you could get lost if your not totally invested. So you have to pay attention!

The film was the first New Zealand film to be selected for competition at the Cannes International Film Festival. The film received a standing ovation. But there is some adult themes in this film so by no means is this for the kids.

For the Blu-ray release not only do you get the high definition presentation with the original mono uncompressed audio. But there is nice amount of bonus features including,

• English subtitles
• Brand-new appreciation by film critic Nick Roddick, recorded exclusively for this release.
• On-set report from the long-running New Zealand television programme Country Calendar
• Extract from a 1987 Kaleidoscope television documentary on New Zealand cinema, focusing on Vigil and Vincent Ward
• Theatrical trailer
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Carmen Gray
  

Arrow Video does an amazing job giving these cult films an amazing release that normally they would never have the chance to get! Kudos to them for that!

So if your a fan of Vincent Ward films, dramas or cult films, Vigil might just be up your alley! Head over to Amazon.com or MVDshop.com and pick up your copy today!

Moral Rating: sexual scene and brief nudity
Audience: All Ages
Genre: Drama
Length: 90 Minutes
Film Rating: B
Blu-ray Release: 2018
Blu-ray Rating: A