HEAT AND DUST REVIEWED
“Heat and Dust” could be written off as another British people discovering India movie. But, it tackles a ton. The lead character’s aunt has bailed on her white rich husband for an Indian prince. Now, she’s inviting her niece to come discover the India that she found. It’s a relationship movie, but it also confronts British attitudes about racism and class. What makes the film so special is that it was one of Merchant Ivory’s first in-depth location shoots. The cinematography pales when compared to its later releases, but the effort is there.
What floored me was seeing the Autobiography of a Princess short film included as a special feature. The short and the feature have been restored with great care, but few Americans have bothered to watch the early Merchant Ivory short film starring James Mason. Both stories feature similar themes, but the short deals more with longing with the feature tries to tame lust. The Cohen Collection continues to kill it with the packages they put together for these special films. This one is a recommended purchase.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Short Film
- Commentary
- Trailer
- Interviews
- Featurettes
A/V STATS
- 1.66:1 1080p transfer
- DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track