Boom is an underrated masterpiece from director Joseph Losey. For those that don’t know Losey, I’ll keep the explanation simple.
Joseph Losey is a director with a lot of camp following. For the younger crowd, I’ll try to explain away camp cinema. Camp isn’t kitsch. Camp is the celebration of bad taste and ironic value. What Susan Sontag did in 1964 was create an easy pass for all creative failure. In Notes on Camp, we learn that nothing is ever truly lost. It just has to wait to regain value. That should count as a win for Joseph Losey.
John Waters is probably his biggest fan, but even he won’t call Boom a good movie. The thing is…you really shouldn’t consider this a great film. It’s the ego piece to end all ego pieces, as Elizabeth Taylor drug everyone through the mud for this vanity piece.
Coming at the end of the 1960s and a little bit after the Cleopatra debacle, Taylor needed a win. Reteaming with Tennessee Williams to capture the success she experience with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, this film should have worked. But, what happens when you give a major film to a dwindling star that wants to shoot overseas? What you get is a film made with little oversight and a ton of bizarre schlock.
My favorite part of Boom is Richard Burton clearly playing a role written for a younger man. Burton wasn’t at his drunken peak, but you could tell he was not mentally present. What does this mean for a film fan in this era? Well, I hope that you watch this film and realize that nothing you’re currently seeing is as bizarre as this release. The Blu-ray comes with a stunning new commentary with John Waters. Plus, you get a new featurette, trailer and photo galleries.
The A/V Quality is stunning with a killer 2.35:1 1080p transfer and DTS-HD MONO track.