Blu-ray Debut: RAMBLING ROSE (1991)

I’m so tempted to tie this introduction into the song Ramblin’ Man, but restraint is important. However, the Australian boutique label, Imprint Films, continues doin’ the best they can in growing their diverse catalogue of studio classics and among the latest is Rambling Rose, which makes its worldwide Blu-ray debut.

Directed by Martha Coolidge, a quasi-independent filmmaker known mostly for Valley Girl, this cozy and awkward drama concerns a young woman named Rose (Laura Dern) who is welcomed into the home of a Southern family during the Great Depression as a means of escaping her troubled past.

IMDb would have you believe that Rambling Rose is a sleazy exploitation picture with its very basic description, “A young woman who exudes sexuality battles temptation.” – but it’s so much more. Having been forced into prostitution, Rose has endured a life in which she was regarded no more than property and while she is taken in by the Hillyer family as a domestic servant, her new environment is more liberating. Rose finds guidance in the matriarchal, Mrs. Hillyer (Diane Ladd), an academic who’s working on her master’s thesis. Due to her unstable upbringing, our lead unsurprisingly develops a crush on Mr. Hillyer (Robert Duval) a warm but slightly ridged family patriarch.

Trouble arises when Rose’s promiscuous behaviour begins to interfere with the Hillyer’s lives, especially when it collides with the 13-year-old Buddy during a scene that remains controversial over 30 years later. It’s at this point in the film that our protagonist’s new life begins to mirror her past as various men of higher standing attempt to tame her womanhood. Despite no malicious intent, the film examines the once-held idea that women are to be controlled, and it does so with a lot of care and intelligence.

Laura Dern and Diane Ladd became the first mother-daughter duo to be nominated for Academy Awards for the same film, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively. Both performances are vibrant, and their natural bond is very evident. Robert Duvall is very dignified, as he often is, as Mr. Hillyer while Lucas Haas as the pubescent Buddy exudes that typical teenage awkwardness and curiosity that transcends time. Buddy’s adult counterpart is played by the late John Heard, who bookends the film beautifully with a poignant performance of reflection and sadness.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Audio Commentary by director Martha Coolidge

NEW Reflections of Rose – Martha Coolidge on Rambling Rose (2024)

NEW Reflecting the Character – Lukas Haas on Rambling Rose (2024)

NEW Pruning a Rose – Steven Cohen on editing Rambling Rose (2024)

Vintage Introduction by director Martha Coolidge

Alternate Ending with optional Audio Commentary by director Martha Coolidge

Vintage Interview with director Martha Coolidge

Outtakes with optional Audio Commentary by director Martha Coolidge

Theatrical Trailer

Limited Edition Slipcase

With three new interviews, Imprint’s brought out all the stops, supplements-wise, with this edition of Rambling Rose. Only briefly discussing the start of her career, Martha Coolidge’s interview focuses on her portrayal of sensitive themes throughout her filmography and how they’re most prominently depicted in our feature presentation. Much screentime is given to the film’s most contentious scene, but the director also discusses her working relationship with each of the actors during that time and interestingly comments on the difference between how Laura Dern and her mother, Diane Ladd, approached their craft. Similarly, Lukas Haas looks back fondly on his young career and discusses how his role in Rambling Rose mirrored his own coming of age during that time. Due to his frequent collaborations with Martha Coolidge, Steven Cohen’s interview is extremely insightful regarding how much trust and intuition go into editing a movie. – by Hannah Lynch

VIDEO AND AUDIO

Imprint appears to have used the same 1080p transfer that’s been circulating quietly on various streaming services such as SBS On Demand. Fortunately, this physical release does not suffer from the common posterization effect due to the disc’s higher bitrate. The image itself though, presented in the film’s original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, is a little underwhelming with an abundance of noise and colours are somewhat bland. It looks very typical of an SD upscale that many studios pumped out during the first generation of Blu-ray releases.

As always, the LPCM 2.0 Stereo track, common among Imprint releases, does not lack volume and overall, the quality is excellent and English HOH subtitles are included. Despite some shortcomings in terms of picture, you can rest assured that this is the best copy of Rambling Rose available.

Rambling Rose has a wonderful ambience and a welcoming feeling. I wouldn’t say it’s a film you can totally relax to as there is some heavy subject matter involved, but there is a casualness that makes the experience enjoyable and nostalgic.

RAMBLING ROSE
(1991, director: Martha Coolidge)