GLEN AND RANDA

The film opens with the naked Glen (Steve Curry) and Randa (Shelley Plimpton) frolicking in the woods, playfully moving between shagging in burned-out cars and skipping through abandoned streams.

Next, we see them running innocently along a dried-out field, situated alongside a freeway. The road is dead. We learn from here that Glen and Randa are part of a small commune who camp out in tents during the night, toiling in desert-like conditions in the daytime to scavenge together leftovers from a world they once knew.

This is, you see, is the world as it will be several years after a nuclear holocaust. Or at least, this is how it was envisaged in 1971 by co-writers Lorenzo Mans and Jim McBride (who also directs).

As the largely older commune work hard at rebuilding life with what fuel and food they can find, the comparatively young Glen and Randa - now both clothed - harbour dreams of more: Glen has read of a shining city called Metropolis in his 'Wonder Woman' comic book, and is determined to take him and Randa to it. There are just a couple of flaws in his plan: they're mere teenagers; the land is barren and lawless; Randa just so happens to be pregnant ...

After enduring a travelling circus of very poor quality (okay, this is post-holocaust times and resources are limited - I get it), in which Glen briefly participates, the love struck innocents take off in search of their Utopia and meet a handful of peculiar folk along the way.

And that, essentially, is it. Political allegory for early 70s Americana? Possibly. A bold new-wave (for it's time) anti-nuclear power message, utilising the two young protagonists as its symbol of innocent, naked (literally, quite frequently) youth? Yep. And as such, GLEN AND RANDA is indisputably a product of its time. It's dated, in other words.

A reserved, contemplative drama that unfolds loosely through sequences of quirky character monologues and lengthy stretches of observational detail (the human need to continue to self-groom, even after losing everything; a gathering of survivors who are happy to listen to a warped vinyl of The Rolling Stones' "Time Is On My Side"[the only music in the film], simply because it beats the silence), GLEN AND RANDA overcomes it's low budget by virtue of it's modest ideas and unapologetic oddness.

Along their journey to their fabled "city", Glen and Randa encounter an array of unusual friends as well as stumbling across a horse, a stretch of water that may or not be a mirage, and - handily - a boat.

Elsewhere, McBride handles the kids' sheltered ignorance in satisfyingly subtle manner. The scene where Glen begins to have sex with Randa in front of a virtual stranger, only for her to go into labour, should be shocking - but is presented in such a matter-of-fact manner that it works on a naturalistic level. The event that occurs immediately afterwards is consequently insanely moving.

It doesn't all add up to much dramatically - not much happens in terms of action - but it is a satisfyingly offbeat film that sticks in the mind afterwards. Reminiscent visually at times of MAD MAX (indeed, the feel of the film is bizarrely Australian throughout), it nevertheless holds it's own as an original and thought-provokingly naive exploration of a possible post-holocaust existence.

And, while never being explicitly downbeat, the film does keep with the general 70s cinema rule of suggesting that there is no happy ending: history is doomed to repeat itself. I just wish the acting had been less student-like at times.

The film is presented in a reasonable 1.85:1 transfer, enhanced for 16x9 TV sets. Images are bright and fairly clear, with colours and blacks coming across as strong. Images are soft in a 16mm style, and image enhancement is noticeable during onscreen titles. But, overall, this is a decent enough presentation for a film I'll wager many are surprised to see surface on shiny disc at this late point in the medium's life.

Audio is presented in original English mono and is good, despite moderate hiss in the background.

An animated main menu page leads into an animated scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 12 chapters. This is odd, as the film actually has 20 chapters!

Extras are limited but, even so, are very welcome and I'm a little surprised that VCI managed to get anything to supplement such a "forgotten" film.

They begin with a "Behind The Scenes Photo Gallery". This offers a notice board-type overlapping of 24 lobby cards that the camera pans across over the course of 2 minutes.

There follows an interview with McBride. Shot in his home, McBride seems sketchy and uncomfortable at first but soon lightens up to provide what is an entertaining and engaging 32-minute career retrospective. The director speaks of his being influenced by the likes of LA DOLCE VITA and cinema verite, before focusing enthusiastically on his own celluloid output. McBride, of course, went on to make the likes of BREATHLESS (with Richard Gere), THE BIG EASY (with Dennis Quaid) and GREAT BALLS OF FIRE! (Quaid again, alongside Winona Ryder). But he remains equally candid here about his subsequent descent into directing for television.

"Scenes from cutting room floor" (sic) offer 20 silent scenes over the course of 11 minutes, each presented in soft-looking 1.33:1. In truth, there's nothing of major interest here - but it is nice that this footage has been unearthed regardless.

Finally, we get the original trailer for GLEN AND RANDA. Presented in full-frame over the course of two-and-a-half-minutes, I don't wish to be cruel by suggesting that this is more fun than the actual film.

The disc opens with a trailer for DARK STAR, which VCI will shortly be releasing in Special Edition format.

Inside the keepcase packaging, you'll find a 4-page catalogue detailing some of VCI's more recent releases (although they're not that recent, as these include BLOOD AND BLACK LACE and THE STARLOST ...).

GLEN AND RANDA may not be exciting cinema in terms of action, and a lot of its ideas - while no doubt avant garde at their time - are old-hat now. But it's still a remarkable, no-budget achievement that successfully makes something out of almost nothing.

Do Glen and Randa find Metropolis? I suppose you'll have to support VCI to find out, because I'm not telling!

Review by Stuart Willis