Stir Crazy

Sidney Poitier, perhaps better known for his roles in such films as To Sir, With Love and In the Heat of the Night directs this classic comedy about prison life. In making this prison film, Poitier has utilised the talents of his cast to portray a slice of life behind bars that, while mostly funny, also has the running undercurrent of sinister intent we have come to associate with this type of vehicle.

Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor are priceless in what is arguably their best film together. So very different as characters and as people, somehow these two manage to wring from each other something other co-stars cannot, and it is this uniqueness in working together that has won them an army of admiring fans.

While having some strands of political incorrectness by today’s more liberal standard, the film is still one that makes its point of gentle resistance against corrupt authorities rather than violence; one of beauty among the rough diamonds of society and even the simple appreciation of being free in the world.

"I think more Americans should spend a little time behind bars..."

Stir Crazy tells the story of two penniless guys struggling in New York to make their big break. Skip (Wilder) and Harry (Pryor) both lose their lousy jobs and decide to head west to Los Angeles and search for their break there. Along the way they pick up odd jobs and, after making enemies of some particularly nasty bar patrons, are framed for a bank robbery and sent to prison for 125 years. Prison life is nothing like they expected and after Skip discovers a natural flair for bullriding, they are chosen to participate in an upcoming prison rodeo. Using Skip’s ability as collateral they manage to find a measure of comfort in prison life, even as continued efforts by their legal counsel fail to see them released. Finally, they decide they must escape and the rodeo seems the most likely opportunity to do so.

Wilder and Pryor are in their finest form ever as these two unlucky souls and with their amazing capacity to work together and Poitier’s directing, they have created a timeless film that is genuinely funny with some more subtle serious points to make.

The Sony DVD Center has been responsible for all three discs in this set and this one looks just as good as the other two. Delivered in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with 16:9 anamorphic enhancement, Stir Crazy no doubt looks better than it ever has. Practically artefact free and crystal clear, the picture is well defined and deliciously clean. The colour palette is well balanced and the blacks are all true, while shadow detail is quite nice as well. Flesh tones are even and all over the entire picture kicks serious arse.

Everything smells good here too. Dialogue is all clear and well understood, and the live songs and singing in the film are fine. Wilder performs two numbers (only one in character, the other overdubbed among the New York vignettes early on) with his voice carrying well in both. There’s also plenty of Richard Pryor swearing, but nothing to the degree of Another You, the third film in this set.

The sound effects are all okay and used to comical effect at times, which is fine because they work. Musically, there are also moments of comedy, although the score mainly has a TV show sound to it. It has its main moments in country and western, as we are in Arizona during most of the film, and to the intended purposes here it works just fine.

Unfortunately there are only selected filmographies on this disc. These are for Sidney Poitier, Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, Georg Stanford Brown and Jobeth Williams. While short on extras, if any disc in the box set can stand alone, this is the one, so its almost okay that we get nothing major.

Well, this is the flick people think of when they think of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor together on film. With genuinely interesting characters and a slow building tension in the film, Stir Crazy is consistently funny, clever and well written with limited sentimentality. Having a killer video transfer and adequate audio help sweeten the deal (as if it needed it). This is the highlight of the box set without question, and contains this fabulous double act at their comedic peak. Awesome classic comedy.