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“…she’s a scrape – part square, part drape.”
Eisenhower is President. Rock ’n’ Roll is king. And Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker is the baddest hood in his high school. Screen idol Johnny Depp heads up a divine cast as the irresistible bad boy whose amazing ability to shed one single tear drives all the girls wild—especially Allison Vernon-Williams (Amy Locane), a rich, beautiful “square” who finds herself uncontrollably drawn to the dreamy juvenile delinquent and his forbidden world of rockabilly music, fast cars and faster women. It’s the hysterical high-throttle world of 1954 in this outrageous musical comedy from the marvelously maniacal mind of John Waters (Pink Flamingos, Hairspray). Also starring Susan Tyrrell, Iggy Pop, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Kim McGuire, Darren E. Burrows, Stephen Mailer and Polly Bergen, with appearances by Troy Donahue, Mink Stole, Joe Dallesandro, Joey Heatherton, David Nelson, Willem Dafoe and Patricia Hearst.- Synopsis via Kino Lorber
CRY-BABY is written and directed by John Waters. If you aren’t familiar with Waters’ work, he makes movies that follow no rules. He makes the movies that he wants to see and that entertain him. This movie is a satirical look at the 50s with the main “adversaries” being The Drapes or Greasers versus The Squares or preppy kids. It isn’t quite a musical because there aren’t characters just leaping into song but there are a few instances of performing music. Maybe call it an almost musical. The actors have been cast perfectly and all seem made for a Waters’ film. Everyone has something about them that makes them unique and it’s what the movie requires.
Cast
Johnny Depp as Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker
James Intveld as Cry-Baby’s singing voice
Amy Locane as Allison Vernon-Williams
Rachel Sweet as Allison’s singing voice
Susan Tyrrell as Ramona Rickettes
Polly Bergen as Mrs. Vernon-Williams
Iggy Pop as Belvedere Rickettes
Ricki Lake as Pepper Walker
Traci Lords as Wanda Woodward
Kim McGuire as Mona “Hatchet-Face” Malnorowski
Darren E. Burrows as Milton Hackett
Stephen Mailer as Baldwin
Kim Webb as Lenora Frigid
VIDEO QUALITY 4.5
The video is a 2160p HEVC presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR depending on your equipment. The transfer is gorgeous. There is a lot of love that was put into making this release look as incredible as it is. The grain is nice and consistent. The colors are brilliant with the reds, especially, like a cherry color. The level of detail shows things that I haven’t seen in previous versions or viewings. There are a few shots that look softer but it is probably because of the source material and the upscaling from lower resolutions. Skin tones are warm and natural. Overall, the Dolby Vision creates strong contrast and there are a few times where it was slightly weaker. Again, I believe this was when the images were upscaled.
AUDIO QUALITY 4.5
The audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. There is also a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix included. Between the two, it is difficult for me to choose which one works better. The 2.0 focuses on the front channels and works well with the music. On the other hand, the 5.1 mix does open up the audio with more of an immersive sound. When there isn’t music playing, the rear channels play mostly ambient sound. The LFEs are mostly from the music and have a subtle sound. Car and motorcycle engines rumble with bass. The dialogue is clear and does have a tinny sound but it is very inconsistent. I believe this is from the previous mix by Universal Pictures.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING
-Audio Commentary: with Writer/Director John Waters on the Director’s Cut of the film.
-Bringing Up Baby: Featurette with Writer/Director John Waters, Associate Producer /Casting Director Pat Moran, Cinematographer David Insley, and Actress Mink Stole: This featurette is about 40 minutes with included participants discussing various aspects of the production.
These are separate interviews with members of the cast and crew:
Pop Icons: Interview with Actress Amy Locane
Part of a Collection: Interview with Actress Traci Lords
A Few Yucks: Interview with Actor and Rock Legend Iggy Pop
All These Misfits: Interview with Actress Ricki Lake
So Tired of Being Good: Interview with Actress Patricia Hearst
In The Sandbox: Interview with Actor Darren E. Burrows
Hip To Be Square: Interview with Actor Stephen Mailer
Talking Hair: Interview with Barber Howard ‘Hep” Preston (10:03) about the hair
-It Came from… Baltimore!: 2005 Documentary with Cast and Crew: This almost 50-minute extra is what it says and includes a much younger Johnny Depp.
-5 Deleted Scenes
-Theatrical Trailer
Disc Details
2-disc set including 1 4K UHD and 1 Blu-ray
Running Time
Theatrical: 76 mins
Director’s Cut: 82 mins
Edition Ratings
Theatrical: Rated PG-13
Director’s Cut: Not Rated
Region Coding
4k UHD: Region Free
Blu-ray: Region A
4k UHD
Video Resolution
2160p HEVC / H.265
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
HDR
Dolby Vision
HDR10
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles
English SDH
THE BOTTOM LINE 4.5
If you haven’t figured it out, I’m a fan of this movie and have been since seeing it in 1990. It’s super weird and that’s the whole appeal for me. There is a director’s cut included and it adds about 6 minutes. Some scenes are a bit longer and not too different from the theatrical cut.
The video is excellent and hasn’t looked better. The audio is strong and compliments the video. There is a ton of entertaining and interesting info in the extras so make sure to check them out. Kino Lorber did a nice job with this one and the fans are going to like it. If you haven’t seen it yet, this is a great place to start.
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