THE NEVERENDING STORY Blu-ray

They don’t make ‘em like they used to…or maybe with Wolfgang Petersen's The NeverEnding Story they never did make them like that. A labor of love for Germany with its most promising directorial upstart since Herzog, and a team of seasoned artists, puppeteers, craftsmen and composers, The NeverEnding Story is one of those great films made by great people looking to put themselves on the international map. Forgive the crass comparison, but it’s almost like an Evil Dead on a fantasy scale, where the innovations of style and presentation supersede the kind of big budgets that Hollywood uses to try and mask creative bankruptcy. That’s not to say The NeverEnding Story had a small budget, it was Germany’s largest at the time, but for a dark and quirky little export, it was the creativity of the presentation that turned it into a mainstay of American rental shelves and the canon of children the world over. Riding furry dragons, battling the nothing, naming the empress…these are the goals of a child born in the eighties.

I say that with pride, since the positive message that we’re all stars of our own story certainly is a great mantra to grow up with. I also say that with a tinge of regret, too, since the films the kiddies get today are missing so much of the core of what makes great art like The NeverEnding Story. When the saccharine of Pixar and the shallow showmanship of Harry Potter are the best kids films have to offer, maybe the nothing has indeed won. The NeverEnding Story, by comparison, is a film unafraid to trudge through the darkness of the human spirit in order to find the light of self-reflection. Perhaps that’s the German tradition, Brothers Grimm and all, but the way Petersen’s film faces the darkest fears of childhood – from losing your mother, your pet, your courage or your friends to contemplating even your own death, makes for some weighty and affecting themes. There are few films, even today, that have moved me inside the way The NeverEnding Story has in the swamps of sadness or in the ethereal final plea by The Childlike Empress. It’s tragic, epic stuff, and being brought through the emotional NeverEnding Story reel no doubt helped me cope with those kind of pressures and realities that come later in life.

It’s amazing, really, all the grand, Homer-like themes of grandiose self-discovery that are squeezed into this taut little 90-minute narrative. In addition to the whole notion of death that permeates the film in various shapes, whether it’s personified by wolf or by nothing itself, the film also immaculately weaves in themes of heaven, art and imagination. Three years before The Princess Bride, we’re captivated by a self-referential narrative where the child reading the story is more important, even, than the story itself. Unlike The Princess Bride, though, this is more than just a clever bookend. It allows Wolfgang Petersen the chance to explore the power of storytelling and art, and how the creativity of the mind is really mankind’s only way at immortality. The way Fantasia, the crumbling world of the narrative-within-a-narrative, can be rebuilt with only the wishes of a small boy, is like the ultimate personification of self-worth. What better message for a child, or anyone, really, than the notion that as long as you can dream death and emptiness can never exist? That sounds better than me than the mantra that you should treat your toys better because they have feelings, too.

The NeverEnding Story is certainly in a league of its own when it comes to the maturity of its story and its grappling with college-level themes;. When the narrative double breaks the fourth wall by not only having the characters of Fantasia refer to their reader, but then the reader refer to us, you know this is a film that dares to challenge rather than passively entertain the viewer with say a game of quiddich. But it’s Petersen’s magnificent vision, and the skills of his team, that make the presentation just as opulent as its story origins. Even today, over 25 years later, the visuals are an orgy of sprawling imagery. Fantasia certainly is as beautiful as you could dream it be, and the camera never seems at a standstill, breezing through the beautiful world like Falcor in flight. And it certainly doesn’t stop with the camera. Almost every shot in Fantasia is a composite of momentous matte work, detailed miniatures, inventive force perspective scaling or near life-like animatronics to make all those imaginative creatures come to life. And the beauty of it all is that it’s all tangible. It’s all real.

Not to sound the curmudgeon, but something dire has been lost in cinema’s move to computer effects work. I’ve been saying this for years when it comes to horror films, and how the magician-like artistry that went into devising all those murderous set pieces like those seen in Friday the 13th or The Thing has simply been replaced with an all encompassing computer program. Every image in The NeverEnding Story, yes, does invite that curious sense of awe in how the makers were able to do it, but more than that, it gives the film an organic richness that turns the fantasy into more than just eye candy, but actually something that could be real. Watching it again today, Atreyu’s quest seems filled with such peril because that poor boy really is slung through pits of thick sloppy mud, tornados-worth of wind and shoe-fulls of sand. You practically want to have a shower yourself after watching him trudge through all those dreary swamps. It’s all that organic, tangible art direction that gives the film such a real, inhabitable quality that just can never be in CG films. Even the sometimes stilted facial puppeting feels more real than pitch-perfect facial computing because you see that real, physical quality of the characters. In the way it effectively blends the layers of fantasy and reality, the film truly does create a neverending quality.

A critique of the film wouldn’t be complete without its score and Limahl’s undeniably catchy title tune. It should be noted that Limahl’s track, under the synthized guidance of one of the kings of the entire synth-pop soundscape, Giorgio Moroder, itself is neverending. It starts as it ends, with a slow fade, never beginning or ending at any single moment. It’s always going, just as our stories, like Bastian’s, are constantly being written. It’s a simple but wonderfully telling sound device that Moroder, as well as Klaus Doldinger, who composed all traditional orchestral tracks, utilize throughout the film with their elliptical, repetitive themes.

Through sound, through image and through story, The NeverEnding Story is a film that captivates and inspires. It’s one of the most grand and beautiful stories ever captured on film – one so effective Hollywood tried to copy it twice with great failure with 1989 and 1994 sequels and a few equally uninspired television series. Warner Brothers tried to do as the title said to continue on the tale, but the irony is that the first film itself has, over the years, proven itself to in essence be never ending. So filled with wonder and emotion, it’s a story so great that it demands to be seen again and again. Seen as a child and again as a teen, later in middle age and certainly later on as a senior; it’s a film so in tune with the essence of humanity that it always speaks a new tale with every viewing. By it once, watch it forever. This is your stranded on a desert island film. The quintessential family film and the one tangible document that makes a religious agnostic like myself believe that there may indeed be a heaven. That’s The NeverEnding Story.

presentation...

Wolfgang Petersen recently revealed to online controversy that he had not been approached for this Blu-ray release of arguably his most famous film. He mentioned he would have liked to have overseen the coloring of the video, but honestly, the coloring is probably this transfer’s best asset. All those sunset-hued matte paintings and oil-in-water effects work exhibit striking colors, and every other texture, from orange school lockers to the claustrophobic browns of Bastian’s emotionally-deepled homestead are all so rich in detail. They really look great. Something Petersen, and I guess Warner, could not shape, however, is the quality of the image, which sadly looks a little soft here. Nothing is ever sharp enough to render as lifelike or three dimensional. At first I thought it might be a product of all that optical work, which inherently softens an image since it in effect shoots the same thing twice, but softness was demonstrated even in close-ups without any visible effects work. I also noticed some slight flickering at times and some inconsistency in black levels during some of the darker scenes with Gmork and Bastian in the school attic. Still, for a film shot and realized as beautifully as The NeverEnding Story, this concerns seem like mere nitpicking. It’s a beautiful looking movie, and even if the sharpness or contrast doesn’t entirely hold, at least we’re finally able to experience it cleaned up nicely in 1080p HD.

The back of the Blu-ray advertises “For the First Time in 5.1 Audio!” and yes, it’s certainly cause for elation. The DTS-HD Master Audio track is wonderful – filled with a very deep sound space. There were several instances that really gave my subwoofer a workout. When the nothing comes, the sound literally sucks from all speakers, and it’s an almost overwhelming sound that really feels involving. There is also a very distinct use of channel separation, both in the front and back channels. When Fantasia is reduced to mere bits floating in space, you actually hear each piece fly by you from front to back. It’s very effective. This happens throughout, not just for select sequences. Considering the monaural origins of the source material, the resonance and envelopment of this surround sound track is all the more impressive. It’s rare that a remix track holds weight with those you’d hear in theaters today, but I’m delighted to say that The NeverEnding Story is one of them. Amazing!

extras...

The nothing must have taken a pit stop at the Warner Brothers lot, because there isn’t a single extra included on this release. Even the DVD at least had the original trailer. For a film whose resonance will surely only build as the children from the eighties show it to their children and beyond, it’s a shame there hasn’t been a full on special edition to try and encapsulate the magic. Although the images on screen are all filled with such wonder, perhaps dispelling the myths about the film would somehow deflate the magnificence of the final product. Maybe, but at least give us a “where are they now” with all the child actors so memorably captured in the film. Or even better, how about including the LP that Childlike Empress Tami Stronach released shortly after the film using similar synth stylings to Moroder's work on the film. One can dream, right Bastian?

wrapping it up...

The NeverEnding Story is quintessential storytelling, as important for our humanity as the morality plays of The Brothers Grimm. It’s got a story that explores both dark and deep themes surrounding art and humanity and a presentation so rich in visual and audible beauty that brings the fantastical Fantasia to life. The film is all about the imagination, and what Petersen and his crew of artists put on screen is certainly as fantastic as anyone could ever imagine. The image quality isn’t quite as fantastic, although it’s been cleaned up and colored effectively. The sound, though, is as rich a 5.1 restoration as I’ve ever heard. No extras is again the sad reality for a film that dreams so big, but for a film this good, any extra would be mere window dressing. It’s a window into our soul and a vast expanse of the things that make humanity so inspiring. Buy it and watch it again and again, for this is a tale that should never cease to be told. A story that should never end.

overall... Content: A Video: B+ Audio: A Extras: F Final Grade: B