John Waters’s second classic musical Cry Baby stuns in the 4K UHD edition from Kino Lorber armed with new features and a new 4K restoration.
The Film
For this reviewer, the first taste of John Waters was Cry Baby. This makes sense as it’s the most commercial and “audience-friendly” film the writer/director ever produced. The film mocks as much as it embraces the clichés of the 1950s. The result is something that’s as funny today as it was when it was made thirty-five years ago.
More of a satire with musical interludes than it is an outright musical like his original Hairspray is. Waters smartly takes on the rebels vs squares story to its ridiculous end. The way he stages not just the musical set pieces but everything feels clean and resoundingly in the stylish 1950s era of musicals. There’s something punk rock about Waters taking the framing and directorial style of the Elvis Musicals of the 1950s and repurposing them for something so anti-authoritarian in the 1980s when the pushback to that era was so omnipresent (and unfortunately still is in 2024).
The director’s always been adroit at casting but never was he more so than in Cry Baby. Beginning with the casting of teen heartthrob (and eventual superstar) Johnny Depp as the title character and Amy Locane as his paramour Allison. The chemistry the two have is undeniably good. Depp and Locane seem to understand the exact arched tone while still keeping the reality of the moments.
However, the real MVPs of the film are Waters’ stock company of players that have come to play and given some great moments to shine in their roles. Iggy Pop, Susan Tyrell, Ricki Lake, Traci Lords, Mink Stole, and of course Troy Donahue and Patty Hearst all show up to play. Walters makes sure they all get some truly great moments but again like Depp and Locane understand the film that Waters is making and aid in that goal. Bonus points for the great cameo appearance by Willem Dafoe.
Cry Baby still stands as a delightful musical romp from a director whose subversive style only makes the film better as the decades have gone on.
The Transfer(s)
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master (Theatrical Cut) – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is a candy-coated delight. The film has never looked more refined or accomplished than in 4K. The Dolby Vision encoding makes the color reproduction pop in a way they never have. The HDR mastering also benefited the black levels and contrast with a subtle that ensures there’s no crushing of the blacks and the detail within the contrast is near perfect. There is nearly a scratch or blemish on the image, just a flawless transfer.
The all-new HD Master (Director’s Cut) – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Theatrical Cut Original Camera Negative, 4K Scan of the Director’s Cut Interpositive (7 Minutes) and Uprez of the SD Master for the Additional Missing Parts – is a mouthful, yes, but creates a complete albeit imperfect image. Of course, the Standard Definition sections, which account for little are exactly what you would think of anything in 480p. The rest of the transfer is near flawless being the very best of what Blu-ray has to offer in regard to image.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- NEW Audio Commentary by Writer/Director John Waters, Moderated by Black Mansion Films Producer Heather Buckley (Theatrical Cut)
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
- Audio Commentary by Writer/Director John Waters (Director’s Cut)
- Bringing Up Baby: NEW Featurette with Writer/Director John Waters, Associate Producer /Casting Director Pat Moran, Cinematographer David Insley and Actress Mink Stole
- Pop Icons: NEW Interview with Actress Amy Locane
- Part of a Collection: NEW Interview with Actress Traci Lords
- A Few Yucks: NEW Interview with Actor and Rock Legend Iggy Pop
- All These Misfits: NEW Interview with Actress Ricki Lake
- So Tired of Being Good: NEW Interview with Actress Patricia Hearst
- In The Sandbox: NEW Interview with Actor Darren E. Burrows
- Hip To Be Square: NEW Interview with Actor Stephen Mailer
- Talking Hair: NEW Interview with Barber Howard ‘Hep” Preston
- It Came from… Baltimore!: 2005 Documentary with Cast and Crew
- 5 Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
The all-new Audio Commentary by Writer/Director John Waters, Moderated by Black Mansion Films Producer Heather Buckley on the Theatrical Cut (included on only the 4K UHD Disc) opens with Waters discussing the opening of the film with the Polio vaccine and how ironic it is in the face of COVID era we currently experienced. Some of the details include a great rundown of the cast of actors and a small tidbit about them as the credit’s rolls; Waters’ assertion that this is his first Musical, not Hairspray, which he felt was a ‘dance’ movie; the origins of the Drapes and Squares – which is Baltimore area terminology for social class; the difficulty of shooting car scenes; the budget and production being his first union shoot; the accuracy of the period costumes, production design, locations – including discussion about the various cultural pinpoints; a discussion of the confederate flag and the accuracy of its placement; working with Iggy Pop – also being the first film he was sober in; working with Susan Tyrell – and how wonderful and also terrible she was; the various films that inspired Cry Baby; the reshoots that they did and why; Waters discussion of his adherence to three act structure and his belief in comedies shouldn’t be more than 90 minutes; the appearance of Black Drapes – this was a fact but they were not integrated in reality; the only thing that he had to cut to get a PG-13 – which he was contractually obligated to deliver; a discussion of Waters being a Prison Educator and him against capital punishment – which appears in much of his work; the development of the screenplay; working with Willem Dafoe in his cameo; the choice to have James Enfield to sing for Johnny Depp – and the reasons behind the choice; Waters having exchange students in real life during his childhood; Traci Lords who at the time was just out of Porn – the reality of the dangers at the time because Lords was underage; the amusement park they used for the finale and the cleanup they needed to do because of the disrepair the park was in; and much more. Waters provides an engaging commentary track. Buckley does a great job of prompting and guiding the track.
The archival Audio Commentary by Writer/Director John Waters on Director’s Cut begins with the director discussing the Song Cry Baby and the fact it was the first 45 he owned. Some of the details include how Polio was the first disease that he worried about and wanted it to be the first scene in the film; the story behind casting Traci Lords – additionally the fact that the FBI was constantly spying on the set; working with Johnny Depp and casting process; how he cast Patricia Hearst; a detailed account of the experience of making of a big budget studio films – and how it was the only time he got real money; a larger discussion of what was added into the director’s cut throughout the film; and much more. Much of this commentary track is discussed in the various featurettes and the new commentary track but Waters is so utterly charming and filled with information about not just film but of Culture of the time and how it relates to the time it was filmed and when it was recorded at the time of the DVD release.
Bringing Up Baby: Featurette with Writer/Director John Waters, Associate Producer /Casting Director Pat Moran, Cinematographer David Insley, and Actress Mink Stole (38:10) – this all-new featurette discusses how they all met and began to make movies that eventually led to making Cry Baby. This isn’t a making-of per se as it’s focused on this creative collective of sorts, they built that eventually would make films beginning with Pink Flamingos and how the style and work began to evolve and change with each picture. They do discuss Cry Baby and how it was developed and produced but a larger component of the personalities and experiences they went through going from an independent based filmmaking team to a studio-back filmmaking team. This is a beautifully shot, edited, and produced featurette.
Pop Icons: Interview with Actress Amy Locane (14:13) – the all-new interview with the actor begins with director John Waters asking her to not watch all his films until after the production. Some of the details include how she found out about the role and the casting process; Waters’ directorial style – how it helped a newer actor; the various costumes and her love of being able to play with various styles of the 1950s; working on the dancing and singing/lip syncing; working with Johnny Depp – and a story about rehearsing the kissing scene; and much more.
Part of a Collection: Interview with Actress Traci Lords (19:23) – the all-new interview the actor begins with her discussing how Waters after casting her always included her in his filmmaking family. Some of the details include how she was cast in the film – and her lack of knowledge about Waters and his films; a discussion of where she was at the time as a 20-year-old post her time in the Adult Film Industry; Waters’s direction to Lords that the character in Cry Baby was a “sexual terrorist” or Russ Meyer heroine; her love of the clothing of the era of Cry Baby, how they took vintage dresses and would resew it for her; how they accomplished the very specific look for her hair and the other women’s hair; working with John Waters and also their four-decade-long friendship; working with Johnny Depp, Rikki Lake, Patricia Hearst, and others; and much more.
A Few Yucks: Interview with Actor and Rock Legend Iggy Pop (9:17) – the all-new interview with the Actor/Rocker begins with his excitement about being cast in a John Waters film at the time. Some of the details include the work he’d done as an actor up until being cast in Cry Baby; his style and work and the trouble, by his own admission, his style brings to roles; how Waters helped him with musical references, pictures, etc.; the hair and make-up work they did to accomplish the specific look for him; working work John Waters – including a great Waters impersonation; his thoughts on the cast including Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Traci Lords, Rikki Lake, and others; what it was like to be on set; and much more.
All These Misfits: Interview with Actress Ricki Lake (8:17) – in this all-new interview with the actor begins with Waters in the one-two combo of Hairspray and Cry Baby. Some of the details include the much bigger budget for Cry Baby; her relationship with Waters; a discussion of her having to play pregnant; working with Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrell, Iggy Pop, Traci Lords, and others; what it’s like on a John Waters set; the love and affection that people have for the film; and much more.
So Tired of Being Good: Interview with Actress Patricia Hearst (8:42) – in this all-new interview with the actor begins with how she met John Waters at the Cannes. Some of the other details include the first terrible audition she had for the director; the infamous “Fuck”/Beep scene; working with David Nelson, Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Tracy Lords, and others; how Waters as a director is on set and his adherence to the script; the use of music in the film; and much more.
In The Sandbox: Interview with Actor Darren E. Burrows (10:12) – in this all-new interview with the actor begins with John Waters creating a set that allowed for fun and play. Some of the details include how he approached his role; how he was cast in the film; the process during rehearsal, on set, and how Waters set the tone; Waters’ directorial style; and much more.
Hip To Be Square: Interview with Actor Stephen Mailer (9:16) – in this all-new interview with the actor begins with his excitement in getting the role. Some of the details include the fight that Depp and Mailer almost got into during a specific scene; the research he did for the role; John Waters’s directorial style and what he was like on set; working with Johnny Depp and their plan to keep the rivalry going; working with Amy Locane; and much more.
Talking Hair: NEW Interview with Barber Howard ‘Hep” Preston (10:03) – in this all-new interview with the Barber Hairstylist begins with how he got into cutting hair. Some of the details include how he got the job on Cry Baby; and much more.
It Came from… Baltimore! (47:40) – this archival making-of documentary from the 2005 DVD release is a great portrait of the development, casting, production, editing, and eventual release of Waters’ first studio-backed film. The doc is wonderfully astute knowing that we care more about the personalities and anecdotes about them than the actual filming. Featuring interviews with Depp, Waters, Lords, Lake, Mailer, producer Rachel Talalay, casting director Pat Moran, and more.
5 Deleted Scenes (7:02) – the scenes break down as “The Talent Show”; “Jojo Jackson and Wanda in the Car”; “The Helicopter Passes the Chatterbox Orphanage”; “Jojo Jackson takes pictures”; “Battle of the Bands” extended scene.
Theatrical Trailer (1:58)
The Final Thought
Cry Baby is still the bee’s knees more than three decades on. Kino has produced an amazing edition filled with great special features and a revelatory 4K Restoration. Highest Possible Recommendations!!!