Born in Flames

"Lizzie Borden's ground-breaking sci-fi polemic about women in revolt after a revolution fails to bring equality and economic justice finally gets a release on DVD in this edition from First Run Features. Born in Flames has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1; the source material was a print that's obviously seen some use over the years, and the grain of the movie's 16 mm origins is visible throughout, but the colors are rich and realistic and the image is as sharp and well-detailed as the source materials allow. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo, retaining the original monophonic sound mix. The dialogue is in English, with no multiple language options or subtitles included in this release. As a bonus, the disc includes a PDF file (accessible on computers with DVD-ROM drives) of a 1983 interview with Lizzie Borden from the magazine The Independent in which she discusses the technical challenges and political motivations involved in making the film. While a commentary track from Borden would have been nice, this release of Born in Flames makes an important early salvo from the independent film movement available again, and it's well worth a look."