THE ENTITY

Director: Sidney J. Furie

Starring:  Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, David Labiosa, George Coe, Allen Rich

It would be hard to defend The Entity against accusations of misogyny or exploitation, but that shouldn’t detract from Barbara Hershey’s excellent performance as a woman who is repeatedly being assaulted by an invisible force. 

For almost twenty years the film has only been seen in very grim-looking pan and scan versions, but the new DVD presents the film in its original Panavision 2.35:1 ratio (with anamorphic enhancement). Director Sidney J. Furie makes good use of his wide canvas, and seeing the film properly framed elevates its claim to artistic credibility a good notch or two. The new 4.1 surround sound mix (at 384kbps) is rather crude, but adds weight to Charles Bernstein’s brutish score. The film’s theatrical trailer is the only extra.