The Beautiful Washing Machine [DVD] [2004]

Teoh's second-hand washing machine is a beautiful color and makes his life easier, but it has a life of her own literally. When Teoh discovers the secret soul of this temperamental household helper, he exploits the washing machine for all it or she is worth. Then, he sells her to strangers. In the home of the Wong family, her situation goes from bad worse as she sidesteps Wong's strange advances while suffering at the exploitation of his son. In this critically acclaimed comedy-drama from the Malaysian New Wave, the effects of alienation and desperation in an increasingly mechanized modern world spiral out of control as though they are on spin-dry!

Dark Sky Films has done well by fans of Eurocult fare with this disc of Ricco The Mean Machine. The transfer has some minor flaws but is solid overall: despite a few moments of video grain in a few dark scenes, it offers an anamorphic widescreen image that has a nice levels of detail. Fans will also be happy to know that the film is uncut and all the film's notorious acid-bath scenes are presented intact here. The mono audio uses the English dub of the film and delivers a solid, basic soundscape. Dialogue is sometimes low in the mix but this seems like an aspect of the mix rather than a technical flaw because the other sonic elements come through just fine. Also included are a few extras. The first is an Italian-language trailer (thankfully, the producers saw fit to add English subtitles). The more substantial extra is a video interview with star Chris Mitchum, which not only discusses Ricco The Mean Machine but also offers a nice thumbnail sketch of his career, including some interesting stories about his friendship with John Wayne. All in all, this disc is a solid and reasonably-priced effort that is worth the time for Eurocult fans.