This month Mill Creek has released several new titles in its Retro VHS line of Blu-rays, one of which is the 1994 drama/comedy The Paper, which follows an exciting 24 hours in the life of the staff at New York City tabloid The Sun.
Henry Hackett (Michael Keaton) is the Metro editor for The Sun, a tabloid out of New York City. His wife Martha was also a reporter for the paper, but is currently on leave and 9 months pregnant, though she misses being at the office. Henry has an important interview today with The Sentinel, a job that would mean more pay and less hours. Marth really wants him to take this job so that he can be around more when the baby arrives. As chaotic as things can be at The Sun, Henry loves his job and is a bit of a workaholic. Yesterday, two white businessmen were found murdered, seemingly in retaliation for the recent death of a Black kid, and The Sun somehow failed to report on the story. As the police take two young Black suspects into custody, Henry is determined to make up for yesterday’s mistake and be the first to report the truth about what happened, and help prevent an escalating race war in the city. But as he tries to investigate the case, he must deal with the eccentricities and office politics of the other reporters, constant calls from his wife to check on the status of his interview, and uncooperative contacts for information. He also keeps butting heads with senior editor Alicia Clark (Glenn Close), who’s more concerned about keeping costs down, coming up with explorative headlines to sell papers, and getting to print on time. As boss Bernie White (Robert Duvall) tries to keep the ship moving and keep everyone on schedule, he’s also a bit distracted by his own personal problems.
The Paper is a thoroughly entertaining film that seamlessly blends comedy with drama, taking the viewer on a wild 24-hour adventure into the chaotic newsroom and personal lives of the staff at a New York City tabloid. The film is fast-paced, with cameras constantly weaving through the busy newsroom, catching all of the various discussions, arguments, and secret plotting, as the reporters rush to uncover the truth about the murders as the publishing deadline rapidly approaches. At the same time, each of these characters is distracted by their own personal issues. Henry wonders what he should do about this potential new job, while his wife fears that she’s going to end up raising their child alone due to Henry always putting his work ahead of everything else. Alicia is the a woman in a man’s field who has to constantly put on a tough exterior, knowing that the others ignore her and talk about her behind her back. She’s constantly worried about money and that she’s not getting paid what she’s worth, and is secretly having an affair with a co-worker. Meanwhile Bernie has a health scare after a visit to his doctor, and starts thinking back on his life, and how he always put work first, causing him to be alienated by the a daughter he hasn’t seen in years. The filmmakers do an excellent job of fleshing out not only the main characters, but also many of the wild and crazy other staff members, whether it’s columnist Michael McDougal (Randy Quaid) who sleeps on Henry’s couch and carries a gun for fear that the parking commissioner is hunting him, or hypochondriac Phil (Jack Kehoe) who thinks everyone is out to get him and steal his chair, or Carmen (Roma Maffia) who’s having a turf war with fellow reporter Wilder (Jack McGee). There’s so much going on in every scene that you could watch this film over and over and find new things every time.
Even though there is all this character drama and the tense hunt for the truth in the murder case, the film also has so much humor and laugh-out-loud moments strewn throughout. This is especially evident in the staff meetings as all of the characters are in the same room rapid-firing story ideas and updates, combining social commentary with ridiculousness and some hilarious moments. The filmmakers have assembled such an amazingly talented cast, all of whom have such great chemistry, and feel like they have really been working together in this newsroom for years. Not just those already mentioned, but so many other recognizable faces as well, including Jason Robards, Jason Alexander, Spalding Gray, Catherine O’Hara, Lynne Thigpen, Clint Howard, Geoffrey Owens, and Jill Hennessy. Michael Keaton and Randy Quaid are hilarious, while Glenn Close and Robert Duvall deliver more on the emotional side, but also bring the laughs as needed.
Universal had previously released The Paper on an expensive barebones MOD Blu-ray 5 years ago, but Mill Creek’s new Retro VHS releases comes at a more affordable price, and unlike other recent Retro VHS releases, actually contains nearly 45 minutes of brand new bonus material, as well as pretty solid presentation. The picture is generally very pleasing, with a nice level of detail. The film has quite a bit of grain, but I never found it to be too overwhelming or distracting. The 5.1 audio track doesn’t really make noticeable use of the surround channel. While the music at the opening of the film as had a full sound, I didn’t really get an immersive feeling from the rest of the movie, especially with all the chaos in the newsroom. However, dialogue remains clear throughout, and i never noticed any other issues that affected my enjoyment of the film.
The Blu-ray disc comes packed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase, with a Retro VHS slipcover that makes the release look like a classic VHS rental tape. The details on these slipcovers are really fun, and the design even extends to the spine as well, allowing these discs to displayed like a collection of VHS tapes on your shelf. There is no digital copy included, but the disc does contain nearly 45 minutes of brand new interviews with the director and writers. Director Ron Howard appears on camera for an interesting 25-minute look back at his experience working on the film, and audio interviews with co-writers/brothers Stephen & David Koepp each play over clips from the film.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:51:21)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English SDH
Extras:
- Between the Lines: Inside The Paper (25:26)
Director Ron Howard talks about why he wanted to work on the film, casting Michael Keaton and the ensemble cast including a Robert Duvall, Glenn Close & Marissa Tomei, some of the other actors who were considered for their roles, the use of improvisation, turning the Alan character from the original script into Alicia with minimal changes, the writers, spending time in real newsrooms to observe the behavior, building the set and the filming process, filming the big group scenes, the fight scene, and more. - Shines for All: Stephen Koepp on The Paper (8:10)
Co-writer Stephen Koepp talks about his experience as a newspaper reporter, and bringing out the energy and eccentricity of journalists into the characters, capturing the end of an era with tabloids, the themes of work/family balance, the characters, finding the right name for the paper, and more. Koepp does not appear on camera, just his voice. - Stop the Press: David Koepp on The Paper (9:50)
Co-writer David Koepp talks about wanting to do something set in a newsroom because of his older brother, the fun 3pm meeting ensemble, the limits and advantages of setting the film within 24 hours, putting each character in a personal crossroads, the main crime/story, the side battles/issues within the newsroom, some stories they stole while observing real newsrooms, and more. Koepp does not appear on camera, just his voice.
Final Thoughts:
I hadn’t seen The Paper in at least 15-20 years, but I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting it. It is an exciting, fast-paced story that finds this excellent blend between drama and hilarious laugh-out-loud moments. The 24-hour time period feels both natural for this setting, but also a great way to keep the story tight. The film has so many characters but all feel really fleshed out and three dimensional in such a short time. The cast is also amazing. I could easily watch this over and over again. Mill Creek’s release comes with a nice price, solid presentation, and includes some great new bonus features, which is unusual for one of this Retro VHS releases. This release comes highly recommended.
PAPER, THE RETRO VHS BD
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