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The film was released as Mississippi Mermaid in the States to lukewarm critical review and audience reaction, perhaps due in no small part to the thirteen minutes that had been edited out. Mississippi Mermaid was re- released in May of '99 with the deleted footage restored and the film was transformed. While Mississippi Mermaid was being shown in its original form, another filmmaker, writer and director Michael Cristofer, was busy re-imagining Waltz Into Darkness as Original Sin.

The opening shot immediately establishes a sense of foreboding that runs throughout the film. Julia Russell Vargas (Angelina Jolie) is behind bars in a dank prison. This is her story and she provides the narration as she tells a consoling priest how she came to be condemned. The piece is set about one hundred years ago. A wealthy Cuban coffee plantation owner named Luis Antonio Vargas (Antonio Banderas) has sent for a mail order bride from the state of Delaware; her name is Julia Russell. Vargas may be handsome and rich, but he does not believe in love. His approach to marriage is very pragmatic, "She is not meant to be beautiful... just kind, true and young enough to bear children."

When he meets his prospective bride on the docks, he's shocked by the vision that introduces herself to him; he had not recognized her. She explains that she had sent another woman's photo, a rather plain woman. "... I didn't want you interested in me just because I owned a pretty face," she says. He then confesses that he's not the plantation clerk he professed to be in his letters; he's the owner. She understands at once, "You did not want me to be interested in you just because you owned a pretty bank account. Then we have something in common. We are both not to be trusted." Prophetic words - their relationship will be punctuated with deceit, unfaithfulness, and betrayal.

They marry that day and she moves into his lavish home. Julia beguiles Luis, but he offers to wait to come to her bed until she calls for him, whether it is hours or days or weeks. This man intrigues her, and it isn't long before she gives herself to him. Their passion is all consuming, and the man who does not believe in love becomes obsessively devoted. What Julia keeps from Luis is that she is not what she seems. She is a foundling who ran away from an orphanage with a boy when she was fourteen, a boy with whom she would develop an unhealthy codependency, a boy who is now a man and who will intrude in most unwelcome ways. Her past has wounded her deeply. Julia's inability to believe that any worthy man could possibly have genuine feelings for her has caused her to erect emotional barriers to hide behind and to isolate herself. That she still is involved in a sadomasochistic relationship with her fellow orphan soon becomes clear.

There are enough plot twists and revelations to keep the viewer involved. Jolie and Banderas offer believable performances of impressive emotional ranges. The supporting cast and production values are all quite fine. So why did this film leave me a bit cold? Perhaps it is the premise that Luis was targeted even though Julia could not have known initially that he was no more than a workingman. Perhaps it's the depth of Luis's self-destructive obsession, one that knows no bounds of forgiveness. Perhaps it's the unlikely ending. Even the heat of one passionate and highly publicized sex scene did not help. I admired much, but still came away vaguely dissatisfied.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film's theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic. Laser Pacific Media Corp. did the work and considering the source, I'm surprised that I found as much edge haloing as I did. Small object detail is adversely affected, yet textures remain intact. Color fidelity is excellent throughout, with no chroma noise. The film is relatively grain-free, except for a few scenes that were processed to provoke audience reaction. In one or two of those scenes, grain is exaggerated by digital texturing. Black level, and brightness and contrast are all great. Shadow detail is also very good. I noticed no compression artifacts.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is quite nice. Deep bass is not present; none is called for in the film. Sound effects, such as the thundering hoofs of Luis's horse are reproduced convincingly. Surround effects are subtle but effective. When we join Luis as he follows Julia backstage, we are immersed in the sounds of the players and musicians preparing for act 2 of Faust. (EX decoding of this non- EX mix will neither help nor hinder the presentation.) Terence Blanchard's orchestral score is presented with fine fidelity across a reasonable soundstage. The dialog remains crystal clear throughout the film.

Three additional Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are available in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. The audio is supported by subtitles in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. There are also English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Writer and director Michael Cristofer contributes a feature-length commentary that is only vaguely related to the action onscreen, but that he does not address the action is the strength of his monolog. We learn about casting, locations, set design, lighting and camera techniques, and anecdotes and descriptions of interrelationships on the set. His is my favorite flavor of commentary, directed at those who wish to know more about the making of the film. Very well done.

With the exception of one trailer, all the visual supplements on this DVD are shown in non-anamorphic video. These include a music video by Gloria Estefan singing "You Can't Walk Away From Love." There is a Photo Gallery which is animated with pans and zooms and set to about two and three-quarter minutes of Terence Blanchard's orchestral score. Two theatrical trailers are included: an anamorphic trailer for Original Sin; and, a non-anamorphic widescreen trailer for Hart's War, currently in theatrical release. There are sixteen chapter stops.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts