This might belong in GQ.
Ok, we rented a VHS version of this film a couple of months ago, and if you have seen it you recall there are some interesting visual effects. One tricky effect that I swear I noticed watching this the first time is that there is a continuous cycle of rise and fade of the contrast or brightness of the colors-- I think I remember wondering if there was something wrong with the tape I had rented. Interesting effect. Sort of affects the mood subtly.
So this weekend I am at my sister’s house and we rent the DVD version. We notice the same effect. OK, interesting, it wasn’t just the VHS tape we had seen. BUT THEN: near the end of the movie we go back and stop the film to freeze frame a shot to figure out whether a character is holding a bag of smack or a wad of cash, and we realize that as the frame is stilled the color continues to shift through this brightness cycle! WTF. Any explanations? Did Aronofsky think “Well, with DVD technology, which runs in a different way than tape or film, we can layer on this effect on a different level so that when someone tries to look at a frame we can mess with their mind”? Has anyone else noticed this effect in this movie?
How exactly is the video setup connected? That’s generally the sign that the signal is running through another VCR. I’m sure you would not record a movie, but if the signal goes through a second VCR (or for a DVD, through a single VCR), then it will do that. It’s normal, and it’s what it’s designed to do.
That is an extremely annoying system for copy-protection.
Hmm, interesting idea, but I don’t think the VCR was hooked up at all (and we don’t have a set-up like that at home with our VHS player). We also tried a different DVD and it did not do this.
Actually, I have just been corrected by spouse- Their DVD may be hooked up through the VCR. The other DVD was a wu-xia Hong Kong flick that might not have the same kind of protection. . .I wonder if you are right? I had never heard of that. Huh!
Yup, sounds like fun with Macrovision to me. To get rid of that effect (which is more pronounced on some people’s TVs than others), run the VCR or DVD player directly to the TV.