movie world

The film opens on a clear bright summer's day, as a Dutch couple drive down the expressway for a cycling holiday in France.
They've had a little domestic quarrel, nothing important, but now they are happy again as they stop at a roadside gas station for gas and refreshments. They throw around a Frisbee. They bury a couple of coins to mark the spot forever. The wife goes back to the station to buy beer and soft drinks, and she never returns. She disappears.

At first the husband cannot believe what has happened. He leaves a note on their car and goes looking for her. He can even see, in the background, the bright dot of her red hair in an idle Polaroid he snapped while waiting for her. Where did she go? The question becomes an obsession with him, even years later after he has lost hope of finding her alive. He simply needs to know.

Years later, kidnapper is mildly surprised that his criminal act remains the object of a tireless, one-man search effort and offers him a strange deal...

Director: George Sluizer
Cast: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Gene Bervoets, Johanna ter Steege
Country: Netherlands, France, West Germany
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller

BD50 + DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:46:23 | 38.3 Gb + 7.66 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Dutch+French+English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• George Sluizer - in this new video interview, director George Sluizer recalls how he acquired the rights to Tim Krabbe's novel and the script that emerged from it (apparently there were some major disagreements between the director and the writer), his initial encounter with Johanna ter Steege (Saskia), his interactions with actors Gene Bervoets and Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu (director Sluizer wanted Jean-Louis Trintignant to play the main protagonist, but he was not available), and discusses the shooting process and some of the unique themes in the film. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in the director's home in France in May 2014. In English, not subtitled. (20 min).

• Johanna ter Steege - in this new video interview, actress Johanna ter Steege recalls how she was approached to play Saskia, and discusses her contribution to The Vanishing and its success. The film won Best Supporting Actress Award at the European Film Awards and Golden Calf Award for Best Film at the Nederlands Film Festival in 1988. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Amsterdam in June 2014. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for The Vanishing. In French, with optional English subtitles. (2 min).