{"id":40367,"date":"2023-07-15T19:12:53","date_gmt":"2023-07-15T23:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=40367"},"modified":"2023-07-15T19:12:53","modified_gmt":"2023-07-15T23:12:53","slug":"national-lampoons-vacation-1983-40th-anniversary-edition-4k-uhd-digital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2023\/07\/15\/national-lampoons-vacation-1983-40th-anniversary-edition-4k-uhd-digital\/","title":{"rendered":"National Lampoon\u2019s Vacation (1983): 40th Anniversary Edition [4K UHD\/Digital]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I think one of the reasons why Clark Griswold is so famous is that he\u2019s basically the every man. He\u2019s the man who is tasked with giving his family a good vacation even though he\u2019d rather be home. He\u2019s obligated, and the further he goes forward the harder it becomes to give up and go back. \u201cVacation\u201d is the prime National Lampoon\u2019s road trip movie where it\u2019s anything but the norm from this sub-genre. Harold Ramis depicts not just a middle lower class family\u2019s attempts to go on vacation, but for Clark Griswold to use it as a moment to savor his family.<\/p>\n

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Accompanied by their children (Dana Barron, Anthony Michael Hall), dad Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) and his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), are driving from Illinois to California amusement park Wally\u2019s World. As Clark increasingly fixates on a beautiful woman driving a sports car, the Griswolds deal with various mishaps and bungles including car problems, and the death of a family member. They reach Los Angeles, but, when Clark worries that the trip is being derailed again, and acts impulsively to get his family to the park no matter what.<\/p>\n

Griswold\u2019s love for his family becomes the catalyst for his almost sisyphean mission to conquer everything that stands in his way. Along the way we endure with them some weird and wild mishaps, including their arrival in an inner city neighborhood for directions, annoying a local bartender, and even experiencing a gorgeous woman throughout his trip. As played by Christie Brinkley, Clark\u2019s confrontation with her is something of a re-awakening forcing his transformation in to something of a mid-life crisis, where she represents so much more for him. She\u2019s sexuality, she\u2019s freedom, she\u2019s youth, and by the end he decides whether it\u2019s worth it to pursue it again.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the introduction of the classic extended family from hell with Clark\u2019s cousin Eddie and his family, all of whom live odd, rural lives. Randy Quaid is still hilarious in the role, and allows for one of the more memorable scenes in the entire quest. Harold Ramis\u2019 film hasn\u2019t aged much since its introduction in 1983, exploring more down to Earth ideas that still transcend the decade it was released. And say what you want about Chevy Chase, but he\u2019s the lifeblood of the film, and works beautifully off of everyone in the cast. \u201cVacation\u201d sets the standard for the sub-genre of road trip films, and it\u2019s still the best of its ilk, often imitated, and still never duplicated.<\/p>\n

Continuing the habit of short changing physical media collector\u2019s, especially<\/em> <\/strong>for their new format of 4K UHD, the 40th<\/sup> Anniversary Edition loses some supplements from the original Blu-Ray. The introduction to the film, and \u201cThe Inside Story\u201d documentary are all missing. What\u2019s included is the Audio Commentary featuring Director Harold Ramis, stars Chevy Chase and co-stars Randy Quaid, Matty Simmons, Anthony Michael Hall, and Dana Barron. It\u2019s an informative commentary with some interesting conversation. They even discuss the alternate ending to \u201cVacation,\u201d an aspect that is also<\/em><\/strong> sadly missing from this release.<\/p>\n