Not Rated

Running Time: 101 Minutes

Starring: Anton Glanzeilus, Tomas von Bromssen, Anki Liden, Melinda Kinnaman, Kicki Rundgren, Manfred Sener, Lennart Hjulstrom, Ing-Marie Carlsson, Leif Ericsson, Christina Carlwind, Ralph Carlsson, Didrik Gustavsson, Vivi Johansson, Jan-Philip Hollstrom, Arnold Alfredson, Per Ottosson, Johanna Udehn, Susanna Wetterholm, Magnus Rask

Screenplay by: Lasse Hallstrom, Reider Jonsson, Brasse Brannstrom, Per Berglund
Based on the novel by: Reider Jonsson

Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom

Studio: Criterion

Retail Price: $39.95

Features: Interview with Lasse Hallstrom, Shall We Go to My or Your Place or Each Go Home Alone? Short Film with Introduction, Theatrical Trailer

Specs: 1.66:1 Widescreen 1080p High Definition, Swedish PCM Mono, English Subtitles, Chapters (23 Chapters)

Released: September 13th, 2011

My Life As A Dog is presented in a 1080p High Definition transfer, with the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The image is a little on the soft side at times (maybe adding to the nostalgic feel of the movie?), but this is still a lovely transfer. Fleshtones appear accurate, detail is very fine and black levels are solid. Color saturation is also firm and pretty vibrant at times, but never bleeds. The shots of the Swedish country side do look phenomenal, and the amount of fine grain hits a sweet spot. Despite tiny bits of shimmering and a dirt speck here and there, this is an excellent transfer.

My Life As A Dog features an uncompressed Swedish Mono track. Given how limited the soundscape is, it's pretty impressive in how discrete it is and how much comes through. Dialogue sounds remarkably crisp, while the movie's variety of action-oriented sound effects — fire cackling, car motors, the dog barking and much more — pack a lot more power than a viewer might expect. The musical score also provides a warmth, which help make this an impressive Mono soundtrack.

English subtitles are included.

This is a port of the 2003 DVD release, and all of those supplements are included here. First up is an Interview with Director Lasse Hallstrom. Hallstrom talks about the early years of his career: directing "pop videos," and how his first five movies were personal stories. From there, he talks about adapting the book "My Life As A Dog," read from the book and speaks about achieving a proper tone for the movie, as well as relationships and themes in the story — and why they hit a personal chord in him. Hallstrom is thoughtful and interesting — this is a great watch. 

Also included is Hallstrom's 1973 52 minute short film Shall We Go to My or Your Place or Each Go Home Alone?, which was entirely improvised and shown on Swedish television. It's always fun to see a director's humble beginnings, and that's certainly the case here. Hallstrom also offers a 90 second introduction, explaining the project and being inspired by John Cassevetes.

Also included is the Theatrical Trailer, plus the Criterion booklet featuring essays from film critic Michael Atkinson and Kurt Vonnegut.

Before directing a number of Miramax movies during their heyday, director Lasse Hallstrom broke out with My Life As A Dog, one of the foreign film gems of the 1980s. Those who have seen the 2003 Criterion DVD edition won't find anything new here, but those who love this movie may want to consider an upgrade. For those who never purchased it, you may want to consider adding it to your Blu-ray library.