Loving Memory (1969/Tony Scott/BFI Blu-ray w/DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: C+ Extras: B- Film: C+
PLEASE NOTE: This Blu-ray
is only available in the U.K.
from our friends at BFI and can be ordered from them at the website address links
provided below at the end of the review or at finer retailers. This is a Region Zero/0/Free Blu-ray and will
play on all Blu-ray players worldwide.
All the supplements are also in 1080p High Definition.
Though he
is the younger of the two, Tony Scott directed what we could technically
consider a feature-length film eight years before brother Ridley made The Duelists, but Loving Memory (1969) runs 52 minutes and is rarely seen in any
event. Now, BFI has remastered and
released the film on Blu-ray and included a bonus DVD so everyone can see the
film.
A young
man (David Pugh, soon of the cult children’s British TV series Roberts Robots,
reviewed elsewhere on this site) is riding around the countryside on his bike
when he is hit by a car. The couple in
that car picks him up, bike and all, then take him to their house where they
take care of him and talk to him. He
(Roy Evans, The Elephant Man, Adam Adamant Lives!, Moon Zero Two, Return Of The Saint) goes about his business while the woman
(Rosamund Greenwood, Village Of The
Damned (1960)) looks after him. Then
comes the twist.
An
effective and very naturalistic work, both Scott Brothers gained a reputation
for slick and cold, mechanical work, but when they want to, can do the total
opposite as this film demonstrates. It
also shows the core heart of Tony Scott’s approach when you compare to his
better later commercial films (Crimson
Tide, Enemy Of The State, Spy Game, Déjà vu), though this is effective on a much simpler level and will
even remind some of David Lynch. Tony Scott
also edited the film that I wish could have been longer, but it is good
considering the circumstances it was produced under and any serious film fan
needs to see it.
The 1080p
1.66 X 1 black and white digital High Definition image on the Blu-ray is from
the original 35mm negative A/B reels and features cinematography by Scott and
Chris Menges, who debuted on the groundbreaking Peter Watkins’ film The War Game (1962, reviewed elsewhere
on this site) later lensing exploitation howlers like BattleTruck (1982, also on this site) and major acclaimed films
like The Killing Fields, The Mission, Michael Collins and The
Reader. Some shots are soft and show
their age, but there are some shots that has weathered the years well and look
very good. The PCM 2.0 48/24 Mono on the
Blu-ray comes from the original magnetic sound reels and except for some wear,
sounds good for its age.
Extras
include a Region Two PAL format DVD version, booklet inside the case including
illustrations, credits on the film, technical information on the transfer and
two essays on the film and its makers by Kim Newman (written for this release)
and Christophe Dupin, while the Blu-ray itself rounds out the goodies with two
short films by each of the brothers. One
is One Of The Missing (1968, from a
35mm dupe negative), Tony Scott’s 27 minutes-long film about what happens to an
America Confederate soldier after a gun battle and Two, Boy & Bicycle (1965, from 16mm) which stars Tony Scott as the
young man who takes a peddle bike and rides around Hartlepool to have some time
to himself. It is directed by Ridley
Scott.
You can
order this Blu-ray/DVD set at the following link:
http://filmstore.bfi.org.uk/acatalog/info_17134.html
- Nicholas Sheffo
