They Might Be Giants Blu-ray

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Anthony Harvey
USA 1971

The stellar duo of George C Scott (The Day of the Dolphin) and Joanne Woodward (The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds) headline They Might Be Giants, an eccentric and touching comedy.

Grief-stricken widower Justin Playfair begins to believe he is Sherlock Holmes. Briefly institutionalised, he teams up with his doctor – coincidentally named Watson – and, together, they follow a string of clues across New York City as they search for their elusive arch-enemy, Moriarty...

Based on a play by award-winning writer James Goldman (The Lion in Winter, Robin and Marian) and directed by Anthony Harvey (Dutchman), They Might Be Giants is an innovative reworking of Don Quixote, and is presented here in two variant cuts.

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Wealthy, retired judge Justin Playfair (George C. Scott, The Day of the Dolphin, The Hustler) has a most peculiar eccentricity: he believes he is Sherlock Holmes. Betrayed by his scheming brother, “Holmes” comes under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Mildred Watson (Joanne Woodward, The Three Faces of Eve, Paris Blues). As Watson follows Holmes through Manhattan on a search for his elusive nemesis Moriarty, the unlikely pair are drawn into a world of danger and intrigue. Together, they discover an uncommon reality—and a most magical love. Three years after the film The Lion in Winter, director Anthony Harvey (Grace Quigley) and screenwriter/playwright James Goldman (Robin and Marian) reunited for this classic romantic comedy. The amazing cast includes Jack Gilford (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum), Al Lewis (TV’s The Munsters), Rue McClanahan (TV’s The Golden Girls), Kitty Winn (The Panic in Needle Park), F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) and M. Emmet Walsh (Blood Simple). They Might Be Giants is presented in a special expanded version, featuring additional footage not seen in the original theatrical release.

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George C. Scott stars as Justin Playfair, a retired, widowed judge who labors under the delusion that he's Sherlock Holmes. Feigning concern, Playfair's greedy brother Blevins (Lester Rawlins) hires psychologist Dr. Mildred Watson (Joanne Woodward) to certify that Justin is insane--and in so doing gain control of the judge's millions. Instead, Dr. Watson is drawn into Playfair's dream world, accompanying the judge on his quest to find the elusive (and imaginary) Professor Moriarty. Reality rears its head when a group of vicious blackmailers, to whom Blevins is deeply in debt, attempt to assassinate brother Justin.

Posters

Theatrical Release: June 9th, 1971

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Comparison:

Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover		BONUS CAPTURES:
Distribution	Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray	Indicator - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:31:28.774	US theatrical cut: 1:31:16.429 UK theatrical cut: 1:26:08.955
Video	1.85:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,237,033,432 bytes Feature: 20,809,463,808 bytes Video Bitrate: 26.94 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 35,314,076,044 bytes Feature: 26,208,683,712 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.89 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate Kino Blu-ray:
Bitrate Indicator Blu-ray:
Audio	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1554 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1554 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps	DTS-HD Master Audio English 1053 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1053 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit) Commentaries: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -30dB
Subtitles	English, None	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Kino 1.85:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 22,237,033,432 bytes Feature: 20,809,463,808 bytes Video Bitrate: 26.94 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Expanded Edition - Featuring additional footage not seen in the original theatrical release • Audio Commentary with Director Anthony Harvey and Film Archivist Robert A. Harris • Madness… It's Beautiful - Featurette (08:01) • Theatrical Trailer Trailers: • "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes" • "The Hound of the Baskervilles" • "Ordeal by Innocence" Blu-ray Release Date: June 11th, 2019 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters 8	Release Information: Studio: Indicator 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 35,314,076,044 bytes Feature: 26,208,683,712 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.89 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Two presentations of the film: the original US theatrical cut (92 mins); and the UK theatrical cut (87 mins) • Audio commentary with director Anthony Harvey and film preservationist Robert A Harris (2000) • Audio commentary with writers and film experts Barry Forshaw and Kim Newman (2023) • Madness… It’s Beautiful (1971, 8:00): archival promotional documentary • A Study in Sherlock (2023, 26:53): Kim Newman, critic and author of Moriarty: The Hound of the D’Urbervilles, discusses the many screen adaptations and interpretations of the famous fictional detective • Original theatrical trailer (2:18) • Image gallery: promotional and publicity material Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet featuring a new essay by Chloe Walker, an account of Anthony Harvey’s career as actor, editor, and director, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits UK premiere on Blu-ray" Blu-ray Release Date: February 27th, 2023 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 11

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Indicator Blu-ray (March 2023): Indicator have also transferred "They Might Be Giants" to Blu-ray. The 1080P image quality gains over the single-layered Kino; slightly sharper, finer grain - it looks a notch superior. Indicator offer two presentations of the film: the original US theatrical cut (92 minutes); and the UK theatrical cut (87 minutes) seamlessly branched. DTS-HD Master (24-bit) one channel mono takes another advancement - authentically flat with a modicum of depth. Optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

NOTE: We have added 37 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

Indicator also include the 2000 commentary with director Anthony Harvey and Film archivist Robert A. Harris as well as the "Madness... It's Beautiful" 1971 archival promotional documentary - and a trailer. Added are a new commentary by critics Kim Newman (author of "Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbervilles") and Barry Forshaw (author of "British Crime Film", "British Gothic Cinema"). They are always enjoyable and educational - always love their enthusiasm. A Study in Sherlock is new and spends 27-minutes with Kim Newman, discussing the many screen adaptations and interpretations of the famous fictional detective. There is their usual image gallery of promotional and publicity material. The package has liner notes in the form of a limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet featuring a new essay by Chloe Walker, an account of Anthony Harvey’s career as actor, editor, and director, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.

James Goldman's "They Might Be Giants" has a title that is an indirect reference to Don Quixote's famous exploit of fighting imaginary enemies (windmills), believing them to be "giants". Justin Playfair (George C. Scott) believes himself to be Sherlock Holmes and with his fascinated psychiatrist, Dr. Mildred Watson (Joanne Woodward), goes on a quest through New York City seeking Holmes' archenemy, Professor Moriarty. It's a fun adventure / romance / comedy - moderately paced harkening to its roots in Arthur Conan Doyle's classic detective. The Indicator Blu-ray is a massive advancement over the 2019 Kino counterpart with both US and UK cuts (no one seems to have the 98 minute version), two commentaries - including a new one, a vintage documentary and new Kim Newman piece plus the included booklet. This IS, easily, the version to own. Absolutely recommended!

Gary Tooze

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ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (April 2019): Kino Lorber presents "They Might Be Giants" in a special expanded version, featuring additional footage not seen in the original theatrical release. The film is housed on a single-layered Blu-ray disc. The 1.85:1 1080p transfer has an accompanying supportive bitrate. The film has a heavy grain to the image, showing little in way of clarity. Contrast levels are also weak, with many darker scenes showing a uniform black that almost envelops the characters in the foreground. Surely, this transfer is better than what could appear on SD, though one couldn't be blamed for wanting more.

Kino provide the film with a 16-bit DTS-HD Master audio track. While showing more polish than what we saw in the visual department, this is a rather flat audio presentation. Dialogue is mostly intelligible, and the rather playful score from John Barry (Deadfall, The Chase, Midnight Cowboy, Dances With Wolves and the Bond themes among his many credits) makes one wish this was at least a 24-bit uncompressed linear track. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray from Kino.

There is an audio commentary with director Anthony Harvey (The Lion and Winter) and Film archivist Robert A. Harris. "Madness... It's Beautiful" is a vintage 8-minute featurette. Also here is the theatrical trailer for the film as well as 3 other trailers (for "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", and "Ordeal by Innocence").

"They Might Be Giants" is an interesting role for George C. Scott. Anthony Harvey's adaptation of James Goldman's 1961 play comes to us via Kino Lorber on their new Blu-ray. The commentary from the director and Robert Harris is a welcome addition. The A/V transfer leaves one wanting more, though being able to see this film on Blu-ray is a treat in itself. Recommended to fans of the play, or Scott and Woodward.