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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Clive Rees
UK 1973

 

Based upon harrowing real events which were turned in to a 1955 novel by Jean-Paul Clébert, The Blockhouse starts explosively with an Allied air raid on a Nazi prison camp. Six escaped prisoners take shelter in an underground blockhouse, which is soon destroyed by heavy shelling. Trapped underground, with an almost endless supply of food, wine and candles, the men must endure confinement with no prospect of escape or rescue.

Featuring a stunning ensemble cast that includes Peter Sellers (Hoffman), Charles Aznavour (Shoot the Pianist), Peter Vaughan (Symptoms), Jeremy Kemp (The Strange Affair), Per Oscarsson (A Dandy in Aspic) and Leon Lissek (Marat/Sade), The Blockhouse was filmed on the Channel Islands in a horribly dank and dark underground bunker, giving the film a suffocating sense of claustrophobia. This new restoration edition marks the film's worldwide Blu-ray premiere.

***

A group of Slave workers, drafted by the Nazis to help construct their coastal defences in 1944, are trapped in an underground bunker when the Allies land at Normandy on D-Day. They find huge stores of food, but not enough candles. The slow dying of the light parallels their increasing boredom, illness, and jealousy during their entrapment. Based on the Novel 'Le Blockhaus' by Jean Paul Clebert.

Posters

Theatrical Release: June 1973 (Berlin Film Festival)

Reviews                                                                                                       More Reviews                                                                                       DVD Reviews

 

Review: Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

or buy directly from Indicator:

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:32:27.375        
Video

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 40,765,625,950 bytes

Feature: 25,886,487,168 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.44 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

DTS-HD Master Audio English 1089 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1089 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)

Subtitles English (SDH), None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Indicator

 

1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 40,765,625,950 bytes

Feature: 25,886,487,168 bytes

Video Bitrate: 34.44 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• New interview with star Leon Lissek (2022 - 5:45)
• New interview with the director Clive Rees's son and widow, Fred Rees and Gilda Rees (2022 - 12:52)
• New interview with production manager Matthew Raymond (2022 - 11:47)
• New interview with executive producer Kent Walwin (2022 - 18:18)
• New interview with electrician Peter Bloor (2022 - 9:33)
• The Channel Islands 1940-1945 (1945 - 16:19): short film produced by the Crown Film Unit which sees Channel Islanders re-enact incidents from the German occupation during World War II
• Image gallery: promotional and publicity material
• Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay, contemporary news reports on the event that inspired the film, archival interviews with star Peter Sellers and director Clive Rees, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits


Blu-ray
Release Date: January 17th, 2022
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 (January 2022): Indicator have transferred Clive Rees's The Blockhouse to Blu-ray. It is cited as being from a "New restoration from a 4K scan of the original negative by Powerhouse Films". The 1080P is wonderfully rich in heavy grain textures. It has dominant earthy tones and dark grays adding to the film's atmosphere. Much of the film has very low lighting and this is well realized by the heavy grain. The image is fairly consistent without damage. 

NOTE: We have added 27 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Indicator use a DTS-HD Master mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. The Blockhouse has aggressive war-related sounds - notably the beginning - with sequences that come through with impacting depth. The film's score is by Stanley Myers (The Greek Tycoon, The Wind, The Wilby ConspiracyEureka, Cimino's The Deer Hunter, Roeg's Insignificance, Harold Becker's The Boost, Pete Walker House of Mortal Sin and Frightmare, etc.)  adding to the film's ennui. No crooning from Aznavour. Indicator offer optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Indicator Blu-ray offers many supplements starting with a new 6-minute interview with star Leon Lissek remembering the shoot, a new 13-minute interview with the director Clive Rees's son and widow, Fred Rees and Gilda Rees discussing the film’s turbulent production history, a new 12-minute interview with production manager Matthew Raymond recalling procuring a Spitfire for the opening battle, a new 18-minute interview with executive producer Kent Walwin on the many challenges of making a low-budget war film and 10-minutes in a new interview with electrician Peter Bloor on the perils of powering a shoot deep underground. Indicator include the 1945 short "The Channel Islands 1940-1945" produced by the Crown Film Unit which sees Channel Islanders re-enact incidents from the German occupation during World War II. Lastly, is another of their image galleries of promotional and publicity material and the package has a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay, contemporary news reports on the event that inspired the film, archival interviews with star Peter Sellers and director Clive Rees, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

Clive Rees's The Blockhouse is described by Peter Sellers as "... a film for the connoisseurs of cinema, it's a very heavy movie. It could easily put you on a downer... Clive Rees, who directed it, is brilliant, every bit as good as Stanley Kubrick." High praise, indeed. It's a fascinating film - almost experimental - involving being entombed with years of sustenance, conflicts, claustrophobia, and dealing with mortality. It's a film I enjoyed more and more the deeper I got into the story. The Indicator Blu-ray is at their usual high level of completeness bringing us another piece of cinema that deserves to be discussed and revisited. Absolutely recommended!

Gary Tooze

 


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Box Cover

CLICK to order from:

or buy directly from Indicator:

Bonus Captures:

Distribution Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray


 


 

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