Looks and Smiles Ken Loach

Directed by Ken Loach
UK 1981

Sheffield, 1980: the evening paper warns of yet more redundancies in the steel industry, and the choice before school leavers Alan and Mick is either the forces or the dole. Alan (Pitts) enlists and is posted to Belfast, where he develops a taste for duffing up Catholics. Mick (Green) stays at home, tinkers with his bike, scours the sits vac, and takes up with shop-girl Karen (Nicholson) amid rising despair. Familiar Loach territory, and presented in characteristically spartan documentary style. Excellent performances from the three principals (all amateurs), resolutely unfussy black-and-white photography by Chris Menges, and a complete absence of self-consciousness on either side of the camera add up to a quietly devastating portrayal of human waste.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

Book and Posters

Theatrical Release: September 12th, 1981 - Toronto Film Festival

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DVD Review: Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Image Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	1:43:40
Video	1.33:1 Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.58 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Image Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1 Edition Details: • none DVD Release Date: November 20th, 2007 Keep Case Chapters: 15

Comments:

The barebones single-layered and progressive DVD from Image Entertainment looks quite strong. Excellent contrast and decent detail giving me the impression it is quite faithful to its theatrical roots. There is minor digital noise which resembles grain and overall I am quite pleased with the image quality. The 2.0 sound has intentional background noises infiltrating the dialogue for a more pointed realism. The accents might be strong for some and the optional English subtitles are appreciated.

I'd say with no supplements that the price is high but this latter kitchen-sink film packs a subtle and lasting impact. I've been keen on Loach films for a while and am grateful to have seen this. I strongly recommend viewing it.