Psyche 59 Blu-ray - Samantha Eggar

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

Directed by Alexander Singer
UK 1964

Patricia Neal (fresh from her 1963 award-winning role in Martin Ritt's Hud) stars as a woman suffering from hysterical blindness, and a blank in her memory which may hide the cause of her affliction. When she and her sex-addict husband (Curt Jurgens - The Enemy Below) move in with her younger sister (Samantha Eggar - The Collector, The Brood), she begins to piece together the events leading to her psychological trauma.

Ahead of its time in its discussion and depiction of all manner of taboo subjects (rape, child abuse, nymphomania, psycho-sexual disorder, masochism), Psyche 59 is one of British cinema's most daring and provocative adult dramas.

***

Patricia Neal plays Allison Crawford, a woman who has suffered psychosomatic blindness for a number of years. Upon psychological examination, Allison seems to have a gap in her memory which may reveal the cause of her emotional distress. When she and her husband Eric (Curt Jurgens) move in with her provocative younger sister (Samantha Eggar), Allison uses her ailment as an excuse to do some of her own investigative research. Slowly gaining back her eyesight, Allison finds the missing pieces of her memory. Julian Halevy based her screenplay on Francoise des Ligneris's novel, Psyche 63. Though the titular number is never explained, it has been suggested that it refers to the year in which the lead character suffered her traumatic experience.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: April 29th, 1964

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Review: Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Reissued by Indicator in August 2022: or buy directly from them:
Distribution	Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:34:03.596
Video	1.75:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 35,628,469,328 bytes Feature: 27,670,650,432 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.90 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	LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Interview: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English (SDH), None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Indicator 1.75:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 35,628,469,328 bytes Feature: 27,670,650,432 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.90 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • The BEHP Interview with Walter Lassally (1988): an archival audio recording, made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the renowned cinematographer in conversation with Roy Fowler • Interview with Samantha Eggar (2019): the award-winning actor recalls her work on the film in this new and exclusive interview (11:53) • Intangible Visions - Composer Kenneth V. Jones on Psyche 59' (13:14) • Richard Combs on Psyche 59 (2019): a new appreciation by the renowned critic, lecturer and broadcaster (10:26) • Theatrical trailer (2:44) • Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography • Limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Josephine Botting, an overview of contemporary critical responses, archival articles, and film credits Blu-ray Release Date: February 25th, 2019 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 10

Comments:

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

Indicator bring the 1964 drama-mystery Psyche 59 to a new, stacked Blu-ray edition. It's on a dual-layered Blu-ray in 1080P with a max'ed out bitrate. It looks excellent in the 1.75:1 aspect ratio. Many of the Columbia Pictures Corporation transfers - even on DVD - looks very strong and this is no exception. Detail is impressive in the film's many close-ups, grain textures are evident and the contrast is top-shelf - notable in the film's few outdoor sequences. It looks pristine on my system.

The film's audio is presented in its mono via a linear PCM (24-bit) transfer, with few aggressive effects and authentically flat but the film features an subtly tense score by Kenneth V. Jones (The Projected Man, Ten Seconds to Hell, Tower of Evil, Tomb of Legeia, The Horse's Mouth) which is supported well via the lossless. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on this Region FREE Blu-ray.

Supplements start with an audio interview with Walter Lassally from 1988 playing to the film. It was made as part of the British Entertainment History Project, featuring the renowned cinematographer in conversation with Roy Fowler. I only listened to snippets but it seemed relaxed and interesting. There is a new 12-minute interview with Samantha Eggar still looking great as she recalls her work on the Psyche 59 including her prancing lingerie scene. Intangible Visions is a 13-minute interview with composer Kenneth V. Jones on Psyche 59 who discusses his score for the film and how he composed it. There is a new (2019) 10-minute appreciation by the renowned critic, lecturer and broadcaster Richard on Psyche 59 and lastly a theatrical trailer and image gallery of on-set and promotional photography. The package has a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Josephine Botting, an overview of contemporary critical responses, archival articles, and film credits.

Psyche 59 is a curious film and I couldn't really predict where it was going but loved the interplay of characters - particularly with the Allison Crawford character (Patricia Neal). Samantha Eggar (Robin) is scorchingly hot and the film tends to lead you on and pull you back in an adept fashion - building well... The Blu-ray transfer is at Indicator's usual impressive-ness - with a superb transfer (both audio and video) and some relevant extras. It's an easy recommendation - I will definitely watch this film again.