We have started a Patreon page with the hopes that
some of our followers would be
willing to donate a small amount to keep DVDBeaver
alive. We are a tiny niche, so your
generosity is vital to our
existence.
We are talking about a minimum of
$0.10 - $0.15 a day, perhaps a
quarter (or more) to those who won't
miss it from their budget. It
equates to buying DVDBeaver a coffee
once, twice or a few times a month.
You can then participate in our
monthly
Silent
auctions,
and have exclusive access to many 'bonus' High Resolution screen captures - both
4K UHD
and
Blu-ray
(see
HERE). |
Search DVDBeaver |
S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
|
Up the Junction [Blu-ray]
(Peter Collinson, 1968)
Review by Gary Tooze
Production: Theatrical: BHE Films Video: Olive Films
Disc: Region: 'A' (as verified by the Oppo Blu-ray player) Runtime: 1:59:40.173 Disc Size: 21,718,432,852 bytes Feature Size: 21,603,028,992 bytes Video Bitrate: 21.91 Mbps Chapters: 9 Case: Standard Blu-ray case Release date: April 29th, 2014
Video: Aspect ratio: 2.35:1 Resolution: 1080p / 23.976 fps Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio English 911 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 911 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 1.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 16-bit)
Subtitles: • None
Extras: • None
Bitrate:
Description: Based on Nell Dunn's iconic tale of life in London's swinging sixties, Up the Junction is a memorable slice of British cinema starring Suzy Kendall (Torso) as Polly and Dennis Waterman (TV's The Sweeney) as her hard-up boyfriend, Pete. The tale is of a bored, young party girl who decides to cast off her affluent Chelsea lifestyle to move to the industrialized ghetto of Battersea. In search of realism, Polly takes a factory job where she befriends sisters Rube (Adrienne Posta) and Sylvie (Maureen Lipman) and moves into a rundown apartment in the area. She soon discovers the seedier side of life in an impoverished world of crime, desperation and questionable morality-a side of life that everyone but Polly is desperately trying to leave behind. This beautiful and haunting film was directed by cult-filmmaker Peter Collinson (Innocent Bystanders, The Italian Job).
The Film:
Miss Kendall opts for the journalist, which makes for an interesting
performance of a part that has been suppressed in the script. That is, "Up
the Junction" is based on a series of articles in The New Statesman
by Nell Dunn (who also wrote the screenplay for "Poor Cow"). In the
articles, Miss Dunn described her experiences in moving to the
neighborhood of Clapham Junction, working in a candy-packing factory
there, and observing the people. In the movie, there is no indication
that Miss Kendall writes. But for a good part of the film she plays it
that way—quite shallow and hard—not so much talking to people as lurking
around interviewing them, with a certain mixture of warmth,
condescension and reserve. Hard to see what all the fuss was about (at least from this movie cash-in on Kenneth Loach's teleplay version of Nell Dunn's novel). The idea that the decision of middle class Polly (Kendall) to forsake Chelsea and move to Battersea should provide enough substance for either a book or a film now seems ludicrous. Nevertheless here it all is. In the shadow of the power station, she helps working class Rube (Posta) cope with abortion and death: part of the short-lived and generally muffed attempt by the film industry to make a foray of sorts into the realities of working class life in Britain. Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE
Image : NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. Up the Junction on Blu-ray from Olive Films has a surprisingly impressive transfer to 1080P. This is only single-layered with a lowish bitrate but colors are vibrant and it exports some decent textures. I don't know that dual-layering would benefit the visuals extensively. It looks like the source was in great shape. The black levels are strong and consistent and there is a reasonable amount of depth. Detail is pleasing - notable in the film's many close-ups. The Blu-ray improved the presentation over an SD rendering and any minor flaws had no detrimental effect on my viewing.
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Audio :The DTS-HD mono track at 911 kbps sounds flat but has a smidgeon of depth. What is very cool is the score composed by Mike Hugg and Manfred Mann (yes, founding members - and namesake - of Manfred Mann and Manfred Mann's Earth Band.) So there are some pretty UK-60's-rock'in numbers. They initially appears a bit awkward but once you get into them - they fit perfectly with the film's 60's vibe. There are no subtitles and m y Oppo has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.
Extras : No supplements - not even a trailer which is the bare-bones route that Olive are going with most of their releases.
BOTTOM LINE: Gary Tooze April 23rd, 2014 |
About the Reviewer: Hello, fellow Beavers! I have been interested in film since I viewed a Chaplin festival on PBS when I was around 9 years old. I credit DVD with expanding my horizons to fill an almost ravenous desire to seek out new film experiences. I currently own approximately 9500 DVDs and have reviewed over 5000 myself. I appreciate my discussion Listserv for furthering my film education and inspiring me to continue running DVDBeaver. Plus a healthy thanks to those who donate and use our Amazon links.
Although I never wanted to become one of those guys who
focused 'too much' on image and sound quality - I
find HD is swiftly pushing me in that direction. 60-Inch Class (59.58” Diagonal) 1080p Pioneer KURO Plasma Flat Panel HDTV PDP6020-FD
Oppo Digital BDP-83 Universal Region FREE Blu-ray/SACD
Player APC AV 1.5 kVA H Type Power Conditioner 120V Gary W. Tooze ALL OUR NEW FORMAT DVD REVIEWS
|