A Severed Head Blu-ray

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

Directed by Dick Clement
UK 1971

Dick Clement followed the success of his first feature 'Otley' with this wry adaptation of Iris Murdoch's celebrated 1961 satirical novel, a harbinger of the sexual liberation that was to blossom in the mid-60s.

A Severed Head chronicles the sexual and amoral escapades of a group of middle-class, middle-aged London couples, portrayed by a wonderful cast which includes Ian Holm (Alien, The Lord of the Rings), Lee Remick (Days of Wine and Roses, The Omen), Claire Bloom (The Haunting, The King's Speech) and Richard Attenborough (10 Rillington Place, Young Winston). Absurdist and delightfully funny, 'A Severed Head' is a dark satire staged with wit and intelligence.

***

This sophisticated black comedy sex romp is based on the novel by Iris Murdoch, which she also turned into a stage play (with J.B. Priestley). Ian Holm, is hapless wine-taster Martin Lynch-Gibbon who has both a mistress (Jennie Linden) and a nymphomaniac wife, Antonia Lynch-Gibbon (Lee Remick). His best friend, psychiatrist Palmer Anderson (Richard Attenborough), is having an affair with Antonia. Palmer's half-sister Honor Klein (Clair Bloom) is having sexual relations with him also, which he is slightly apologetic about. The wine taster has had a lifelong antagonism for his friend's half-sister, but after his wife and mistress leave him, he takes up with Honor.

Posters

Theatrical Release: January 21st, 1971

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Review: Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover		CLICK to order from: Coming to Standard Blu-ray by Indicator in April 2024:
Distribution	Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray
Runtime	1:38:24.273
Video	1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 37,856,790,517 bytes Feature: 28,947,146,304 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 Blu-ray:
Audio	LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Indicator 1.85:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 37,856,790,517 bytes Feature: 28,947,146,304 bytes Video Bitrate: 34.89 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio commentary with director Dick Clement and film historian Sam Dunn (2018) • Guise and Dolls (2019, 7:29): artist and sculptor Saskia de Boer discusses the figurines she created for the film’s arresting title sequence •Slightly Saucy (2019, 6:32): production manager Timothy Burrill recalls the making of A Severed Head • What Happened Just Then? (2019, 18:43): an appreciation by comedian, musician, and writer Rob Deering • Original theatrical trailer (2:25) • Image gallery: original promotional materials • Limited edition exclusive 32-page booklet with a new essay by Pamela Hutchinson, archival interviews with the cast, an account of the film’s transition from page to stage to cinema screen, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits Blu-ray Release Date: December 4th, 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 observational comedy A Severed Head to Blu-ray. It's on a dual-layered Blu-ray in 1080P with a max'ed out bitrate. It isn't overly remarkable in 1080P but it looks like a fine representation of the film with consistent texture, with authentic and occasionally rich colors. I couldn't find anything about the 1080P visuals to complain about.

The audio is transferred via a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. It is consistent and clean with audible dialogue and almost no aggressive effects in the film. The score is by Stanley Myers (X, Y + ZEE, Take a Girl Like You, The Wilby Conspiracy, Eureka, Cimino's The Deer Hunter, Roeg's Insignificance, Harold Becker's The Boost, Pete Walker House of Mortal Sin and Frightmare, etc.) and keeps the 'stayed' tone sounding supportive in the uncompressed. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on this Region FREE Blu-ray.

There is a new audio commentary with director Dick Clement and film historian Sam Dunn. Clement is over 80 but his recollections on the film's production details and cast is strong and his insights are very relevant in understanding and appreciating the film's intent. Guise and Dolls is a new 7-minute interview with artist and sculptor Saskia de Boer about the life-like doll representations seen in the film's opening credits. She discusses the figurines she created for the film’s unique title sequence. Slightly Saucy is also new and spends about 7-minutes with production manager Timothy Burrill who recalls the making of A Severed Head. What Happened Just Then? is a 19-minute 2018 appreciation of A Severed Head by comedian, musician, and writer Rob Deering. We get an original theatrical trailer and image gallery of original promotional materials. The package has a limited edition exclusive 32-page booklet with a new essay by Pamela Hutchinson, archival interviews with the cast, an account of the film’s transition from page to stage to cinema screen, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

A Severed Head has an odd title but the film is likewise both a black-comedy satirizing our emotional frailties and a social commentary on modernity. It's witty, humorous, sometimes silly - with fun and amusing performances. But it seems to have failed in it's intent or rather the vein of this comedy dropped out of fashion. It can be hard to embrace. The Indicator Blu-ray showcases their impressive quality in terms of creating these fan-favorite packages. There is a lot of value here, and while I was particularly enthusiastic about seeing the film again - I enjoyed it to a surprising extent in 1080P with all the valuable extras. I would say that it helps to be in the mood - as with most films. Recommedned!