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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

 

Directed by Dick Clement

UK 1969

 

Gerry Otley (Tom Courtenay The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Billy Liar, 45 Years) is a charming scrounger who stumbles unwittingly into espionage, murder, espionage and double crossing as he is mistaken for a spy, kidnapped, and becomes romantically embroiled with a sexy foreign agent, played by Romy Schneider (Purple Noon, Ludwig, Death Watch).

Adeptly balancing thrills and laughs, this Sixties comic spy thriller from writer-director Dick Clement (TV s The Likely Lads, Porridge, Auf Wiedersehen, Pet) is a stellar addition to the British canon of post-Bond spy flicks.

***

Tom Courtenay plays Gerald Arthur "Gerry" Otley, a charming but feckless young drifter who scrapes a living from selling antiques in trendy 1960s London. Gerry's responsibility-free life suddenly takes a serious turn, when he finds himself caught up in a round of murder, espionage and quadruple crossing. He is mistaken for a spy; is kidnapped and detained several times; and becomes romantically involved with a foreign agent (Romy Schneider) working for British Intelligence. 

 Excerpt from Wikipedia located HERE

Posters etc.

Theatrical Release: March 11th, 1969

Reviews                                                                        More Reviews                                                            DVD Reviews

 

Review: Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray

Box Cover

 

 

 

   

 

  

Coming to Standard Blu-ray from Indicator in June 2023:

 

Distribution

Indicator
Region
FREE Blu-ray

Runtime

1:30:58.244    

Video

Disc Size: 35,790,577,529 bytes

Feature Size: 29,153,216,064 bytes

Average Bitrate: 38.01 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video

Bitrate:

 

Indicator 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
Guardian Lecture:

Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps

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

 

Disc Size: 35,790,577,529 bytes

Feature Size: 29,153,216,064 bytes

Average Bitrate: 38.01 Mbps

Dual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:
• Audio commentary with director Dick Clement and film historian Sam Dunn (2018)
• The Guardian Lecture with Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais (2008): archival audio recording of an interview conducted by Dick Fiddy at London’s National Film Theatre
• Tom Courtenay on 'Otley' (2018, 5:58): a new interview with the renowned British actor
• Ian La Frenais on 'Otley' (2018, 16:15): new interview with the acclaimed co-writer of Otley
• Original theatrical trailer (2:47)
• Image gallery: on-set and promotional photography
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Laura Mayne, an extract from Martin Waddell’s original novel, location reports, archival interviews with Tom Courtenay, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits

• Limited Edition of 3,000 copies


Blu-ray  Release Date: March 19th, 2018
Transparent Blu-ray case

Chapters: 10

 

 

Comments

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

Indicator's Blu-ray transfer is in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio and looks thick, film-like and pleasing. I only noticed one inconsistency - at around the 46-minute mark the quality changes when they enter the subway (Underground), it reverts back, and then gets poor again in, what appears to be, the same, shooting sequence.

Michael Brooke tells us in FB that "In the commentary Dick Clement explains why the visual quality changed during the Underground sequence - in a nutshell, he needed a different film stock for lighting reasons (I suspect to avoid the usual strong green colour cast that you get from indoor locations lit with fluorescent tubes, and it was most likely a much faster film stock, hence the increased grain)." (Thanks Michael!)

I have put a sample at the very bottom of this review. It certainly was not the fault of the transfer - which is again dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate. The 1080P looks solid showcasing rich colors and a generally strong HD presentation.

 

The audio transfer is in another authentic linear PCM mono track - 24-bit - in the original English language. Modest effects exist and a score by Stanley Myers (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 it supports the film well with a lighter tone.  The audio sounds clean in the uncompressed. Indicator add optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray disc.

 

Indicator add a new audio commentary with director Dick Clement and film historian Sam Dunn and Clement is quite open about this being his first film, and some of the things he noted as different from working in television. He also describes his very first shot scene, discusses the theme of 'class consciousness' in Otley - with Dunn plus the director identifying actors in the film like Richard Harris' son played the obnoxious boy... and much more. It's very interesting. There is also the option, while watching the film, to listen to a 'Guardian Lecture' with Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais from 2008. It is archival audio recording of an interview conducted by Dick Fiddy at London’s National Film Theatre running about 1-hour 17-minutes. There is a brief 6-minute interview with Tom Courtenay on 'Otley' and a 15-minute piece with co-writer of Otley Ian La Frenais on 'Otley'. Included are an original theatrical trailer, an image gallery: on-set and promotional photography and the package has a limited edition exclusive 40-page booklet with a new essay by Laura Mayne, an extract from Martin Waddell’s original novel, location reports, archival interviews with Tom Courtenay, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.
 

A very cute spy-cum-comedy with Tom Courtenay as the everyman who gets caught up in the espionage - a kind of poor man's North By NorthWest. Loved the brief Leonard Rossiter. It was fun and a delight to see the UK street locales used in the film. Indicator's Blu-ray offers a lesser-seen UK favorite - a delightful petty-thief protagonist yarn - the package has the commentary, 'Lecture series' and interview extras including the booklet. Quite an enjoyable home theater experience thank to Indicator. Recommended! 

 - Gary Tooze

Indicator - Region FREE - Blu-ray


 

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 



 


 


 


 


Quality alters (see comments)
 


Box Cover

 

 

 

   

 

  

Coming to Standard Blu-ray from Indicator in June 2023:

 

Distribution

Indicator
Region
FREE Blu-ray

 




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