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

Firstly, the three films are on three separate dual-layered Blu-ray discs. They are all 1080P with mid-20s bitrates and look beautifully grainy and film-like. The last films is described as "Includes a newly remastered presentation of Ladybird Ladybird approved by the director".

Most know Ken Loach from Kes, but that masterpiece and Hidden Agenda are the only films of his that we've reviewed on Blu-ray... till now. Although we have reviewed DVDs of his working including Black Jack, Looks and Smiles, Land of Freedom, Cathy Come Home, and The Wind That Shakes the Barley. He is brilliant.

Video: These are all competent transfers - excellent textures and maintaining the integrity of the original presentations without digital manipulation. The image presentations are directly relational to the production budgets and the transfer support it well with a clean image in the correct aspect ratios (Riff-Raff in 1.37:1 and Raining Stones and Ladybird Ladybird both in 1.66:1). Riff-Raff was shot in 16mm (printed in 35mm) and looks the most grainy but colors are rich and deep. The other two were shot in 35mm and look similar. I have no complaints whatsoever with the transferred image quality which is extremely consistent.

BFI use authentic linear PCM, mono, tracks (16-bit) for all three films. Dialogue is clear, consistent and audible. No aggressive effects in any of the films but there is a bit of violence in Raining Stones. Both Riff-Raff and Raining Stones have a  score by Stewart Copeland (Hidden Agenda,  Rumble Fish, Wall Street, Talk Radio.) Ladybird Ladybird's score is by George Fenton (The Crucible, The Fisher King, Planet Earth, Life) with amateurish Karaoke songs performed like 'Up Where We Belong'. There is Karaoke as well in Riff-Raff which has Always On My Mind, With A Little Help From My Friends and a few others. They 3 features have optional English subtitles (see samples below) and all three Blu-ray discs are region 'B'-locked.

There are supplements spread across the three Blu-rays. From 1992 we get over an hour Ken Loach: The Guardian Lecture at the National Film Theatre with Derek Malcolm. Face to Face is from 1991 and has 40-minutes of Jeremy Isaacs talking to Ken Loach with Geraldine Dowd the former Head of Channel Four discusses the filmmaker's life and career. Carry on Ken is 50-minute from 2006 - Toby Reisz's an in-depth documentary appraising the director. Lastly, there are original trailers for all three films, stills galleries and the package contains a fully illustrated booklet with new writing by David Archibald, original reviews and full film credits.

I think I was most moved by Raining Stones followed by Ladybird Ladybird  and are both amazingly warm dramas with Riff-Raff providing a good chuckle at the expense of the human condition. It speaks volumes to Loach's power as a director that these were made consecutively... and bodes well for more of his work on similar Blu-ray boxsets. Let's hope. He's a true treasure of British cinema. BFI, your work here is very much appreciated. This package has our highest recommendation.

Gary W. Tooze