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Directed by Basil Dearden
UK 1953

 

This hard-hitting portmanteau drama from Michael Relph and Basil Dearden depicts the emotion, excitement and broad humour of one night's boxing at a downmarket London stadium. Starring Jack Warner as the dressing-room attendant who links the stories together – and co-starring Robert Beatty, Maxwell Reed, Joan Collins and Kay Kendall – Ealing Studios' The Square Ring is presented here as a High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio.

Danny Felton, Adam's Stadium's dressing-room "handler" has seen many fighters come and ago, rise and fall – and tonight's line-up is no exception. Up-and-comers, would-be contenders, "comeback kids", champions-in-waiting – out into the ring they go, and back to his dressing-room they return – bruised, batter, chastened or triumphant.

***

It is fight night at the Adams Stadium and there are a variety of fighters on the card. Eddie Lloyd (Ronald Lewis - The John Sullivan Story) is new to the game whilst Rick Martell (Maxwell Reed) is a washed up veteran who now takes dives. Happy Burns (Bill Owen - Once a Jolly Swagman) has had more fights in the last 12 months than is safe whilst Rowdie Rawlings (Bill Travers - Hindle Wakes) is like a bear with a sore head. And pulling the strings at the stadium is Mr Adams (Sidney James - Emergency Call) himself, a penny pincher who walks around with a cigar in his mouth which is never lit and he keeps hidden in a box in his office.

Excerpt from theMovieScene located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: July 13th, 1953

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Review: Network - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

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Bonus Captures:
Distribution Network - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:23:33.875        
Video

1.37:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 18,460,119,754 bytes

Feature: 17,950,875,648 bytes

Video Bitrate: 24.96 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 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Network

 

1.37:1 1080P Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 18,460,119,754 bytes

Feature: 17,950,875,648 bytes

Video Bitrate: 24.96 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• Trailer (1:48)
• Image Gallery
• PDFs "Campaign Book' and 'Leaflet


 Blu-ray Release Date: January 27th, 2020
 Slim Transparent Blu-ray

Chapters 12

 

 

Comments:

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

ADDITION: Network Blu-ray (February 2020): Network have transferred the boxing drama The Square Ring to Blu-ray. It's on a single-layered disc with a middling bitrate. The image is quite striking at times, like 8X10 glossies. There are plenty of speckles and light scratches but nothing invasive. Detail is surprisingly strong in the film's many close-ups and the image looks quite reasonable in-motion. There are rich black levels and depth present. All-in-all, another good 1080P presentation from Network - indicative of the healthy source material. 

NOTE: We have added 20 more large resolution Blu-ray captures for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Network use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original English language. It sounds as good as the image quality with plenty of crowd noises and punches - flat but carrying adequate depth and, uncredited, circus-like music Entry of the Gladiators by Julius Fucík book-ending the film. Network offer optional English subtitles (see sample below) on their Region 'B'-locked Blu-ray.

The Network Blu-ray offers only a trailer, image gallery and two PDFs in the root of the BD disc; a "Campaign Book' and a 'Leaflet'.

I enjoyed The Square Ring. Five different stories around one night of boxing - the corruption, heartache, selfish women, occupational hazard injuries, love... It has the always alluring, doe-eyed, Edith Keeller (Joan Collins) in an early role. The Square Ring has the Basil Dearden (The Blue Lamp, Pool of London, The Man Who haunted Himself) and Ealing Studios (The Lavender Hill Mob, Dead of Night, It Always Rains on Sunday) pedigree. It's a film I am pleased to have seen on Blu-ray. No significant extras but value here, for beyond pugilist fans, if you can get at a reasonable price. 

Gary Tooze

 

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Box Cover

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Bonus Captures:
Distribution Network - Region 'B' - Blu-ray


 


 

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