Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

10 Rillington Place Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 3, 2016

Richard Fleischer's "10 Rillington Place" (1971) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of courtesy of British label Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival video interview with Richard Attenborough; new featurette with Judy Geeson produced by Robert Fischer; audio commentary by John Hurt; original promotional materials; and more. The release also arrives with a 32-page illustrated booklet featuring Thirza Wakefield's essay "The House of Death", authentic newspaper reports about the 10 Rillington Place murders compiled and annotated by Jeff Billington, and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

I can help

It is pretty incredible that this true monster, John Reginald Christie, actually managed to convince all these innocent women that he could help them feel better before he killed them. I don’t know what they saw in him, or what they heard that made them believe him. This creep also outsmarted the detectives that were investigating Beryl Evans’ death, and then the prosecutor and all the jury members that listened to him speak in court. It is quite unbelievable, really, because there were so many red flags and yet somehow no one was able to see them.

Richard Fleischer's film 10 Rillington Place begins with a very disturbing sequence in which John (Richard Attenborough, The Angry Silence) is seen gassing and then brutally killing one of his victims. Shortly after, Timothy Evans (John Hurt, Midnight Express) and his wife Beryl (Judy Geeson, To Sir, With Love) agree to rent a tiny apartment in the same building where John and his wife (Pat Heywood) live. Timothy and Beryl can barely make ends meet and when she casually reveals that she is pregnant again he goes berserk and promptly gets drunk in a local pub; then a few hours later he returns and kicks out her best friend who has been invited to spend the night at their place. In the middle of the chaos, John discovers how incredibly easy it is to manipulate Timothy and decides that his pregnant wife ought to be his next victim. A few days later, he convinces Timothy to let him help Beryl get rid of the growing fetus in her belly.

But John kills and rapes Beryl and then tells her naïve and illiterate husband that the 'operation' did not go as planned. The creep also makes him believe that the best thing for both of them would be to hide the Beryl’s body and give her baby to a foster home. Timothy ends up spending a few days with relatives in Wales pretending that he is location scouting for his boss, but after they become suspicious he decides to inform the authorities that his wife has suddenly disappeared. The rest of the film shows what an incredibly dangerous chameleon John was and how remarkably stupid the people that signed off Timothy’s death sentence were.

I have to admit that 10 Rillington Place ranks amongst the most disturbing films about serial killers that I have ever seen. There are a couple of reasons why. First, it accurately reconstructs a series of shocking real events that very easily could have been prevented. Second, Attenborough is nothing short of sensational. The way he talks, looks straight into the camera, and even the way he breathes made me feel very uncomfortable. For the duration of the film he really becomes the predator that killed and raped the poor women that trusted him with their bodies. It is very odd that a performance of this caliber did not earn Attenborough at least an Oscar nomination.

Hurt is equally convincing as the clueless husband who even during the big trial at the end cannot quite comprehend why he is seen as the killer. Geeson does not have too many opportunities to impress, but that short sequence in which her character suddenly realizes that the man on top of her isn’t trying to help her but is getting ready to kill her is genuinely horrifying.

Denys Coop’s (This Sporting Life, Billy Liar) camera movement is simple but just perfect for the desired period atmosphere. Also, virtually the entire film was shot at the real 10 Rillington Place where the murders were committed during the 1940s and early 1950s.

10 Rillington Place Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in aspect ratio of 1.66:1m encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Richard Fleischer's 10 Rillington Place arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a new 4K master which was supervised by Grover Crisp and delivered by Sony Pictures. Indeed, it is very easy to tell that a fresh scan was created because the entire film now looks incredibly healthy and vibrant. Depth and clarity are also as consistently pleasing as they should be after such a complete makeover. Fluidity is also outstanding, and as I usually point out when the end result is so impressive, the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to appreciate the dramatic improvements in quality. The color scheme boasts solid primaries and a terrific range of healthy nuances. Grain is evenly exposed and resolved, never appearing blotchy or smeared. There are no traces of problematic sharpening adjustments. Image stability is outstanding. Finally, there are no distracting scratches, debris, cuts, stains, warped/torn frames, or other age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player or PS3 regardless of your geographical location).

10 Rillington Place Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

John Dankworth's score has an important role in the film, but anyone expecting a diverse sound design that is largely responsible for the tense atmosphere will likely be disappointed. Indeed, there is a much greater emphasis on the manner in which Richard Attenborough communicates with the people around him and his victims, as well as on some seemingly random sounds and noises. Clarity, depth, and balance are outstanding. Also, there are absolutely no distracting pops, cracks, background hiss, dropouts, or digital distortions.

10 Rillington Place Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - filmed video introduction by Richard Attenborough. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Interview - in this archival video interview, Richard Attenborough discusses why character work was so important to him, how he became involved with 10 Rillington Place, his opinion on capital punishment, his interactions with during the shooting of the film, the real John Reginald Christie, etc. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Being Beryl - in this new featurette, Judy Geeson recalls how she prepared to play Beryl Evans, the simple yet very authentic visual style of 10 Rillington Place, John Hurt's performance, Richard Attenborough's magnificent character transformation, Dick Fleischer's working methods, the real locations where the film was shot, etc. The featurette was produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, not subtitled. (23 min).

• Audio Commentary - John Hurt discusses in great detail how and where specific sequences were shot, some of the interesting qualities of the character he played, the real John Reginald Christie and the tactics that he might have used to get closer to his victims, Richard Attenborough's performance, etc.

• Audio Commentary - in this audio commentary, Judy Geeson talks about her involvement with 10 Rillington Place, the character she played, the impact the film had on her career, etc. Also participating are Nick Redman and Lem Dobbs.

• Trailer - original trailer for 10 Rillington Place. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Image Gallery - a gallery of original promotional materials for the film.

• Isolated Score - presented as LPCM 2.0 track.

• Booklet - 32-page illustrated booklet featuring Thirza Wakefield's essay "The House of Death", authentic newspaper reports about the 10 Rillington Place murders compiled and annotated by Jeff Billington, and technical credits.

10 Rillington Place Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I can't think of any good reasons why Richard Attenborough did not at least earn an Oscar nomination for his contribution to Dick Fleischer's film 10 Rillington Place. He is nothing short of sensational as John Reginald Christie, and I have to admit that there were a few sequences in the film that really made me cringe a bit. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' Blu-ray release is sourced from an excellent new 4K master prepared by Sony Pictures that will surely remain the definitive one for this excellent but quite disturbing film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.