A Touch of Love Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

A Touch of Love Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 25, 2025

Waris Hussein's "A Touch of Love" (1969) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the release include new program with Waris Hussein; new program with Ian McKellen; new program with writer Margaret Drabble; vintage trailer; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The unmarried mother

Producer Max Rosenberg funded numerous incredibly diverse genre films. Many of these films are so far apart that it seems unfair not to compare Rosenberg to producer Harry Alan Towers, a legendary and often quite controversial risk-taker. Both men did their best projects during the 1960s and 1970s, and eventually, for different reasons, both tried to elevate their reputations with more ‘serious’ films. While it is debatable whether the elevation was needed or whether they succeeded, there was never any doubt that Rosenberg and Towers did not intend to distance themselves from their most colorful genre projects. On the contrary, during their transition to the more ‘serious’ films, both attempted to bring some of the qualities that made their most colorful genre films successful. For this reason, they managed to bring plenty of unnecessary drama to their legacies.

A Touch of Love is arguably the most effective of the ‘serious’ films Rosenberg funded. Directed by Waris Hussein, who worked with a screenplay by Margaret Drabble, A Touch of Love is a light ‘kitchen sink’ drama that occasionally evolves into a modern for its time melodrama. It tells the story of Rosamund (Sandy Dennis), a twentysomething Londoner, who, after receiving a positive pregnancy test, finds herself alone in a foreign environment that she never knew existed. While struggling to decide whether to keep the baby, tell her traveling parents about the positive pregnancy test, or reveal to the unsuspecting future father the predicament she is in, Rosamund then undergoes a sizable transformation that resets her entire philosophy of life. As Rosamund’s body changes, her closest friends and casual lovers also begin adjusting their interpretations of her struggles and, ultimately, their philosophies of life.

The central theme is alienation. It appears in several variations, most incompatible with the carrying spirit associated with the socio-cultural image of Britain from the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, unlike the conventional ‘kitchen sink’ films that emerged during the same period, A Touch of Love does not go after British society to make a political statement that Rosamund’s misery is its fault. It remains an intimate film, focused on the choices Rosamund makes as she moves forward and learns about the new environment where other young and older women deal with similar or identical issues.

Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the material is disheartening. However, even when Rosamund begins to grasp that she is alone and the accompanying pain crushes her, this material remains far away from the miserabilist material that Ken Loach and Mike Leigh’s films promote. Rosamund has a decent future. In the middle of all the drama, a letter arrives informing that she has earned her Doctorate. Going forward, she will simply have to make many difficult decisions without the support of the father of her baby, her parents, and most of her best friends.

Dennis gives a surprisingly nuanced performance that should be considered one of her best. The supporting cast includes a young Ian McKellen, John Standing, Michael Coles, and Deborah Stanford.

Hussein teamed up with Peter Suschitzky, who, some years later, lensed several of David Cronenberg’s biggest films.

A Touch of Love Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, A Touch of Love arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

In the United Kingdom, A Touch of Love made its high-definition debut with this release, produced by Network Releasing in 2021. I do not have it in my library. However, I suspect that it was sourced from the same master that was used to produce this brand new release.

The master is wonderful. While it retains a few source limitations that produce small density/grain fluctuations, the overall quality of the visuals is lovely. On my system, delineation, clarity, and depth were always very pleasing, and I did not see any distracting surface imperfections. The master is wonderfully graded, too. All primaries and supporting nuances are very healthy and nicely balanced, ensuing a convincing period appearance for the entire film. Darker areas look particularly good, which is not always easy because some have a variety of delicate nuances. Image stability is very good. All in all, I think that A Touch of Love looks great on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

A Touch of Love Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

During the opening 15-20 minutes, the audio feels somewhat flat and anemic. I suspect that this is an inherited limitation because there are no signs pointing to any serious anomalies. Clarity is always fine, so the dialog is easy to follow. It just feels like in some places it needs to be fuller. Dynamic intensity is modest, which should not be surprising because the film does not have a big and exciting soundtrack, and there are no sequences with exciting action material.

A Touch of Love Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Woman's Right to Choose - in this program, Waris Hussein discusses the early stages of his career in the TV industry, and A Touch of Love, which was his first film, produced by Max Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky. Hussein also addresses Margaret Drabble's novel that inspired the film and the casting choices that were made for it. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Adapting the Millstone - in this program, Margaret Drabble discusses her background, her love for theater, and her adaptation of her novel that inspired A Touch of Love. Drabble also has some interesting observations about the look of the film. In English, not subtitled. (28 min).

• Ian McKellen on "A Touch of Love" - in this program, Ian McKellen recalls how he was cast to play his character in A Touch of Love and the shooting process was like. McKellen also comments on his interactions with Sandy Dennis and the film's disappointing critical reception. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Q&A Session - presented here is a Q&A session with Waris Hussein and Ian McKellen, hosted by Marcus Prince, which was filmed at BFI Southbank in 2018. Hussein and McKellen recall their collaboration on A Touch of Love. In English, not subtitled. (35 min).

• U.S. Trailer - presented here is a vintage U.S. trailer for A Touch of Love. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

A Touch of Love Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Touch of Love is a very dated film, channeling frustrations and fears that decades ago could easily ruin an unmarried mother's life. However, it is probably unfair to profile it as a time capsule. It is an intimate film that chronicles a young woman's irreversible transformation. It was Waris Hussein's first feature film, so it is a bit rough, but its star, Sandy Dennis, is lovely. I quite enjoyed it. StudioCanal's release is sourced from a wonderful recent master. If you choose to pick it up for your library, please keep in mind that it is Region-B "locked". RECOMMENDED.