Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Adventures of a Taxi Driver Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 14, 2022

Stanley Long's "Adventures of a Taxi Driver" (1976) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include archival audio commentary recorded by the director; new program with cinematographer Peter Sinclair; promotional materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

That's the guy. Right there.

Stanley Long’s Adventures films are amateurish copycats of the Carry On and Confessions films. They are genuine cinematic trash that insult your intelligence in the worst possible ways. They might be one of the biggest stains in the annals of British cinema.

Right.

I can fill up an entire page with similar and much, much harsher descriptions of the Adventures films. I can attach to them the names of some pretty famous critics as well. But I won’t do it because you do not need to waste your time reading them. They are all the same -- misleading, pretentious, often breathtakingly unhinged. Instead, I would like to put them in a proper context for you, so that you understand where the ‘criticism’ they are a part of comes from. Usually, it comes from the same people that would enthusiastically write that Peter Greenway’s The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover is a revelation, a true art film, a milestone in British cinema. Is it clear now? The same people that would sell you Long’s Adventures films as genuine cinematic trash will ask you to agree with them that Greenway’s The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover is a special art film.

This recent box set from Indicator/Powerhouse Films gathers the following three films directed by Long: Adventures of a Taxi Driver (1976), Adventures of a Private Eye (1977), and Adventures of a Plumber's Mate (1978). All three are sex comedies, and all three were initially released in British cinemas with an X certificate. Nope, they do not feature any hardcore content. In fact, they offer less nudity than any of the big museums you can visit with your family in Athens and Rome. Their jokes are not offensive either. So, what was all the fuzz about, then? C’mon now. The BBFC used to flag these films with an X certificate for the exact same reason it still requires ‘animal cruelty’ to be removed from various genre films that enter the territories on which it is funded to operate. Cultural standards and priorities.

So, how bad are the three films in this box set?

First, let’s mention a few truths about their conception. Yes, Long did model them after the Carry On and Confessions films, though the blueprint that ultimately gave them their identity is the one that was used strictly for the Confessions films. Yes, it is also true that Long’s camera catches a few peckers, some bums, and various pairs of breasts. But this footage is neither obscene nor arousing. It is a variation of the slightly less revealing but far more arousing footage the Italians loaded up in their sexy comedies during the 1960s. (Lucio’s Fulci’s The Maniacs, Ettora Scola’s Let's Talk About Women, and the omnibus Le bambole, for instance, go much further than Long’s films without showing the same amount of skin). Finally, it is also true that some of the humor in these films could have been scripted a little better so that it is spicier.

Like the majority of the Italian sexy comedies from the 1960s Adventures of a Taxi Driver is a pretty good time capsule as well. Played by Barry Evans, its main protagonist is essentially a friendly tour guide that drives around London and describes to the audience how life happens in the city. He is fully aware that this is part of his duty too, which is why he routinely looks straight into Long’s camera and talks to the audience. In other words, Adventures of a Taxi Driver isn’t just a collection of situations where the cabbie and his latest client invent different excuses to take off their clothes and have a bit of fun.

The comedy isn’t filler material, so in addition to the cabbie there are a few more characters with decent contributions that are part of a good story. Admittedly, some of the comedy looks pretty dated, but this is actually what makes the film interesting now because it reveals a lot about the era it emerged from.

*In a new program that is included on this release, Peter Sinclair discusses his illustrious career and explains how he was offered the job of lensing Adventures of a Taxi Driver, his first feature film. He credits Pete Walker, who used him as a camera operator on some of his early films, and confirms that his work experience on these genre films was invaluable. Sinclair went on to direct Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and “Material Girl”, “AC/DC: Live at Donington”, “Peter Gabriel’s “Secret World”, etc.

Adventures of a Taxi Driver Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Adventures of a Taxi Driver arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an older master that gives the film a somewhat dated appearance. Actually, certain areas of the film can look slightly dated, though it is always easy to tell that a new master would have produced all-around healthier visuals. Why is that? It is because of some of the surface unevenness on select visuals, and because of the manner in which the current master was graded. For example, while unaffected by problematic digital corrections, grain can appear rather loose, at times noisy as well, which means that density levels can fluctuate quite a bit. (These fluctuations are not part of the original cinematography. The 16mm footage from the taxi has different characteristics). Then there are the inconsistencies in the color scheme -- some areas have too much yellow, and some areas have too much green, and together they can shift the overall temperature of the visuals quite a bit. Fortunately, these inconsistencies are not as dramatic and overwhelming as the ones we usually see on recent masters graded at places like L'immagine Ritrovata and Eclair Laboratories. Given the often documentary appearance of the visuals depth usually ranges from good to very good, but there is clearly room for meaningful improvements. Fluidity is decent, but this is another area where plenty of improvements can be made. Image stability is good. All in all, despite some inconsistencies this is still a fine organic presentation of the film. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Adventures of a Taxi Driver 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.

The lossless track is quite good. However, if fully remastered it would be better as well. Why? Because from time to time the mid-/high registers can be a bit compressed, which is why the audio could be a bit thin. On the other hand, you need to keep in mind that Adventures of a Taxi Driver was not shot to impress with a terrific soundtrack. It often looks and sounds like a period documentary, so the overall improvement in quality would not be dramatic.

Adventures of a Taxi Driver Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Adventures of a Taxi Driver. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Peter Sinclair's Camera - in this new program, Peter Sinclair discusses the evolution of his career, and specifically the work he did with Pete Walker and Stanley Long, and the evolution of his career. There are some pretty interesting recollections about his work with Madonna and Prince as well. The program was produced by Simon Sheridan for Baker Street Productions in 2022. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Image Galleries -
  
  1. Promotional materials.
  2. Original screenplay for Adventures of a Taxi Driver.

• The BEHP Interview with Stanley Long: Part One - presented here is an excerpt from an archival audio interview with Stanley Long that was conducted on November 24, 1999. The late director discusses his background and work. In English, not subtitled. (87 min).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary with director Stanley Long was recorded in 2008. The bulk of the information in it addresses the production of Adventures of a Taxi Driver, its performance at the box office in 1976, the nature (and quality) of the humor in the film, the various locations where Long and his crew shot without a permission, etc.

• The Best of the Adventures - presented here is a feature-length compilation of extracts from the Adventures series, made for the nascent videotape market and hosted by broadcaster Peter Noble. The compilation was completed in 1981.

• Booklet - an exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Simon Sheridan, archival interviews with Stanley Long and actor-composer Christopher Neil, a letter from the producers complaining about the Adventures films' treatment in the British press, newspaper articles on the controversy surrounding the casting of Elaine Paige in Adventures of a Plumber's Mate while she was starring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, a look at the three films' novelizations, an overview of contemporary critical responses, Jan Manthey on his short films, and film credits.

• Poster - see screenshots.

Adventures of a Taxi Driver Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some of the 'reviews' that have been written about Adventures of a Taxi Driver -- and the other two films in the Adventures series -- over the years are not just misleading, but seriously embarrassing. Did Stanley Long direct a masterpiece? No, and no one has ever argued that he did, but there is a very good reason why in 1976 Adventures of a Taxi Driver made more money at the British box office than Marty Scorsese's Taxi Driver. It is a pretty funny film, and now that it looks quite dated, it works even better as an authentic time capsule. Adventures of a Taxi Driver is included in Indicator/Powerhouse Films' Stanley Long's Adventures: A Seventies Sex Comedy Threesome, a three-disc box set. An identical North American three-disc box set is available and we have it listed here. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.