An Inspector Calls Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

An Inspector Calls Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 16, 2020

Guy Hamilton's "An Inspector Calls" (1954) arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include archival video interview with actress Jane Wenham' new audio commentary by author and film historian David Del Valle; and trailers. In English, with optional Enlgish SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"But of course you do"

The overwhelming majority of the film takes place inside the lavish home of a wealthy British family, the Birlings, whose members have gathered to celebrate the engagement of the eldest child, Sheila (Eileen Moore, The Green Man), to the handsome businessman Gerald Croft (Brian Worth, Million Dollar Manhunt). As they dine and discuss important matters, such as the distant possibility of a war on the Old Continent, a man knocks on the door and politely introduces himself. The man is Inspector Poole (Alastair Sim, Innocents in Paris, The Belles of St Trinian's) and he wishes to speak with everyone in the house -- preferably one by one. Rather reluctantly, the head of the family, Mr. Birling (Arthur Young, Paid to Kill), invites the Inspector to sit down and explain what brings him to his home.

The rest of the film is broken into five uneven episodes. In each episode a member of the Birling family and Sheila’s future husband meets a young girl named Eva Smith who has died after taking some sort of a strong disinfectant.

In the first episode, Mr. Birling meets Eva after she leads a deputation of women working in his factory to his office where they demand better wages. Mr. Birling quickly rejects their request and after consulting with his assistant fires Eva.

In the second episode, Eva loses her new job in a chic clothing store after Sheila becomes upset with her while trying a fancy hat. Before she leaves the store, Sheila also threatens to close her affluent mother’s account there.

In the third episode, Gerald meets Eva in a smoky inn. She is starving and can barely stay on her feet. Gerald treats her to a nice dinner in a nearby restaurant and then lets her stay at his bachelor apartment until she finds a new job. He promises not to bother her, but soon after the two become lovers. When eventually he decides to marry Sheila, Eva is asked to leave.

Eva and Mrs. Birling (Olga Lindo, Make Mine a Million) meet sometime after the poor girl’s affair with Gerald. As the leader of a group of wealthy women who enjoy helping the unfortunate ones, Mrs. Birling discovers that Eva fell in love with a rich and handsome man but after she became pregnant he quickly abandoned her.

In the final episode, Eva meets the friendly but rather unpredictable Eric Birling (Bryan Forbes, The Colditz Story), who loves to drink and have a good time. On a cold and rainy night, the kind bachelor buys her fish and chips and then walks her to her place.

Based on the classic play by J.B. Priestley, Guy Hamilton’s An Inspector Calls is a witty and genuinely moving period drama that is guaranteed to appeal to a wide range of viewers. Indeed, there are numerous very effective twists that could easily fit in an Agatha Christie adaptation and serious social overtones that remind of David Lean’s classic romantic drama Brief Encounter. (In Hamilton’s film right and wrong are just as successfully misplaced).

The title of the film is rather misleading. The well-mannered Inspector very effectively manipulates his hosts and then arranges the scattered pieces of a fascinating puzzle, but the true star of the film is the poor girl who just can’t seem to get a break. The entire cast, however, is fantastic.

An Inspector Calls was lensed by British cinematographer Ted Scaife (Jack Cardiff’s The Lion, Robert Aldrich’s The Dirty Dozen). The art direction is by Joseph Bato (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Carol Reed’s The Third Man).

An Inspector Calls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, An Inspector Calls arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

This film was digitally restored a few years ago and then transferred to Blu-ray by StudioCanal in the United Kingdom. You can see our listing and review of the Region-B release review.

The U.S. release is sourced from the same restored master that StudioCanal prepared for their release. It is a very good master, but it retains some source limitations that produce a few small but noticeable fluctuations in terms of delineation and depth. During the restoration specific efforts were made to optimize and rebalance the visuals as best as possible, but their integrity is not affected. In fact, even after the rebalacing work -- which is basically grain management work and cleanup work -- the entire film has the type of appearance that a dated interpositive would typically produce. In other words, the film looks a tad softer but density levels remain very strong. The grading is convincing. The blacks are stable with good ranges of nuances, and the grays and whites are properly balanced. Yes, in some areas small fluctuations can be observed, but they reflect native limitations. D There are no traces of sharpening, boosting, or other similar problematic enhancement. Image stability is very good. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

An Inspector Calls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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

During the restoration of the film the audio was clearly stabilized and then optimized before it was transferred to the new master. To be honest, I don't think that there are any technical issues to report. Perhaps it could be made to sound slightly fuller during a few segments, but overall it is very, very solid. The dramatic soundtrack produces some quite wonderful dynamic contrasts. There are no dropouts, distortions, or other similar anomalies to report in our review.

An Inspector Calls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Jane Wenham - in this video interview, actress Jane Wenham (Eva Smith) recalls her collaboration with director Guy Hamilton on An Inspector Calls as well as her interactions with the rest of the cast during the shooting of the film. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, author and film historian David Del Valle discusses in great detail the cinematic adaptation of J.B. Priestley's play and some key differences (specifically the absence of the girl), the nature of the dialog, the structure and efficacy of various twists and revelations, Alastair Sim's performance, etc.

• Trailers - trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. The Devil's Disciple
  2. Force 10 from Navarone
  3. Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

An Inspector Calls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I discovered this film only after it was restored and added to StudioCanal's Vintage Classics collection. I think that it is quite special not only because it is brilliantly structured and executed, but also because it reveals a completely different side of Alastair Sim's talent. Obviously, I was late to join those who have tirelessly praised the film over the years, so I hope now that it is finally available in the U.S. it will appear on the radar of other collectors that have been unaware of its existence and they will have the same experience I enjoyed a few years ago. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.