Charlie Bubbles Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Charlie Bubbles Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 26, 2018

Albert Finney's "Charlie Bubbles" (1968) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage promotional materials for the film; new cast and crew interviews; audio commentary by film historians Thirza Wakefield and Melanie Williams; and more. The release also arrives with a 36-page limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Thirza Wakefield, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and historic articles on the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Too complicated

For the overwhelming majority of people life is a long journey. They also have a dream destination and believe that if they get there they will discover true happiness. However, when they describe it they usually substitute it with lasting financial security of the type that would give them the freedom to acquire and do anything they want. So as cynical as it may sound, they spend their journey following different paths that actually all lead to the same place. As time passes by and they get old or sick their determination always weakens, so at some point they tend to give up and settle for a lot less than what they desired early in their lives.

The one and only film that Albert Finney directed, Charlie Bubbles, is about a man who has prematurely reached his dream destination. Charlie (Finney) is in his late thirties, possibly early forties, and originally from the Manchester area but now lives in busy London because he has made it as a writer. The agents, the respect, the money, he has it all. It is the total success that he dreamed of when he began writing his first novel.

But in London Charlie feels a lot like a fish out of water. His money can open any door and buy him anything he wants, but he is still an outsider and does not feel happy. In fact, Charlie routinely has a hard time feeling anything at all, which is why he has started wondering if success was actually worth pursuing. While he was just another nameless bloke from the North he felt alive, and though he did not have a lot of people in his life the few that were there he could trust. Then success gave him the big money and filled his life with performers that were there to take as much of it as he was willing to give away. So, was the whole thing just an awful trade-off? Or could it be that he never had the right idea about success and got what every other lucky winner like him does?

In an attempt to reconnect with his past and regain his ability to feel, Charlie heads back to Manchester together with his new American secretary, Eliza (Lisa Minnelli). He plans to spend some time with his estranged wife, Lottie (Billie Whitelaw), and son, Jack (Timothy Garland), and maybe even see his favorite football team play again. However, shortly after he arrives in the city he begins to realize that a lot has irreversibly changed there as well, and much like in London now he is seen and treated only as a successful outsider with deep pockets.

It is not at all difficult to tell that a lot of Charlie’s misery actually comes from Finney’s life story. Bits and pieces are clearly reshuffled, plenty is manufactured, and a lot more was obviously kept private, but at the core of this film there is a very revealing dilemma that Finney undoubtedly pondered many times throughout his life: is everything that success brings in one’s life more important than what it takes away from it? Looking at Charlie and his frustration with the permanent changes that success has made in his life the answer seems easy to figure out, but Finney never really became allergic to success so it is probably a mistake to speculate that there was a point in his life when he genuinely became fed up with it.

Charlie’s trip from London to Manchester is also a convenient pretext to highlight some traditional social contrasts that supposedly define the South and the North in Finney’s native country. The film promotes London’s classic image of a stronghold of cultural and social elitism, and the North as the land of common folk and working-class values. Of course the irony is that at the end they emerge as equally prejudiced and Charlie discovers that he is an outsider in both.

Minnelli made her acting debut in this film but it is difficult to describe it as a memorable one. Indeed, her part could have been given to a lot of young actresses from her generation and they easily would have done just as decent of a job with it. However, Finney apparently wanted a fresh face, and not a blonde, so he picked Minnelli.

Charlie Bubbles Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.75:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Albert Finney's Charlie Bubbles arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a master that was provided by Universal Pictures, and unfortunately it has all the conventional shortcomings that the studio's older vault masters are notorious for. For example, excluding a few close-ups where delineation remains decent the entire film has that harsh contrasty appearance that destabilizes all native qualities of the original cinematography. In wider shots in particular depth is frequently non-existent, and this is something that also has a negative impact on the overall fluidity of the visuals (you can see examples in screencaptures #4, 12, and 15). Furthermore, there are traces of digital work that has flattened the grain and elevated sharpness, so there is plenty of footage that also looks smeary and harsh (see screencapture #6). Overall image stability is very good. Colors appear stable, but there are missing nuances and in certain cases some of the primaries are in fact more prominent than they should be. Ultimately, the current master for Charlie Bubbles has plenty of serious issues that make it practically impossible for the film to have an attractive organic appearance. My score is 2.75/5.00. (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).

Charlie Bubbles 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 very good. Even when the volume is turned up rather substantially there are no signs of distortions in the upper register. Background hiss also isn't an issue. Dynamic intensity is of the type that is appropriate for a film from the late '60s, so expect good clarity and some decent but modest supportive dynamic movement.

Charlie Bubbles Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - remastered vintage trailer for Charlie Bubbles. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for the film.

• CCTV Test Footage - a vintage reel with the footage that was done for the CCTV sequence. It can be seen with or without captions. (2 min).

• Another World - in this new program, John Harding, author of Sweetly Sings Delaney: A Study of Shelagh Delaney's Work 1958-68, discusses the conception of Charlie Bubbles and specifically screenwriter Shelagh Delaney's (A Taste of Honey) work with Albert Finney on the project. The program was created exclusively for Indicator/Powerhosue Films in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• To Shape the Country - in this new video piece, film critic Danny Leigh discusses Charlie Bubbles. The piece was created exclusively for Indicator/Powerhosue Films in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (22 min).

• Cast and Crew Interviews - om English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Michael Medwin: A Very Personal Film - in this new video interview, producer Michael Medvin quickly addresses the personal nature of Charlie Bubbles and the fact that the film was not successful. (4 min).
  
  2. Peter Suschitzky: Down to Earth - in this new video interview, cinematographer Peter Suschitzky discusses his contribution to Charlie Bubbles and Albert Finney's work. There are also some very interesting comments about Stephen Frears' (The Grifters) contribution as an assistant during the production process. (9 min).
  
  3. Terrence A. Clegg: Off the Cuff - in this new video interview, first assistance director Terrence A. Clegg recalls his work with Albert Finney and Stephen Frears during the shooting of Charlie Bubbles in Manchester. He also confirms that Albert Finney did not enjoy working on the project as a director. (9 min).
  
  4. Timothy Garland: Finney and Football - in this new video interview, actor Timothy Garland, who played Charlie Bubbles' son, recalls what it was like being around the stars of Albert Finney's film, and comments on the production process. The stadium sequence is discussed as well, and this was apparently the only time Timothy Garland attended a football match. (16 min).
  
  5. Susan Engel: Motorway Cafe Society - in this new video interview, actor Susan Engel (plays the nanny) remembers her contribution to Charlie Bubbles and specifically the shooting of the cafe sequence. (9 min).
  
  6. Misha Donat: Entirely Harmonized - in this new video interview, composer Misha Donat remembers how he was approached and hired to score Charlie Bubbles after scoring Lindsay Anderson's The White Bus, and discusses some of the stylistic influences that shaped up his soundtrack. (9 min).

• Commentary - film historians Thirza Wakefield and Melanie Williams discuss the style of Charlie Bubbles, the social overtones that are part of its narrative, its placement in the annals of British cinema, etc.

• Booklet -36-page limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Thirza Wakefield, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and historic articles on the film.

Charlie Bubbles Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Success can be quite demoralizing to successful people that had the wrong idea about it before it irreversibly altered their lives. This isn't exactly a revelation because year after year we keep hearing about all kinds of different celebrities making awful choices that are essentially a product of their inability to adjust and take control of their new lives. In the one and only film that Albert Finney directed, Charlie Bubbles, the main character is a young writer who struggles to suppress a growing frustration with the rearrangement of his life after his rise to the top and in the process begins to realize that he might have lost a lot of what actually makes it worth living. It is an interesting film that clearly channels plenty of the frustration that Finney experienced, but I think that it has been rightfully criticized for being too introverted. Indeed, there are multiple segments where it feels like the film simply stops and its director/star retreats with his thoughts to a place where the audience isn't welcome. This new release of Charlie Bubbles has a good selection of informative bonus features, but it is sourced from a very underwhelming master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. If our review has piqued your interest, I recommend that you find a way to rent it first before committing to a purchase. RENT IT.