Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Counterpoint Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 21, 2023

Ralph Nelson's "Counterpoint" (1967) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary by critic Steve Mitchell and author Steven Jay Rubin and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

By December of 1944, peace appeared to be very close. America’s U.S.O. entertainment units were at last able to perform on the mainland of Europe, many of them near the front lines. This is the story of one such unit… a leading symphony orchestra… somewhere in recently-liberated Belgium.

Shortly after the quoted text disappears, a highly-anticipated performance for U.S. top military brass is canceled, and Lionel Evans (Charlton Heston), a renowned conductor, and his orchestra go back on the road. However, in a contested area of Belgium, the orchestra bus is stopped by a German unit and then redirected to a nearby castle. Here, Evans, his musicians, and two soldiers that have joined them to escape the Germans become prisoners, and it is only because of General Schiller (Maximilian Schell), a passionate music lover, that their inevitable execution is postponed.

While Colonel Arndt (Anton Diffring) attempts to reverse the decision to delay the execution, Schiller approaches Evans with a request for a private concert, which will require preparation time and therefore keep him and the orchestra members alive much longer. At first, Evans refuses, but then, while pressured by several orchestra members, reverses his decision. As rehearsals begin, Evans, the two soldiers, and a couple of musicians hatch a most dangerous escape plan.

Aside from Heston’s surprisingly good performance, everything else in Ralph Nelson’s Counterpoint is easily described as either average or enormously disappointing, producing a massive mish-mash of cliches that are incompatible with an authentic WWII drama. It is why Counterpoint quickly evolves into a collection of uneven episodes where actors essentially compete with each other for the spotlight and in the process destroy the integrity of the characters they were cast to play.

The catalyst of all serious troubles in Counterpoint is undoubtedly the screenplay that was used to do it, which produces paper-thin characters and frequently nauseating contrasts. For example, every single German character is depicted as a maniac in a uniform struggling with variations of urges to overpower, humiliate, and destroy. (If all Germans were such evil simpletons, how did they manage to produce so many great strategists that helped Hitler conquer most of Europe? There must have been more than a few brilliant minds to do proper strategizing). The prisoners are of course rational and unapologetically patriotic characters whose mere presence and attitude can intimidate the Germans and force them to reconsider their decisions. The most ridiculous of the contrasts that emerge features one of the soldiers pretending to be a musician who turns out to be a very special trombone player and delivers a staggering performance of the U.S. national hymn.

Counterpoint is full of technical flaws as well. For example, for days musicians are seen freely moving, storing, and using their instruments in freezing temperatures without any consequences. Anyone with an elementary knowledge of how woodwinds must be taken care of in order to remain usable will very quickly conclude that the dramatic events that are depicted in Counterpoint are pure fiction. Also, the orchestra has the wrong configuration for the type of pieces that are being performed.

Apparently, Heston spent countless hours learning how to conduct and behave as a veteran orchestra leader. The movement of his hands while the musicians perform and his attitude on the podium are very convincing. Unfortunately, Leslie Nielsen, who plays his concertmaster, is badly miscast. Kathryn Hays is similarly unconvincing as the woman the conductor and the concertmaster are in love with as well.

Counterpoint Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Counterpoint arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Scorpion Releasing.

The release is sourced from an old and regrettably very inconsistent master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. Excluding several close-ups that boast decent delineation and clarity, the rest of the footage routinely looks too soft and anemic. Also, virtually all of the indoor and nighttime footage has compromised darker nuances, so depth can vary substantially. Color balance is stable and pleasing. However, this is another area where numerous meaningful improvements can be made. Many of the supporting nuances, for instance, should be a lot healthier. Image stability is good. While a few blemishes can be spotted, there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. (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).

Counterpoint 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.

The lossless track is very good. The dialog is clear, sharp, and always easy to follow. Balance is good, too. The upper register is very healthy -- there are no distracting distortions, thinning, pops, or cracks. I think that the dynamic intensity is very good as well, but the limitations of the production and soundtrack are easily recognizable. The orchestra performances are lovely, so clearly someone was monitoring closely the recording sessions to ensure that the music sounds as good as possible.

Counterpoint Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Counterpoint. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Steve Mitchell and author Steven Jay Rubin. The commentary follows a familiar format. The two gentlemen, who are frequent contributors to various releases of older classic and cult films, discuss the production of Counterpoint, the rather impressive cast that was assembled for it as well as the type of performance each actor gives, the period environment and conflicts that are recreated in the film, the critical reception of the film, etc.

Counterpoint Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Any period film that demands to be taken seriously but produces paper-thin characters and frequently nauseating contrasts is destined to self-destruct. Counterpoint is one such period film, so the bad reviews it has generated over the years are hardly surprising. To be honest, I do not think that Counterpoint could have been saved even if a better director had managed to convince a superior cast to do it. The screenplay that was used to do Counterpoint is ridiculous, so the end product would have been the same. Scorpion Releasing's Blu-ray release is sourced from an old and regrettably quite underwhelming master that was supplied by Universal Pictures.