Deep End Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Deep End Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 18, 2011

Screened at the Venice Film Festival, Jerzy Skolimowski's "Deep End" (1970) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the British Film Institute. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; Francine Winham's short film "Careless Love" (1976); short featurette about a selection of scenes that were deleted from the final version of "Deep End"; making of featurette; Q&A session with actors Jane Asher and John Moulder-Brown; and more. The disc also arrives with a 24-page illustrated booklet featuring David Thompson's essay "Deep End", Yvonne Tasker's "Permissive British cinema?", William Fowler's "The Deep End soundtrack: Mother Sky", Francine Winham's "Careless Love", and a Jerzy Skolimowski biography by Ewa Mazierska. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Lovely!

Fifteen-year-old Mike (John Moulder-Brown, Luchino Visconti's Ludwig) takes a job as an attendant in a public bathhouse somewhere in London. It is a boring job that does not pay much, but he is happy to have it.

The slightly older and beautiful Susan (Jane Asher, Alfie) also works in the bathhouse. Her job description is the same as Mike’s, but in addition to giving the customers their favorite bottle of shampoo and cleaning up after they leave, she does a bit of extra work on the side. Most of her customers are married older men with special needs who tip well.

While giving Mike a tour of the house, Susan quietly explains that there are plenty of older women who would be happy to leave him a good tip as well. All he has to do to earn it is be nice to them, and let them imagine things.

By the end of the tour, Mike falls hard for Susan – and she can tell. Feeling strangely empowered, in the following days she begins playing with his emotions, not realizing how brittle his psyche is. Eventually, Susan also breaks Mike’s heart after she reveals to him that she has a fiancée.

Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s Deep End may well be amongst the most honest coming-of-age films ever made. It gets everything right – from the excitement and euphoria to the inevitable disappointment which young boys and girls experience when they first fall in love.

The film is an emotional rollercoaster of events that are completely free of political correctness. After Mike befriends Susan he is essentially taught how the real world functions, and how everything and everyone has a price, including him. It is a painful but eye-opening lesson.

The film is also free of superficial drama. For example, Mike’s temporary triumphs always lead to inevitable and believable failures that are not overdramatized for greater effect. They are simply filmed as they would occur in real life, where young boys become men by learning from their mistakes.

The ever-evolving relationship between Mike and Susan is also effectively used to deliver a very impressive, very convincing portrait of Britain in an era of important socio-political and cultural changes. This is rather surprising considering that the majority of the film was shot by a Polish director who spoke little English, in Germany.

The cast is exceptional. Moulder-Brown is phenomenal as the naïve, insecure, and madly in love young boy who becomes obsessed with a girl he cannot possibly have. Asher is also very impressive. There are a number of scenes in the film where she literally becomes Susan - cocky, manipulative, forceful, fully aware of her sexuality, but still so incredibly vulnerable and brittle. The sultry Diana Dors is also impressive as the needy cougar.

Cinematographer Charly Steinberger’s (Fire, Ice & Dynamite) inventive lensing picks out lush and thick colors that enhance the film’s terrific atmosphere and make selected sequences impossible to forget (the pool sequence at the end of the film). The film also boasts a strong soundtrack, featuring tracks by Cat Stevens and German progressive rock band Can.

Note: In 1970, Deep End premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Two years later, the film was nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress (Jane Asher).

Deep End Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Jerzy Skolimowski's Deep End is available as a standard Dual Format Edition and a Collector's Edition.

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jerzy Skolimowski's Deep End arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of the BFI (British Film Institute).

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"Deep End was scanned in 2K resolution and restored in High Definition by Bavaria Media at CinePostproduction, using a 35mm interpositive, and the original main mix on 17.5 mm magnetic film for sound. Digital restoration systems were used to stabilize frames and to remove dirt, scratches, and warps, improving both picture and sound.

Scanning: Frank Rohlfing, Horst Bultmann.
Color grading: Martin Eisenkeil
Technical production: Douglas Weir (BFI)
Telecine colorist: Gerry Gedge (Prime Focus, London)."

The restoration is indeed quite impressive. Generally speaking, detail is pleasing, clarity levels consistent, and contrast levels effectively stabilized. The majority of the close-ups have a pleasing organic look, boasting very good texture and fluidity. The nighttime footage also looks healthy. As intended, colors look thick and well saturated, and during the final third of the film they are indeed very effective used. Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern. I also did not see any macroblocking patterns. There are, however, traces of consistent degraining. A slightly rawer look would have been preferable, but a layer of light grain, mixed with light noise, is still present throughout the entire film. A thorough cleanup has been performed as well, and various debris, scratches, flecks, and stains removed. Finally, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. All in all, this is a strong and convincing presentation of Deep End, which at the moment should be regarded as its definitive presentation. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Deep End Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, the BFI have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The loseless audio track is excellent. The dialog is consistently crisp, clean, and free of distortions. The music is also well balanced with it. Understandably, the dynamic amplitude is rather limited but accurately replicates the film's original dynamic structure. For the record, there are no problematic audio dropouts, pops, or clicks.

Deep End Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Note: The supplemental features found on the Blu-ray disc are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3. However, the supplemental features found on the two DVDs are encoded in PAL. Therefore, in order to view them in North America, you must have a Region-Free Blu-ray player, or a Region-Free DVD player, capable of converting PAL to NTSC.

Blu-ray

• Trailer - the original, Rated-X, theatrical trailer for Deep End. In English, not subtitled. (5 min, 1080p).

• Careless Love (1976) - a short film about a doomed relationship directed by Francine Winham, starring Jane Asher and Richard Heffer. The film was remastered in High Definition from the Francine Winham's 16mm print. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Starting Out (2011) - a wonderful, very informative feature-length documentary in which director Jerzy Skolimowski, Jane Asher, John Moulder-Brown, and various crew members recall how Deep End came to exist. In English and German, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (78 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scenes - a short featurette about a selection of scenes that were deleted from the final version of Deep End. In English, not subtitled. (13 min, 1080p).

DVD 1

• Recalling Deep End - a Q&A session with actors Jane Asher and John Moulder-Brown filmed at the BFI Southbank on May 4, 2001, after a screening of Deep End as part of the BFI Flipside strand. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, PAL).

• Trailer - the reissue trailer for Deep End. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, PAL).

• More from the BFI - a gallery of trailers for other BFI releases. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, PAL).

DVD 2

• Film and Supplemental Features - a standard-definition version of Deep End with all of the supplemental features found on the Blu-ray.

• Booklet - a 24-page illustrated booklet featuring David Thompson's essay "Deep End", Yvonne Tasker's "Permissive British cinema?", William Fowler's "The Deep End soundtrack: Mother Sky", Francine Winham's "Careless Love", and a Jerzy Skolimowski biography by Ewa Mazierska.

Deep End Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The BFI have put together a wonderful package for Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski's Deep End, a moving, very atmospheric film about obsessional adolescent love and a country in transition. The distributors have also included a wealth of excellent supplemental features. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Note: Jerzy Skolimowski's Deep End is available as a standard Dual Format Edition and a Collector's Edition.